The St. Louis Republic. [volume] (St. Louis, Mo.) 1888-1919, 1903-12-13
FATHER c0FFEY LECTURES
ON GOOD GOVERNMENT y
Tells Citizens of Mexico That II Can
Be Had Whenever and Where
ever the People Want 1t.
REPUBLIC SPECIAL

REPUBLIC SPECIAL
Mexico, Mo-, Dec. 12.-Father Jane
Thomas Coffey. who has Just been ap
pointed to the pastorate of st. Leo
Church in St Louis. stirred Mexico thf
week with his lecture on bad Citizen
ship in Good Government" 1t was hear,
by Protcstants as well as Catholics ant
was repeatedly applauded hy the highl,
representative audience present. He ha
been the subject of congratulation sine
its delivery. Father Coffey said:
| We all know the real bad citizen. the cor
fupt politician. the sium product the boodler
about him that l am going TO talk Tonight.
After viewing the situation in St. Louis an'
our troubles at the door Of the SUM boss am
his hireiing-the slum politician. This il
| wrong.
They are the mere creatures of adverse cir
adverse. ciicumstanees. The good people ar,
at the bottom of all our municipal corruption
to personal. family and business interests b,
out for their selfish sos ends
and lamentably failed in their sacred dutie:
from the pulpis and ros.rum e to- d that boSd
and corruption are 50 rampant and uni
' ale oSr rnnE passions h
| lower strata. knowing our Indifference, anc
Straight. and obtansi control in cit city ane
state and made themselves SO conspicuous ano
in the majority and Withdrew altogether Tni.
| was government by tine people Of the peopi:
| is now the rule OF the many by the few fol-
| the spoils.
| Corruption is SO universal that people have
forgotten the application of the commonest
moral principles to public life-that the situa-
viii care to assert that The corrupt element
is in the majority any,where-in New York,
ernment POLITICAL scoundrelism. and the loot
ing of our public treasury. not because the
majority Of our people are ls9ms o and care are
because we. the citizens of this country, have
permitted things TO come to this detAa ABLE
We are the bad citizens. because We are the
| inactive and criminally inactive citizens.
Where the people want to take things into
have done 50 in St. Louis to some extent-a md
contest in the last municipal election in st.
Louis: they were willing when the fight was
the whole country that the reform forces were
put into power by the worst corruption ever
pTactced In the metropolis of this great State.
at the head Of Joe Feik they, tell him the
that he knows they did and vet forgetful Of
past fayors. he has dared to try. to send them
the nnp s sin u Mr. Folk tell U.s.
1t Is absolutely false that the present Demo.
political trickery of the worst kind.
That corrupt methods obtained in that cleo
ton. as in all other city elections, for many
years past. must be conceded. This was only
In certain infested dstricts-that it was uni
versai Is untrue
The Democrats won because the people had
been driven Into open rebellion by Iierenhein-
Ism. They couldn't stand it any longer. They
iose up and threw or the yoke. When they
gained the victory. they We're stupefed. and
were willing to allow themselves to be persuad-
ed that II was not conquest of decency-but
only hoodlum ride-over.
Let us not deceive ourselves We can have
good government whenever and wherever we
want 1t All We have to do is go after 1t.
II we want the boodlers bribers and bride
takers punished. let US put men into office who
Will do the will of the people II we want
Supreme Court that will not he dictated to BY
machine that Will not spend all its energies in
splitting hairs on technicalties. we can have
IT. The people are supreme. II they will bur as
sert their supremacy. and II is far better to do
that than to let our government run into rank
anarchy.
II law be not enforced. anarchy will ensuc
and when anarchy raises its standard good-by
to our cherished God-given institutions Citi-
zenship-Eood citizenship-comes before party
fealty. before family interests. before CONNER
cial emoluments. Love OF country and its in
situations is next only to the love and service
OF our God VIII We put our citizenship where
and forget that we alone are to blame-that we
alone can bring order and decency out OF the
chaos Of political corruption all around use
In introducing Father Coffey. Mr.. MIL
lion, president of Hardin College. took oc-
casion to criticise the Supreme Court for
its decree in the Butler case