Dakota farmers' leader. (Canton, S.D.) 1890-19??, 1896-03-06
VS. New Clothing Store in Post Office block,
IS m and more sense.

Ism and more sense.
If patriotism means applause Of every
act passed by these traitors and robbers.
without considering the effects Of their
acts, than the sooner it is destroyed, the
sooner will republican government
which is an empty mockery, follow in the
footsteps of the hundreds of others in
which the breach between the governors
and governed has become SO great as to
reduce the latter to servility,
IT patriotism means the support of men
and parties which have proven themselves
either useless or enemies of the masses,
then in the name of humanity teach il
Lot to the rising generation that the
young may fall into a traitors grave rath.
er than be reduced to the condition
Of slavery which the present rate of our
downlall, cannot be far distant.
He only is patriotic who can place prin-
ciples above party and waits not to be
dictated TO; who interests himself in
every movement of reform, who is an ac-
tive force in tine politics of the govern
ment, who not only believes in bet
ter time to come, but hopes not for that
better time without his own individual
exertions, who realizes that such and such
only have the moral right to exercise their
sovereignty afforded them in a govern
ment by the people.
Howling patriotism. stubborn resist
ance. or dumb ,lnactivity never tend to
raise men in the social rank, and men af-
fected with one or more Of these maladies
have always been the stumbling blocks
in the way of reform.
We are accused of being enemies of the
government and ungrateful for what it
has dcae for us. The old Roman slave
was not so uBthankful and dsloyal as
we. Oh, NO! When in the course Of his
terrible life, his sufferlngs should awaken
unpatriotic thoughts; when the injustice
Of his treatment crept into his dark medi-
tations, and he began to ask himself the
right whereby one individual holds pre-
cedence over another; or to curse gov
ernment which allowed such evils and
was responsible for his sufferings; when
such thoughts which now stir the oppres-
de to dissatisfaction came crowding over
him, did he stand up as did our forefath-
ers. and rs do we aud swear to be tree?
No, not he. One thought dispelled all
true patriotism. crushed down all man
hood in him, forged still securer the fet-
ters on himself and his posterity. secured
the throne sad enhanced the power OF
tyranny. Il am Roman" and the
world to him seemed brighter. The story
of his thralldo0 seemed MS fairy tale.
Are we ungraoious? Then what Of our
forefathers who repaid the gratuity OF the
motherland with musket balls They
were Engllshmen and no doubt loved their
country. but above all. they were men, to
whom 1t was given to judge between right
and wrong. They realized that the peo-
pie were not created for a government but
a government for the people.
Some narrow minded cranks have even
gone so far as to assert that foreigners
who have been allawed to make this
their home, having partaken of
the gifts of the nation, have no rights to
express an opinion concerning her course.
They point to the number of foreigners
who have found homes under the stars
aud stripes, and are now complaining
that the government is not serving them
right. These they say: "Owe everything
to the government, and should let it drink |
the last drop of.blood from their veins. |
We would like TO ask who this earth was
created for anyhow, and by what right
The government of the United States, or
If any other country, could give person
'r class Of persons divine right to the
oil, or in other words right to hold the
means of sustainance in their hands.
Vas America made for favored few or
} favored many who were to dispose of it
s they chose from the fact that they
to come into existence first or
lnder certain cline? Can it be that the
jreator did not mean for all people to live
hat only few are allowed such advant-
ge?
How then did the republican party or
ny party ever get hold of the west to
i've it away to these ungracious foreign
RS which we hear so much boasted Of?
We owe nothing to party but what we
re indeb.ed to is the sense of iustice
Continued ON Fourth Pare.