The citizen. (Frederick City, Md.) 1895-1923, 1899-08-04
Present-Day Thoughts
Written for the Citizen.)
BY !9NEMO."


the cord and the collective grace
is gone. The new man, as a cltl
zen. understands fully that the |
one thing which imparts value
and interest to his life is the fact
Of his being in and of and per
meated by racial claims. lie
kDows-and it moulds his life
that were he thrust out alone and
defenseless into the wilds of forest
land he would wage a losing bat
tie against the boisterOus forces
of nature. Part Of his political
creed. therefore, is that the best
things of life--the protection, the
mutual aid, the transfer of help
full ideas and almost perfect SUI
premacy over nature-cOme from
the fact that he holds by his fell
lows and his fellows hold by him.
/ Consequently the new man, as a
/ citizen, is opposed in every pos
1 sihle way to the fierce individual
ism that will make a man eXclaim
.'every man for himself and the
Dell take the hindmost." This
makes him opposed to those things
that are selfish in the behavior
either of citizens who rule or citi-
zens who are ruled. He is against
thieyery and iobbery in high
places and equally against apathy
and neglect of privilege in low
places. You must not argue with
him that greed is an instinct and
that self preservation is the first
law, for he can show you number
less evidences from the history of
this race Of ours to prove unselfiSh-
ness ant saskatchewan unto
death-tO have been the highest
possible gain to the race as a
whole. In the continuation of
the discussion he will insist that
you do not drag it down to the
individual basis; for, to go back
to the necklace illustration, he
will show you that it is the string
of a common life that ties us to
gether in one interest and one
benefit. An individual bead can
be taken and yet there will still
be necklace. So, too, an indi-
vidual life can drop out yet the
stream Of life will go on; leading
us to the understanding that an
Individual life is of merit only as
it brings beauty al d strength and
honor to the glorious whole OF
which it is a minor part.
The new pan, as a citizen, will
be prompt to acknowledge that
every great question has two sides.
Consequently though he will not
be lacking in very definite opin-
ions upon all public questions,
yet fierce partiSanship will be far
from him and, in its place, only
courtesy and charity towards
those who oppose him. He also
sees that the triumph of an idea
does not carry with it simply the
benefit of the triumphant party.
but that the rights of the defeated
are a most real obligation upon
the shoulders of the victor. 1t
may be well said that things have
not always been so. Very we'll,
the new man will reply that 'sthe
world moves" and he will also
tell you and prove to you that the
pendulum movement in political
trlumphs has been largely due to
the TACT that the party in power
has forgotten that it was admin
lStering for the whole people.
Inc new man, as a citizen, is
going to bring to pass a better
day OF cleaner politics; for he is
to declare that a man, who is
morally unfit for his companion
ship or the cOurteSies of his home,
is politically unfit to receive his
vote. He understands that not
outstanding those who see with
him are few at present, yet Their
strength is not to be counted by
numbers; for he has the utmost
faith III the pervasive power of q
right idea. The increase of hi.
kind will bring back into politica
life men of strong character anC
OF leisure. He will demand a,
time progresses more and more
real trust of the people, so thai
we shall hope to see as part of the
machinery of future government
the referendum vote, by reason OF
which all important actions of q
Legislature shall be referred back
to The people themselves for q
hnal decision. And his conten.
ton will be that while-alasl-
bad legislation can be bought by
schemes among few men the
purchase of the majority of the
voters Ill State would be ont Of
the question. But running along
beside his efforts to give the peo,
pie a real voice will be a constant
ehort to educate our mixed classes