The McCook tribune. (McCook, Neb.) 1886-1936, 1901-03-22
Requests of the 9th Century.

unique form some things left by the las
century TO the care and culture Of tn,
present century as follows:
II, the Nineteenth century, about tc
die of old age and being of sound mind
and memory, do make and ordain this
to be my last will and testament. ]
commit and entrust to the United States
OF America all that people, known as
negro freedmen whom / have emanci.
pated by the hand Of my favorite son,
Abraham Lincoln, and who died that all
their rights be carefully guarded and all
their children educated in good schools
and htted for self maintenance. Like
wise l entrust to the said United States
OF America all the surviving Indians and
the inhabitants of newly acquired pos
sessions l also bequeath to my heir, the
Twentieth century. all the missionary
societies and numerous benevolent asso-
Citations to whom l nave given birth; all
the asylums, homes and hospitals and
the charitable institutions that l have
built for the relief of honest sufferers
and the encouragement of idlers and
imposters."
This last will and testament made to
the Twentieth century may fail of being
duly probated. Other interests may
press for priority and what is properly
paramount may be for want of due con-
s1deration and instant attention left to
die. 1t IS now manifest hat while in
he late war, the nation was all absorbed
IN saving its own life, intemperance
and the liquor traffic meanwhile made
gigantic developments. While men
slept the enemy came and sowed tares
among the wheat and went his way"
This secrecy of movement is perhaps the
key to the existence of evils which ever,
age has to combat, our own no less than
our predecessors. Now while attention
OF the nation is engaged with Cuba and
the Philippine Islands, are we not in
danger of overlooking our responsible.
ties and obligations devolved upon us
as the heirs of the Nineteenth century,
Have we not been warned of the dangers
OF Imperialism abroad and that by the
very men who are seeking its establish
ment IN our own country? What means
the coWardly and despicable curtailment
Of negro suffrage in the southern states?
a practlcal-not an ~ideal-attack up !
the very life of our government, upon
dltterentiates it from a monarchy,
Or an empire and makes it a republic
Inc free suffrage of all its citizens.
Shall we with eyes straining to see what
IS going on over the sea, be blind to the
evils that within our United States
commenced the very mischief at
home that is so literally denounced as
70 what is abroad. While many evils
are permitted to spring as the grass and
the workers of i~niquity are per.
to flourish, yet it remains now as
ever that they may be destroyed. while !
hose who opposed those evils and an i
.agonized their wicked operators are the !
only ones that are saved. 7
The present pressing question is, shall +
We upon whom rests the responsibilities
# the Twentieth century be true to our
word? Shall we remember +
hose who are thus held in the bonds of
oppression and southern imperialism? ,
Shall we plead rights denied them?
Shall we remember those that remember
Is when in danger of losing our W
liberties, and even laid down their lives
o save ours or shall we endorse their q
,ppressors by letting them under the {
,lea of Estates rights use the power of
tates against the very eud for which the f
tate was constituted to secure life
liberty and pursuit of happiness under, c
lot an imperial, but a republican form of
government? What answer should we :
make to the above? GLYNEs. c