The Denison review. [volume] (Denison, Iowa) 1867-current, 1899-08-25

l000s
your prayers, preach it from the
~housetops, let it not be forgotten that
eternal vigilance is the price of liber-
ty, that liberty and law are co.partners
In the republic. That the citizen is en-
titled to life. liberty and the pursuit
OF happiness and the enjoyment there
OF, and to attain them he may prose-
cute all means that do not encroach the
moral law or the just rights of others.
That anything that interferes with
the citizens rights within these bounds
lmperils the basic principles on which
the republic is builded. That manhood
suffrage freely and intellectual exer.
cised is the handspring, the corner.
stone, the heart of the republic; that
any person or party who interferes
with, controls or seeks to control this.
is an enemy of his country. That to
the end that we may have such free
and intellectual exegciseof the electors
suffrage, a wise and generous education
for every child in the republic is a
prime necessity, and they who have
the hardihOod to utter an act on q con-
trary maxim is at war with the basic
principles of this country and a foe to
mankind.
The party boss and the crack Of the
party lash may and very often are in
direct antagonism to the %perpetuity of
our government. We meet to-day as
citizens, each equally interested in the
welfare of our beloved country, and as
citizens we IA discuss dispassionately
various questions and with more benefit
to ourselves than will be possible in a
political campaign a month or two
later.
Let us remember our vote and our
religion belong to u individually and
each should be used freely and con-
scienciously. 1t is necessary that pol.
itical parties exist and party nominees
should not be re%pudiated, for light O
trivial causes; but often, too often alas,
the dishonest demagogue secures by
fraud criminal combination or pur-
chases a nomination and then depends
upon the power of the party lash to
whip an outraged electorate to his sup
port. In such a case the citizen should
remember the ballot is to be used for
the country's good and not to subserve
the interests of the time-server and he
should consider it his duty to scratch
his ticket, repudiate his party and vote
to serve his country and it's interests.
II this government ever fails, it will
not be because of the poor. Neither an.
archy nor socialism can ever take ser
ious hold on our people; to my mind
the assaults of corporations upon our
party machinery, our legislature and
and our courts is a much more fearful
menace than the mouthlngs Of all the
anarchists and socialists in the country.
No matter which party is in power it
is always a struggle between the cor
porations and the people with success
perched on the former quite as often as
on that of the latter; and it gives me a
abiding faith in my country to find the
citizens independent enough to arise in
their might and protect their interests
from corporate greed and rapacity.
1t is not IN uncommon thing to find
a judge of our courts riding on free
transportation, which, whether he SO
considers it or not is always a retainer
to him by the railroad furnishing the
favor, and to me q of the gravest
dangers that nov threaten us is the oc.
cult power of corporation solicitors and
their malign influence with the courts
of the country. Happily, we in this
part of the country do not come much
In contact with this management, but
that it is abroad in the land, aud it's in
Auence is always evil, none but they
who are ignorant will deny. That we
should have a law preventing the CIV
ing to or acceptance by officers of free
transportation goes without saying. 1t
Is a crying evil, and in my judgment
the railroad companies would be glad
OF such legislation.
Ihs first duty of a government is to
secure for all its citizens alike equal
protection of life and limb, of person
and property and absolute equality be-
fore the law, and where a nation com-
prises. as we do, many varying, some
times clashing, and always separate
jurisdictions, there should be vested in
the general government authority to
protect its citizens in the rights men,
toned and to prosecute offenders
against the law, when the local juris-
diction fails in the one and forgets in
the other.
We have millions and millions of
citizens within our borders to-day
whose lives, person and property are
utterly without protection before the
law, having absolutely no rights that a
white mar is bound to respect. You all