The Oskaloosa herald. (Oskaloosa, Mahaska County, Iowa) 1885-1919, 1901-09-26
Hon. "A. B. Cummins Commences Iowa
Campaign at Centerville.
CRISP AND COMPREHENSIVE STATEMENTS!
Candidates Position Folly Outined and Republican POl
cies SqUarely Drawn.

| full attention at the hands Of the citizen of
the Republic You are engaged therefore in
the most serious business of life and my
purpose is neither to entertain nor amuse
| you, but to join you In a conference upon
public affairs.
What is said here will have little in
huenee upon the fate of our country, but
| what you think here and do hereafter will
deeply concern the future of your fellow
men.
Good government is the ultimate object
of all sincere political discussions, and it
! inspires every conscientious political act.
There never has been and never will be diff
ferences of opinion upon this fundamental
proposition. What good government is,
and how it can best be attained, and mat
| tiers upon which, honest, intelligent, and
| patriotic men have always differed, and
| upon which it may safely be said they they
/ always will differ. 1t Is this concurrence
| in the end to be reached, and difference re-
| specting the paths leading to it, which sep
arate the people into political parties, and
which create the basis for political gather
| iEgs. While t is not easy to trace the
! boundaries Of the field of settled principles
|
dispute, we lnstinctiyely know whether any
| given question lies within the one or the
other. 1t Is plain that when We meet to
| consider questions that are still open for
| consideration, the most tolerant spirit
should pervade the minds Of the people
/ can conceive of no hours Of greater mo-
ment than those in which the voters of the
Republic re-examine their political faith
and discharge their political duties. 1t
may sound somewhat startling, out / think
/ you will agree with me when | say, that
there is one thing even more essential and
more important than that you should do
right. 1t is that you should believe that
you are doing right. 1t is better for your
selves and for your country to do wrong
believing that you are doing right, than to
do right believing that you are doing
wrong
These observations. trite as they are, will
disclose my mental attitude toward our OPP
p0nents in beginning the campaign of 1901.
am here. firm and steadfast in the belief
that the republican party holds and en-
forces principles which are necessary to the
honor OF the nation and to the welfare of
the people that it has past which gives
it a better tile to your confidence and sup
port and a future with a brighter and
clearer promise than any other political or
ganization known to the history of our
country. But l am not here to impugn or
question the loyalty Of my felIOwmen who
advocate doctrines inconsistent with my
own, nor to unfairly dsparage and unjust
y belittle any other political party. When
7 Fpfr y,F .
/ am mistaken, but l am determined that
none OF you shall say that l am either
bigoted or malicious.
Before touch upon these subjects whir
ordinarily form the texts Of politlca.
speech. you must permit me to cay a WORD
upon a subject in which We are all inter
ested, which should appeal TO Us acitlzens
Of a common country aud upon which we
must not be divided l feel that there is
a sentiment, gradually rising that the gov
eminent fails to accomplish IN proper meas
ure 10 the noble purposes for which it is
organized. 1t is true that our government,
whether national, state or municipal, are
not perfect There are many evils yet to
overcome there Is much injustice yet to be
repaired there are many wrongs yet to be
Constitution and our laws are often made
quate in their provisions, and we know that
they frequently miscarry in their admins
tration. But these things must not be per
United TO shatter our confidence IN the pro-
gress OF the world nor destroy our faith in
the upward tendency Of civilization. We
must remember that governments are fran
ed, that laws are made, and justice is sd-
ministered, not by the unaTring ruler OF
the universe, but my mortaIs who some
times yield to temptation. some times STUN
bic in weakness and some times wander
through mistake. We must not expect alb
solute righteousness In public affairs until
it becomes universal in matters Of private
concern. There is still another thought
that should not escape your attention. Con
stitutions and laws are adopted with pres
enc knowledge, to meet present conditions.
Growth and development. increase in popu-
IatiOn and the extension Of territorial
boundaries always modify, and frequently
abolish old conditions and substitute new
circumstances out Of which a myriad Of
problems grow. Selhshness and aYarlce, al
ways on the alert, fasten themselves upon
the new order Of things, and 1t is beyond
human power TO Immediately check their
ravages. The government under the i'm
pulse Of an upright and enlightened intelll-
gence turns to meet its new duties. 1t
viii finally prevent the wrongs and crush
the wrong doors, but Il moves slowly. A
Republic must move slowly. There will be
innumerable opinions as to the remedy to
be employed. These must be reconciled and
out OF the chaos OF judgment there must
come a plan upon which a majority unites.
Even then II may be that the Constitution
must be changed and II is inevitable the
laws must be reformed. And thus the hand
Of Justice Is stayed, but remember and be
eomforted with the reflection, that It is
only stayed II viii fall as surely as God
relgns and inelines the hearts Of men to
live right and to hate wrong. Judge your
government by comparative not absolute,
standards. Measure IT BY any other gov
ernment on the face Of the earth and your
blood viii riot In your veins and your face
viii glow with pride, for no where In the
whole realm Of humanity will you Ind an
other government that 50 completely rec
ognlzes and protects the Inherant rights Of
man as the government Of which you are
citizens. Compare II with itself In any
earlier stage OF It's development, and 1t will
steady your hope in the destiny OF free
institutions. for toilsome AZ the journey has
been. slow a. the progress has been, the
highway Of our national march has been
upward from be moment In which we