Marietta daily leader. (Marietta, Ohio) 1895-1906, 1899-03-10

aied by the press of his own party.
1t takes a good deal to overcome the
party loyalty of political paper, but
scarcely a reputable paperin California
has been willing to endorse a machine
boss for Senator.
1t is a saying among politicians that
IL is never good po....ss to vote for a
man of the opposite party. If the good
men at Sacramento of both parties
could for q time forget partisan ques-
tions, they would in one ballot elect a
good man. The great majority of them
want good men and believe in good
men. 1t is partisan politics that is
playing mischief with our public SER
vice. One of the candidates who has
the least show of strength is a man of
National reputation and even known
today throughout the world; a man,
who, as scarcely any other person,
stands for the vast commercial inter
ests of San Francisco and California.
But the candidacy of such man is on
ly a matter of joke with the practical
politicians, who say that rather than
elect him or any one beside their ma
cnine pet, they will lite up the leglsla-
ture and prevent the election of any
body This is minority rule and is
practically treason to the principles
upon which our government is found
ed Such men show plainly that they
are actuated by small and mean con-
siderations, and that they are careless
of the interests and the honor of their
state. California is larger than Eng
land and Scotland put togethera and the
highest Office in its gift is thus made
the sport of men who cannot rise
above personal and partisan questions.
1t is astonishing and amusing to see
the efforts made to prevent or belittle
free expression Of opinion. One of the
San Francisco dailies wound up 'tir-
ade against ministers taking part in
such discussions by saying the public
would have to take measures to stop
it," | rubbed my eyes to see if they
were not playing me tricks. Are news
papers edited by men capable of ana
chronisms like that? Surely he is
some Rip Van Wrinkle who has been
asleep for two centuries.
or the same stripe is the Assembly's
act forbMdIng cartoons of public men.
1t certainly would be a relief if we
could escape the deluge CT hideous pic
lures that greet our eyes in daily pap
ers. But
We cannot take away the rule,
Mans nborn right to be a fool.
We will have to stand the cartoons
just as we have to stand other abuses
of freedom. Germany has for years
had such a law. But Germany is not
America. Who is afraid of cartoons?
Nearly every week | see them of cler-
gymen and l laugh at them as heartily
as does any one else. If a number of
ministers would get together and de-
eide to prosecute for libel, | should
think Them parcel of fools. 1t was
noble saying of DR.. Samuel Johnson
that no man was ever down but by
himself. No true or good man need be
afraid of such things. DR.. Parkhurst,
of New York, was cartooned and lam
pooned but l never heard that he cared
or that it did him any harm. But
when Boss Tweed was cartooned he
had a law introduced into the New
York legislature forbldding it, l have
often deplored many things in the
newspapers. But the abuses of liber-
ty are a thousand times preferable to
the evils of tyranny. This, however,
is idle talk-nearly as idle as the AS
sembly act against cartoons.
there is no substitute for free man
hood in American politics. We must
have men who know and men who
dare; men who can laugh at cartoons
of themselves and who are familiar
with the principles of our government
and are prepared to defend them. We
sometimes hear the expression "prin-
ciples, not men, yet principles with
out men are as idle as a painted ship
on a painted ocean" Volumes of
printed mater and whole libraries on
human rights, cannot take the place of
men who live the principles that are so
nobly written abou-. 1t is principle
brought to bear through the medium
of manhood that rule the world. To
send out principles without men is to
send a thin army of ghosts abroad and
who would make all virtue and manli-
ness as shadowy and impalpable as
take neither a cynical nor a des-
pairing view of American politics.
have no quack remedies to propose
Our laws are good enough and our
are in their main princi-
pies correct. What we need Is living
men to operate chem. Moreover there
are plenty of good men in our country
and there are plenty of good men in
our Legislature; but they lack organl-
zation and are thus at the mercy of the
machine which gets in its deadly work
AT just such times. The heart of this
4at.on is sound and the people are
sound. What We want to avoid is po-