Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1899-06-16
.rhs Ideal American ol,lr.n -

L. Guy Tasker delivered the class ora
tion with oratorical effect. His subject
was The Ideal American Citizen He
took for his text the immortal words of
Lincoln on the Gettysburg battle field and
declared that We of today must determine,
as truly as our fathers did then, whether
this nation shall long endure. He spoke
OF the growth and prosperity of the coun-
Try, and the surmouuting of difficulties as
superficial reasons which appeared for be-
lief in stability He contIasted the diff
ference between Robert Morris, George
Mason and other leaders Of the early days
who gave so much Of their talents and
fortunes for the good OF the country, aud
those OF today who scatter their wealth
abroad. He pointed out the dangers
which have come with the growth Of our
large cities, with the foreign wards holding
the power and electing officials born in
the monarchies Of Europe.
The unsuspecting foreigner is made a
means by which the shrewd politician OBJ
tains his pull. Men who think as
| Croker expresses it that Politics are a
business" have free field; and so King
Z Richard reigns in New York and the city
has Nth in its streets. corruption in its
/ public affairs, and dishonor 10 its name
/ throughout the world. Mr. Tasker spoke
OF the degeneracy OF the Senate. organized
as the dignited and restraining branch OF
1 our government, and said that men like
| Quay rule because those fitted by birth and
! training for public service do not lerform
/ it.
| In the dark days of France there were
| kings Of the Bourbon dynasty known as
| the dO-nothing kings. They did nothing;
| they never learned anything and they never
| forgot anything. But finally they did do
| something: they overthreN the govern
ment Of France.
The men OF ability who do not concern
| themselves with public affairs even TO vote
! are the do-nothing kings of America. God
! grant that they may not bring revolution
/ upon US. But there are many friendly
and intelligent students of public life who
fear it. Even James Bryce, our warmest
and wisest friend in Europe, says that our
cities cannot go on many years as they are
going now without disaster. And every
day a new student of public affairs in this
country lifts up his voice in solemn warn
ing against the dangers of the trusts. How
MANY OF us realize that the production
and exchange of this whole continent are
nearly all controlled by great corporations.
Every day the papers tell of some new
product of industry put under the control
of trust. Indeed, so general have they
become that it is predicted that they will
collapse under their own overweight. But
whether they go on or whether they fail
they mean disaster to the American work
man. They are all over capitalized, each
thousand dollars in the plant has perhaps
furnished basis for 5000 stock. If they
pay dividends on the amonnt for which
they are capitalized the workman's wages
must be reduced almost to the starvation
point. II they fail they bring disaster to
the small capitalist, men who have in
vested their little savings in the stock. In
either case terrible increase is added to
the social discomfort in America.
Here lies the danger to the American
public. If her men of birth ard brains
and education choose to occupy their days
in selfish pleasure or eXpend their energies
in plunder through business manipulations,
it is they who are TO blame that the re-
sponsible positions in the nation come into
the power of those who so administer
them as to threaten the nations best life.
Yet this is not a time to despair, but
rather to realize the conditions and to im-
prove them. We shall not fail Abraham
Lincoln's ultimate confidence in the COM
mon people shall be justified. Although
we have Quay and Patt and Hanna, we
may not lose our faith in the Senate of the
United States so long as it contains such
men as Senator Morrill, was, a man of in
tellectual power, unblemished integrity,
and unbounded devotion to the welfare OF
Vermont and the honor of the United
Ststes Although We have most of oul
artists doing their work abroad, We also
have had William Morris Hunt, who wa:
proud TO have his best work in the dome
of the American capitol. If we have AS
tor we also have Helen Gould, who hold!
her fortune as a sacred trust. If we have
! Croker, we have Roosevelt too.
The speaker reviewed the life of Roose
= welt at some length, speaking Of him as 3
man born with fortune who might have liveC
| free from the cares of public life, but WHIT
had devoted all his powers to his state ant
nation. His course we can foresee from
| his own words when he says: Every mai
who has gone into practical politics know
! well enough that if he joins good men an,
fights those who are evil, he can pay n