The Plymouth tribune. (Plymouth, Ind.) 1901-1911, 1901-12-19
YANKEE NOTIONS.

| 1ANNEC NOlION0.
The opening of congress, with the
introduction of thousand bills i'm the
first week, brings to the front again
that numerous class of imperfectly
educated people whose habit of thought
leads them To clamOr for s'cure-all' -
laws. No law or set of laws can give
good government. What law can and
does do is to afford an opportunity for
securing good government. No law
can compel a man TO 60 to his party
convention and do his part toward Sc
curing ticket for which he can vote
with enthusiasm. No law can close
the mouth of the demagogue or de-
prive him of his audiences of ignorant
and deluded voters. No law can shut
of the irritating inSCleDce Of a certain
class of foreigners who come to this
country to preach the destruction of
all law. No law can be self-executing
and no law can compel the people to
elect officers who will execute the law
in all cases fearlessly and impartially.
No law can supply proof or create pre-
sumption in criminal case where
evidence is wholly lacking. No law
can compel an unwilling witness to
testify to the truth if he thinks he
cannot be convicted of perjury.
There are many reforms that would
do much good, and intelligent law
makers find no difficulty i'm distingu sh-
ing between such measures and the
multitude Of quack remedies that
choke the calendar, but for permanent
improvement we must rely upon bet
tering our general political health.
The only single reform that will with
one fell swoop do away with every evil
sapping the body polite is education.
When each voter understands that the
ballot is placed in his hand for high
er and nObler purpose than that of
furnishing an enemy, rewarding
friend. or aiding the dishonest designs
of party or faction of party, educa-
tion will have done much toward
raising the tone of our political sys-
tenn. The voice Of the people is the
voice of God only when they speak
with sincerity. A party machine is
one of the most admirable of human
inventions when it is honest In pur-
pose. The republican form of govern
ment framed by our constitution is
perfect when every elector honestly
and prayerfully votes in primary and
at the polls for none but honest, capa-
bic and faithful candidates for office.
This is the ideal toward which educa-
ton is leading us.
A most contemplate and at the
same time most pitiable individual
is the one who is perpetual prey to
suspicion. We all know the poor soul
for he, or she, dwells in every neigh
borhood and besides being very un-
happy himself, or herself, is an intoler-
able nuisance to all good citizens about.
To such person every act of every
person mas behind it some selfish and
unworthy motive and there is nothing
good in the world. Being duh of
comprehension and low immortality,
he, or she, always suspects something
under handed in every one, even
though unable to perceive any motive
for such conduct or find any just
ground for suspicion. The reason is
that he knows he is not honest him.
self and he has no confidence in his
own penetration in the matter of i'm
putting good motives to others. Be-
ing seldom actuated by good motives
himself he thinks it very improbable
that anybody else is capable of pre-
ferring good motive to had one
LordBacon said that suspicious among
thoughts are like bats among BIRDS
they ever fly by twilight; and the fig
ure is an apt one, for as dimsighted
people live in sort of perpetual twi-
light, so do dull wits that are ever
tormented by suspicion fail utterly to
get any clear vision of life and the
beauties Of character-they dwell in a.
moral twilight of the mind Suspi-
cion is the lowest form of cunning,
which itself is the lowest form of
wisdom. 1t divides all mankind into
rogues and fools and when it finds
man who is wise enough to be honest
it does not know what to make.of him
and SO continues to suspect.