Mexico weekly ledger. (Mexico, Mo.) 1855-1956, 1899-02-23

these should suffice. IL we cannot
count by thousands as many soldiers
as France, Germany or Russia, or SO
many ships and cannon as England,
France or Russia, so much the better.
We do not desire militarism, either
as to the expense it entails or as to
giving it supremacy in our govern
ment. Our country is young and it
cannot yetcompete with some others
in the arts, and certain classes of
structures, such as St. Peters or the
Pyramids. The Eiffel tower is taller
than the Washington monument /;
the st. Gothard and Mont Cents
tunnels longer than the Hoosac; the
Cleopatra's needle in London higher
than its sister which we have in
Central Park, New York. 1t is
entirely unnecessary that we should
endeavor TO make ii appear that we
excel in everything.
We can say, and we can congratu-
late ourselves upon 1t every day,
that in the necessaries of life-food,
raiment, houses, churches, schools,
railways, money--young as we may
be, still we are the wealthiest nation
in the world. This statement alone
is stupendous one-almost an in
credible one-but it seems to be a
correct one. Yet, my friends, there
is something which l estimate as
higher and better than all this, and
that is American citizenship. 1 do
not think it compatible with the in
telligence of the American press to
be unduly optimistic-to see every
thing couleur de rose-yet / can zee
no reason why II should be persis-
tently pessimistic. None can ques-
ton that there are in our country
serious problems to be worked out |;
threats, here and there, against the
I liberty and the welfare of the citi-
zen. Sienkiewicz in his great tril-
ogy beginning with Fire andSword"
has attracted the attention of the
entire civilized world to the tremen-
dous advancements which have been
made in civilization since the six
teenth century. The pictures of the
Turko- Russo Polish wars, which he
draws are horrors of cruelty which
none Of the great nations Of the
earth today would tolerate, and
from another side / agree with the
preacher who has recently pointed
out how clearly the same author in
"Quo Vadis" depicts the unsatisfy-
ing conditions of mind which un-
aided Paganism and philosophy gave
in the days Of which he treats. We
have progressed, not only in the
material arts, where great strides
have been made, but in humanity,
in religion and in government. In
no one particular is our own coun-
try more pre-eminent than in its
citizenship. But little more than a
century old our country has been
the refuge for millions of the op-
! pressed from other lands. We have
opened our arms and said to them !;
"Comel Come without money and
without pricei Come without re-
straint as to religion Come, min
gle with us; worship God according
to the dictates of your conscience /;
rear your children in your own
beliefsl Only, accept our common
education and become American
citizens. We have been the asy-
lum of the world. Millions have
come to people our hillsides and our
valleys, to make the wilderness to
blossom as the rose, to gratefully
accept our institutions, to enjoy a
freedom before unknown to them.
They have become assinilated until
they no longer are known as foreign
ers. The little country of three mil
lions which gained its independence
from Great Britain has grown to
seventy-five millions and has re-
Gently taught the world not to pre-
sumo upon its unpreparedness for
war. Whatever we have of good
we owe to our citizenship. There
fore would urge my friend, the
editor, ever to laud and magnify 1t !;
to tell his readers what it is. For
inspiration he may go to many
sources. Let him study the great
debate between Madison and Ham
ilton in the Federalist; let him read
our own great Benton's Thirty
Years in the Senate" Webster, Cal
houn, Clay, Lincoln, Davis, Cox and
Blaine, Montesquieu and Bryce. Let
him first learn the value of our citi-
zenship, that its glory is greater
than was that of the Roman or Ath-
enian, and then let him press it upon
the minds of his readers that every
man in this country has in that citi-
zenship sacred trust, that he can
only properly preserve by TAX
ing part in the management of
his party councils and nomi-
! nations and by voting at the
! polls on election day. beseech
i you, my countrywonTen, to realize
that you are the mothers of the men
who own this priceless inheritance,
, and to insist that your husbands and
, your sons shall do their duty to
, their country as religiously as they
, honor, care for and defend their
, homes.
The editor should be a leader OF
men. In order to lead he must be
: brave. He must have opinions on
everything of moment that occurs
and he must express them. There
is nothing that his constituency will
not condone except cowardice. He
may make mistakes, he may re-
peatedly fail in prophecy, he may
: even comit murder ocoasionally-oi
the Kings English-but he must
have convictions ond the courage tc
express them. The American peo
pie hate a coward and have only
contempt for a trimmer. Be bold,
therefore, in the advocacy Of your
opinions and fear not Your readers
| will efand hu Won