The Owosso times. (Owosso, Mich.) 1897-1926, 1897-07-09

| porter Of prize fights for the metropolitan
press, he may earn an honest II not an
honorable livelihood. There was at least
enough moral sentiment left in the COM
munity he represented to resent the pub
lie Haunting of its infamy.
There have been of late other signs of a
reviving social conscience. The introduc-
ton of the Australian ballot has done
much-so those best informed assure us
to secure a pure ballot. But impure
men and unrighteous methods still hold
in our political life far too extensive
sway. Impurity has tainted the ballot,
it has corrupted our legislators, it has
smirched our executives, it has even laid
foul hands on the judiciary. And this is
not tue worst. So long as public Office
appeals to mans desire for power and
distinction, so long evil men will, upon
occasion, force their way into high places.
The nadir of corruption is reached when
the public conscience tolerates such men
and such methods.
A cartoon in Detroit paper during the
last campaign for the republican guber-
Material nomination in this state, repre-
sented one of the candidates as hurrying
off with the Shiawassee delegation upon
his back in the form of bag OF potatoes.
His rival had however, stepped up be.
hind and with knife labelled money"
had slit open the bag and was making off
with the potatoes. In the background
several politicians with hands to their
mouths could hardly smother their laugh
ter. Ay, that is the shame of it Not
that corrupt men do corrupt things, but
that the great American people stand by
and think it rather smart and exceeding
ly funny. We laugh where we ought to
weep. We smile brilliantly where we
ought to rage with indignation. The
white of the flag calls us to this, neither
to ourselves practice nor to tolerate in
others aught that corrupts and demeans
our political life.
Blue is the emblem OF truth. In our
American flag the stars shine on the field
of blue. And the relation is significant.
The motto often suggested ,for the indi-
vidual. is fit also for the nation; glitch
your wagon to star" And this nation,
in the form of government which it
adopted, did hitch its wagon to star. 1t
set up high ideal. 1t is serious mat
ter that many keen observers, like Mr..
Bryce, should mark as the most signif-
cant contrast between European politics
and our own, the absence here of any
"high idealism." The theory of our gov
eminent demands that the voter put in
to the ballot box his intelligence, his con-
science, his patriotism, his best and high
est conviction as to the nations welfare.
But we have long since ceased to even
expect man to do that. We expect
that the voter will express his partisan
ship, his class or his personal interests.
We should be almost surprised if he seri-
ously Thought of doing anything else.
The appeals to the voters in the great
elections are based upon this lower ex-
pectation. Platforms are formed not to
express principles but to catch votes.
And the eager competition of parties to
gain the adherence of the several, with
us hitherto rather incoherent social class
es, has given rise to danger which, I'M
der our institutions, it is impossible to
without fear. We recall
with horror the resolute effort made in
the last campaign to set class against
class, and section against section. have
in my library work, ''The Two Ma
tions," written for campaign purposes,
and thus unduly used OF the economic
theories therein propounded / am no
Judge. But with the persistent effort
therein made to persuade large part of
the American people that they were the
victims of deliberate, cold-blooded con-
spiracy, hat--another part Of the people
were their enemies proving upon them
Of this effort it is impossible to say other
than this, that, by whomsoever it was
made, it was most damnable. The man
who should throw burning brand into
powder magazine were sane and philan-
thropic as compared to the man who
would write such book.
And herein lies the most Immediately |
danger of our times-the
growing antagonism of classes. Appeals
to class prejudices are not only viola
ton of the ideal of our government, but
they are playing with fire, which may
easily kindle a confagration none can
stay.
1t is related of Queen Victoria that
early in her reign Lord Melbourne, her
then prime minister, urged her to sign a
document upon grounds of expediency.
81 have been taught" the queen replied,
"to Judge between what is right and what
il wrong. but 'expediency' is word I