The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1897-05-31
ANARCHY.
Ben ButterWOrth Says lit
Threatens the Country.
The Republic is in Greater
Peril Than it Was
WHEN WAR BROKEOUT
He Makes a Sensational Speech
at Philadelphia.
Says Political Corruption is
Sapping the Nations Life.

Philadelphia. Pa. May s1.-Gen. Butter
vvorths Grafton at Laurel Hill was re-
rnarkable one. He was closely listened to
by many thousands of people. Gen. But
terworth was accorded a hearty welcome
when he rose to speak, and seldom has
a memorial day orator commanded such
close attention
These exercises are not for the dead
he said '.They are for the living. We
best honor the soldier dead by an incor-
ruptibIe purpose to keep the republic they
gave their lives to save. It has been
truly said that no battlefield of the world
showed more gallant daring, more heroic
devotion, than our own. All this, how
ever, relates to a generation ago. The
dead we mourn are off duty forever.
They have kept their watch. Today it is
with the living, and not with the dead,
we have to do. The dead heroes of the
republic worthily kept watch on the walls
and now the inquiry arises what we. the
survivors, are doing? Is our conduct
worthy of the dead and the country for
which they died? Merely paying tribute
in words to the dead is but a mockery.
1.-THE course OF all republics has been
towards the rocks. Our own is the same
and for the same reason. The theory of
our government is that men will preserve
that which they prize most high, but they
do not. It is said that the people love
liberty and home above all else. and that
it would be absurd to say that they
would destroy that which makes life
worth living. Theoretically, that is so.
Practically. it is not.
Love of freedom and home is not the
outgrowth of reason or intelligence.
as is obvious from the fact that the wolf
will fight to the death for either or both
The wolf doesn't reason much about it,
and knows little about republican ideas
or philosophy. So love of freedom is an
instinct. Wolves don't have any organ
lied society. No wolf gives any part OF
his freedom to uphold some artificial ar
rangement, some social compact. But in
a government which is organized for the
protection of society and the members
thereof we do surrender a part of our ma
tional rights to promote the welfare OF
the whole country.
And there is the rub. In that social
compact we have to surrender a certain
natural right and observe certain rules
in order to promote the good of all and
protect the rights of the individual mem
bers- These rules are supposed to be
founded in justice and morality. And
this is notion which in theory is true
that men want justice and morality. To
strength. and in the departure from the
principles of morality we will find and
in fact, are finding our ruin. In actual
practice, every man wants every other
man to be good and true, while to him
self he wants some latitude along the
moral line and a certain free and easy
relation with truth and honesty.
In politics, he knows that it is of the
first Importance to be honest and truth
full In practice, he doesn't think it viii
win. And a temporary advantage is of
greater account to him than the perma-
nent good of the multitude, he lies and
corrupts everything and everybody to the
extent necessary in order to win. And
this is taking our country to the devfl
faster than 10 armies led by Lee and
Longstreet could possibly do.
Il propose. to talk plain English, and if
anything else was expected am not the
man you wanted for this occasion.
Let me ask again, upon what hope did
our fathers build? Love of liberty sup
ported by intelligence and virtue among
the people They encouraged religion, as
essential to the well-being of the people.
They established a system of universal
education in order that our people might
become intelligent. Thus they provided
for intelligence to know what to do. and
religious sanction to compel the doing Of
that which is right They pointed to
heaven and pictured the horrors of hell
as a means of inducing the people to do
well.
I'VE must not forget the precise rela-
&ion each citizen bears to the government
that he is part Of it. 1t is strong in
his intelligence and honesty. It is weak
in his ignorance and dishonesty. The
citizen writes the law from his hearth
stone.
philosophers and statesmen of the old
world who know and understand the pre-
JUDGES and passions of men, who are IA
miliar with the history of every attempt
of the people to govern themselves, have
no confidence whatever in the effort of
this people to govern themselves They
said the world would witness just what
We do, in fact witness today-that wealth
would corrupt and demagogues mislead
the people, and the end would be that
revolution and anarchy will succeed the
republic, and finally the terrified and
terrorized people will seek safety under
the protection of a man on horseback.
Are there present with US conditions
which warrant the belief that what has
been predicted of our republic would come
true. and shall we refuse to call atten-
ton to the facts lest we may offend those
who are delinquent, whose influences are
far-reaching for evil and who may con-
denim us?
What relation does the citizen sustain
to the government? Let this relation be
freely understood. Remember, the law
that governs the moral world is as GER
tain and as inevitable as the law of grav-
itation- Like causes produce like effects
in both the moral and physical worlds
Those who offend must pay the penalty
not more certainly in the physical than
in the moral world.
The republic is in more danger today
than when Fort Sumter was fred upon.
There are influences that are making for