The times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1897-1901, 1900-10-20
American Patriotism.

Just about election time there is apt
to be a great deal of talk about patriot
ism, loyalty to ones country. and SO FORTH
and to judge by the remarks of some Re-
publican leaders one might think that this
meant loyalty to the Republican standard.
Incidentally it may be mentioned that this
party also claims responsibility for good
crops, SO that one is led to infer that
it assumes partnership with. and respon-
sibility for, the Creator. But there are
some lifelong Democrats who are still in
clined to think that a man may be loyal
to his conscience and his country without
being a devotee of Mr.. Hanna, and there
are also many men who are so far con-
WINGED that Mr.. Hanna is not the country
that they are enquiring earnestly what
patriotism, in these days, is. That it
means belief in the trusts and Mr.. Nc
Kinley, they do not quite think possible.
They wish, nevertheless, to be patriotic.
Patriotism, in this country. is not 10y
atty to king. or party, or even place.
An American in Hawaii or the Philippines
may be Jus. as much an American is II
he had lived all his days in Illinois. Amer
lean patriotism is belief in the principles
which have made this country what 1t is.
devotion to the ideal Republic, and the
earnest wish to realize this ideal as soon
that the country is perfect in order to be
a loyal American, and there is no need
to defend whatever mischievous features
there may be in our present system. They
should be condemned and destroyed, not
perpetuated. Unreasoning hero worship is
always bad. AS the old negro preacher
said:
''De failures Of de great men o de Bible was
not recorded fer US to patronize."
Real patriotism, then, involves the de-
termination to root out abuses due to
carelessncss or to a wrong conception Of
some ideal. The growth Of the trusts is
partly due TO both causes. 1t has oc-
CURED within SO short a time that the
people have not fully realized what was
tated to interfere with it lest they should
be touching some deep economic princi-
pie and restricting freedom of compete
tion. They are but now coming to under
stand that a trust means the death of
and Of independence, and that
1t is economic slavery. which, like all
forms of slavery. is contrary to the very
basic principle of the Republic-the freq
dom of the individual secured through
the equal cooperation Of all. No man
can justly complain II he is not allowed
any privilege which others have not; Nd
man can demand to be excused from the
duties common to all. The only freedom
possible to any family, any community.
any country, must come through the
equality of all, not in fortune, but in OPP
portunity. Some must have responsible
ty and talent above others, but these
others must not be debarred from making
the most Of their share Of life. The fam
lily is the nation in miniature. The child
is by our laws protected from undue ex
action by the parent. We recognize the
fact that it must be left free to live out
its own life. In the model family, the
child is deoarred from no pleasure and
no duty which it is capable of sharing.
The savage idea of the family assumes
the child to be the property Of its par
ents. The American home at its best is
practically a republic. The members of
the family are drawn together by COM
mon devotion to an ideal. Thus 1t should
be with real patriotism.