The Irish standard., 1897-06-12

and comparative luxury, can never be
brought down to the beasts estate and
be made to put up with simply what
mature needs" Especially will our
people rebel against such conditions If
these conditions are brought about by
unjust legislation, by the want of proper
legislation, by undue privileges and
powers granted to wealthy corporations,
or by any operation by which the things
necessary for the comfort of life are
placed beyond the reach of common Ia
Dor to secure, and by which the FORUM
ate few fatten on the miseries of the
many. Five years ago said in an ad-
dress at New Haven what the following
years have strikingly illustrated.
"While no such peril stares us in the
face at the present moment" this was
in 1922 "while the products of our land
and of our mines and of our manufac-
tories. are abundant, while territories
that thirty years ago were supposed to
be almost worthless are now able to
furnish bread for the world, while sim
gle great crop like that of last year,
when Providence literally opened the
windows of heaven and poured us out a
blessing that there was not room enough
to receive it,, can enable thousands OF
farmers to pay for their farms and can
transform complaining and despairing
men into cheerful and optimistic ciri-
zens, it is for us in this hour of prosper
ity and peace, to provide for the time
sure to come, when nature will be less
prodigal Of her bounties, when business
depressions will be followed Oy suffer-
ing, unrest and complaints on the part
of the people, and when the wild rage
of helpless failures will call into exist
ence a thousand perilous schemes for
Transforming our political and social
system, for which ignorance and misery
with united voices will clamor. No prep
aration for such time can be better
than absolute and impartial justice in
the laws and in their administration
Every unwholesome law should be
wiped off the statute book; and such
measures of wise foresight should be
adopted as will retard rather than ac-
celerate the separation of our people
into classes whose distinctions are pow
erty and wealth and as will prevent
the selfishness and greed of few from
becoming the occasion of the ruin of
ALL"
It is the merest commonplace to say
that this country needs more patriotism
and less partisanship, more brotherhood
and less selfishness. Yet it is common
place of mighty import and one whose
teaching is strangely overlooked. Moth
ing that we prize, from the supreme
court down, is secure for the future un-
less defended by justice. We must place
the welfare of the nation, which is
merely the welfare of the people, before
the success of party, and must be will
ing to support every good measure, no
matter with what party it originates,
it originates with our own party, if we
would make the future safe.
We are destined, gentlemen even In
your day, to see more serious social
complications than we have yet expert
enced; complications to meet which will
require more advanced and nobler po-
litical science than we have yet learned;
and 1 am watching to see whether in the
coming crisis the patriotism of the
country will again rise above party, as
it did in 81, and will deal with these
matters in such way as will promote
the prosperity and happiness Of our en-
tire people, and preserve, to coming
generations, the government established
by our fathers as a government "of the
people, by the people, and for the peo-
ple."