Kansas agitator. [volume] (Garnett, Kan.) 1890-1905, 1899-12-29


Politicians and Replace Political
Power In the Hands of the People
Themselves.
AT the outset 1t ought to be remem-
bered-not for boasting, but rather tn
Abasement-that American liberty by
Its farst conscious action put conscience
In command Of all its forces. No greed
OF gain, no love Of adventure. no hope
of conquest, no lust of power, drew our
fathers to the western wilderness. Con-
science drove them down to the sea
and pushed them off and beat them
away with her wings until they caught
the spirit and the rhythm, and fixed
their eyes upon the sun and followed 1t
west, where there was sky-room to
worship God unmatched. Pride and
avarice sent out their colonies, and
they died or are dying. But every set
element Queen Conscience planted
grew and multiplied and in it's season
bore the Union of the Fourth Of July.
What do you seek, John Carver, with
your leaky ships and motley company?
Freedom to worship God according to
the dictates of our own conscience!
Leonard Calvert, what brings you
with your 200 Catholic emigrants, into
the savage forests? A chance to serve
God inlet except by conscience!
James Oglethorp, what FOOLS errand
is this of yours, with your 500 ragged
poor? Conscience!
Who sent you, William Penn? Con-
science!
What ails you, Roger Williams? Con-
science! Robert Green. who have you
brought to Albemarle? Conscience!
Sam Adams, Franklin, Hamilton, JEFF
ferson? What is up in the colonies?
Conscience!
George Washington, what are you
doing on your knees in the snowy
woods of Valley Forge? What is on
your mind? Conscience!
only skim the history. Nothing
more is needful for my purpose, for
do not seek to instruct, but to remind
you. Read it again, if you have for
gotten. Read it all, and teach your
children from this day that the thing
which came and saw and conquered
here, and made the Star-Spangled Ban
ner possible, was wide-winged, steel
thewed, unfettererd, mountain-top con-
science, and that is the American eagle.
The highest plane will not be reach
ed by sea-power and gunpowder, and
an alliance with England, but by con-
science and truth and an alliance with
common honesty at home.
But that is impossible unless and
until the people get back into their
own hands the power which they had
1T the beginning by whatever changes
Of method in our politics will enable
them effectively to express the popular
iesire and the popular disgust. The
American people are capable of self
government, but only serfs and thieves
Tan live long under the present gov
eminent OF the boss, by the boss, for
the boss. Our people are not the stuff
for slaves. They are conscientious,
thivalrous and brave. But they are
aazed and stunned by the damnable
tmpudence of the machines"
Party government has proven utter
Y futile and hateful, not because it is
lntrinsically bad, but because the peo-
pie have not provided any means Of
present discipline of their servants. 1t
ought to be possible for the people
suddenly to spank the fussy old babies
In the United States senate, and teach
them that they are there to do business
Tor the American eagle, and not to
slobber O, er courtesies.
It ought to be possible for the peo-
pie to order a plebiscite upon any
question that seems great enough to
them. But it is not possible now. The
politician may be feared and despised
and repudiated in the public mind but
he stays his time and lays his mines
and places his brides, while the people
he is betraying have to work to pay
his salary. They have no time to cir
cumvent him; nor get in training for it.
Agitators use and give their time and
teach the masses, but the busy people
fear to quit the party, and really can
not take time to think the situations
through to a decision. But the vicious
man has time, and though he is a
trained thief of the peoples power, his
party machine stands by him, and he
has his way. Usually no reform can be
promoted without party, and at the
same time there is nothing the people
distrust more than the man who pro-
poses a new party.
The initiative and referendum,
think, would be, and the imperative
mandate would be dignified, conserva-
tive, simple, safe, powerful. Repre-
sentative government would be re-
Hained intact. Parties would still do
he business of politics. There would