New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1898-04-14
THE CITIZENS Duty.

No good citizen will ever let the distractions
OF foreign difficulties make him oblivious OF
evils M home one OF the chief mIsfortunos
Of wnr is It's Interference with the healthy
progress OF civil NE Not only does II beget
q reckless and predatory spirit always ohserv-
able in a nations politics inter n. war. not only
does It dcafen ears TO all appeals to rise up
against n domestic evil but It encourages poo
ple who stay at home and bave really nothing
to do but attend to their ordinary affairs in
neglectng the simple and everyday duties OF
citizenship which they have no possible excuse
for failure 10 perform. The incident In West
ern CITY the other day, when all the officials
were so occupied with discussing war bulletins
that they forgot 10 hold local election. is a
case in point. and II should warn all who are
Interested in good government here 10 arouse
themselves so that domestic forces for owl.
which are as untirIng In war in peace. shall
not take advantage OF the present situation to
porpctuato themselves
Probably nobody would dream nj such n time
Of trying to start new political crusade, but
certainly it Is not out Of place TO ask people
not To make their patriotism the excuse for neg
lccting duties to their country OF which they
are already convinced. Chief OF those duties
I'm a republic IS attention 10 its government and
that must be given ut primaries and elections.
A war does not make It any less necessary To
attend to those things; on the contrary II
makes It more necessary that care be bestowed
on the nomination and election Of honest and
capable men to office, so that In critical time
affairs may be managed with n single View 10
public interests and not for the benefit Of
spoilsmen and army contractors. From April
| Il TO Aprll 30 the citizens Of this city Will be
REQUIRED to enroll under the new law In their
respective parties If they are to have any voice
! I'm the government Of their city and State. That
duty should not b. forgotten. Particularly
should IT be borne in mind by all honest and
| independent Republicans. who have seen with
sorrow the troubles brought upon the party by
corrupt management.
They have forced the Machine 10 give them
new primary law. Now will they neglect
their duty under It? No interest in Cuba can
excuse them II they fail. They are not man
ming warships They are not sitting up nights
| legislating or writing messages. All that most
OF them are doing or can do Is to read the news,
| keep n level head, pay their taxes and try to
rule their tongues that the task of nose ap-
| pointed 10 manage affairs will not be made
! nccdlessly difficult. Their war duties are not
so hard as TO interfere with their usual pleas
ures or their regular business occupations. and
It would be highly unpatroic In them 10 neg
! lect their one little civic duty at time when
they ought TO be specially thoughtful or their
obligations to the State. The sposmen and
ward hcclers Will not be less active because or
any war. They will he voluble with shouts
that no patriot would try Mt such time TO
turn peoples attention from battles and suf-
fcrIngs OF American warriors to petty things
at home, but all the time they will be attending
! to those petty things nj home and making them
! selves solid for the next convention.
| The independent Republicans, who have
fought them to a standstill and compelled them
to sue for harmony by conccdlng primary re-
form. owe 1t to themselves and their country