The River Falls times. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1894-1933, 1896-09-15


is the democracy, which means the rule OF
the people themselves. Why is 1t that
the strength of the democracy use the
word in its broader SenSe-why is 1t that
the strength of the democracy has always
been found among the common people?
Why, it is simple enough. IL man mas
high position or great wealth he may be
able to stand and beep on the good side or
the king. Ii he has great influence he may
be one of the ruling classes in an arls-
tocracy. But you are not willing to leave
any form OF government to your children
except a democracy, in which each citizen
Is protected in the enjoyment OF life, liberty
and the pursuit of happiness The great
common people believe in democratic
form of government, because it is only IN
q democratic form of government that they
are able to protect their rights and advance
their interests so far as government can
advance human interests Let me dwell for
a moment upon the object of government
In this land it is our boast that our govern
ment derives its just powers from
The Consent of the Governed.
What kind of a government will people
consent to when they are free to consent!
There is one kind of government above all
other kind they love and Il government
which knows no favoritism, government
where every citizen stands on the same
plane, and where the government treats
them all alike. without regard to position
in society, or even without regard TO wealth;
a government which gives equal rights 20
all, but confers special privileges upon none
That is the kind of government that APP
peas to the affections of the common peo-
pie
There are two things to be considered in
government The first is that in the enact
ment of legislation you shall be careful to
give no advantage to one person over an
other if that advantage can be prevented.
In other words, it is the duty of govern
ment to avoid acts OF affirmative injustice:
but that is only part of the business OF
government jefferson has stated the other
half of it, He says that government must
restrain men from injurng one another.
That is one of the important duties OF gov
eminent; to restrain men from lnJurlng one
another. and the government that fails TO
restrain the strongest arm that can be lift
ed from iniuring the weakest citizen in all
the land is a government which fails to do
its whole duty.
was passing through Iowa some months
ago and | got an idea from some hogs.
Oaughter) An idea is the most important
thing that person can get into his head,
and we gather our ideas from every source.
AS l was riding along | noticed these hogs
roofing in-a field and they were tearing up
the ground, and the first thought that came
to me was that they were destroying a
good deal of property, and that carried me
back to the time when as a boy | lived
upon farm, and | remembered that when
we had hogs used to put rings in the
noses of the hogs, and then the thought
came to me- "Why did we do i Not to
keep the nogs from getting fat. We were
more terested in their getting fatter than
they were. The sooner they got lat the
sooner we killed them; the longer they were
in getting fat the longer they lived. But
why were the rings put in the noses OF
those hogs? SO that while they were getting
fat they would not destroy more property
ha = | thought
that this thought came TO me: that one of
the duties of government, one of the inn
pOrtant duties of government, is the putting
of rings in the noses of hogs. Now, my
friends, do not consider this as reflection
on your neighbor. We are all hogsiSh, we
are all selfish, my friends, and we must not
apply this lesson simply to somebody else.
If YOU tell me that you are not selfish
can prove by your neighbour that you are.
and if your neighbor denies that he is self
ish | can prove by you that he Is We are
all selfish The Creator did not make any
class of people who were entirely unself-
ish but | have faith in our form of gov
eminent because | believe that the people
in their better moments will adopt laws
which restrain themselves in hours of temp
tation in order that their neighbors may also
be restrained in hours of temptation. And
when / say that one of the duties Of GOV
eminent is to put rings in the noses of hogs
/ simply mean this: that, While society is
Interested III having every clllZeu DeCOIn6
Independent, become self-SuppOrting, society
is interested in having every citizen secure
enough of this worlds goods not only to
supply his own wants, but to educate his
children and leave him something for the
declining days. But while society is inter-
ested Ia this society is also interested in
having laws that will prevent him destroy
ing more than he is worth while he is Sc
curing his own independence. Our govern
ment is the best known among men. Our
government is the best form of government
known among men, not because every law
Is good: not because we have upon the
statute book every law needed to protect
each citizen in
The Enjoyment of Ills Rights
Our government is the best form of gov
eminent known among men. because it is
possible under our form of government to
have just good government as the peo-
pie deserve. Ours is the best form of gov
ernmeDt because it is possible for the
people to make it reflect the hest intelli-
gence. the highest virtue and the broadcast
patriotism of all the people. Let warn
you against confusing government with the
abuses of government. Andrew Jackson
said that there were no necessary evils in
government; that its evils existed only in
its abuses. He was right, my friends.
There are no necessary evils in government
and no man who understands the advantage
of govern ent will ever raise his voice or
hand against government itself. 1t is the
abuse of government against which we have
the right to complain There are some
who would silence every criticism of eX
listing law There are those who would
denounce every one who advocates change
as a disturber of the public peace. There
are those who would call him disturber,
one who breeds discomfort. | want to say
to you that discomfort lies at the foundation
of all progress SO long as you are salts
fed you never go forward 1t is only when
you are dissatisfied with your conditions
that you try TO improve these conditions.
Why my friends, had our forefathers been
satisfied with English political supremacy,