Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1900-09-12

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land perhaps. IL fortunate In being near
enough to the log school house. the chile
dren would attend school. When the
few grocerles IN stock were at q low ebbs
load Of wheat waas hauled to Iowa
City or some equally distant market, for
new supply. and another summer
would come with few more acres bro
ken and added to the original farm, the
fence would be extended to encloee the:
new portion OF the farm, and the round
of toll and care would be repeated
My friends, this brief sketch ofsthe
lpast will be filled in from your own
memories, and you will live over again
the days Of hardship. OF privation and
of toll that the early settler in Iowa
Will not forget until he IL laid beneath
the God.
I'VE In this new land are q people of
peace. We do not want war,-we re-
joice not In conquest, We ardently wish
and pray for the Victories OF peace
but my friends, we are in Gods hands.
We are not IN cur own. We have been
placed here for purpose. We can not
sit down and selflshly pull the drapery
of our couch around US and lie down
10 pleasant dreams. Nations, no more
than men, live to themselves alone. II
we would preserve the spirit of liberty
lwf1ch came to US with this soil, we
must protect and hold as sacred from
foreign injury the high representatives
\ of this government in other lands.
When nation has lost the respect o.
| its own citizens ii is doomed, and Moth
| ing will hasten this result so much as to
know that when we pass the border line
of our own country it's power to protect
and defend us is gone.
And now old settlers of this associa-6
ton. let me congratulate you that you
have lived to zee this day. Let me con-
graduate you that you live in the best
county, of the best state Of the best
country in the world. This land you
own, that you pass over day by day,
has history. 1t reaches back into the
past many score Of years. 1t touches
the history Of older governments and
FOLDER people beyond the sea. In the
providence of God it has been made the
arena whereon has been fought the bat
\ tiles OF liberty. 1t has become the hear.
4 of that great organization wherein the
people are the people, and make and
lunmake their rulers at pleasure, where
equal representation means actual
participation in the affairs OF govern
ment and where accountability by ou
.Ipublic servants is insisted upon and
reinforced.
Now while these are general state
ments. and generally true in regard to
the nature Of our government. and the
power of the voter. why is it that so
many peculiar and odd things are done
in politics, ard SO many men elected to
offices who should have been elected to
stay at home? That Is, IL we are all
1 free in the exercise OF the ballot, the
burning question OF the time Is. why
does not the right man always be
elected to Office, and why does not the
fright issue always be sustained at the
polls?
THAT is pretty large question to be
suggested near the close of this address
and is only relevant to the subject. in
asmuch as it touches upon the use OF
the liberty we have obtained in this
western home. and upon this question
mems minds may and do differ, but I
can tell you plainly what believe the
trouble is,-we are not honest with each
other. and by this remark do not
mean to refer to any political or other
kind Of organization; / refer only to in
sIdividuals.
Now the voter is not generally cor
4 rupt--far from it. He is generally
Ihonest. He knows that in the ballot
The has valuable franchise, and he
wants to- use 1t for patriotic purpose.
4 But he does not know Just what to do
to that end.
"A certain set Of men, having their
Town selfish purposes In view. seek some
man to act as a candidate who will. II
|elected, further their interests. They
fatter him with promises of their sup
port they make him believe he is far
|greater man than he really is, and they
really give material aid,-they do pos
sibly all they promise. The promises
and offers of aid are given for various
Irsasons, but the most frequent form 1t
now takes Is the aid OF men who are
interested in the railways of the state,
and il that man, thus aided, is finally
nominated and elected what is the
Il natural result?
These men who created him do not
fail to remind the officeholder that they
are his creators. and that he owes them
allegiance. This is not extensively done,
Tor at all times or places. But when the
Interests Of these men are at stake. and
4 the person who has thus been aided by
4 them into office. has a discretion under
i the law to exercise. or vote to give
(which may aid or defeat their pecuni-
airy interests, or an appointment to
make which may be vital to the inter-
4 ests OF the state, then Is the time that
pressure is applied and If weak man,
or man that can be bought, has been
elected the interests OF the people are
sure to be disregarded and count for
nothing This Is boss rule and Is the
same in its development in either po-
9llitical organization.
But the genius of our institutions is
such that this condition OF things can
not long continue. On the headstone OF
a worthy citizen of North Carolina,
who was noted for the popularity re-
lferred to. is Inscribed:
Here lies the body of Richard Gordon,
Teeth almighty and mouth accordin:
Stranger, step lightly DER this wonder,
For II he gaps you're gone, by thun-
der
$50 the trickster in Office, the Willy place
holder who barters his official acts for
i gain, had better step lightly, for II the
people gap he's gone.
No matter how far the pendulum may