New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1903-09-08


OF us. 10 a greater or less extent feels the ten
sion.
Unfortunately. fu this world the fBnocent
Frequently find themselves obliEcd 10 pay
come of the penalty for the misdeeds OF the
susItys and 60 az hard times come. whether
they be Que own fault or 10 our "'is-
fortune. whether they be due 90 som
burst Of speculative f-eB2y that has caused
portion the business world 40 lose Tvs
hesd-a Toe. ysbich 10 Legislation can posi-
bly, suppIs-or whether they lie due &c any
back Of wisdom sn a portion OF the world OF
rsbor-in each case the trouble once started
q. feIt more Iess in every walk of iife'
IL is eli essential 10 the continuance OF our
healthy national nfe that We should recos L.I
This community OF interest among our people
The welfare OF each Of us is Dependent tuhoa-
mentally upon the welfare OF all OF US. ano
therefore in public life that man is the best rep,
,sSentaffve OF each CO US who seeks 20 do good
20 each by doing good 70 ala IN other WoIdh'
whose endeavor IL IS. not 20 represent any sPe-
isl class ana rror1o-s merely that casss selfish
interests but 20 represent al true ano hoHest
men Of 81 sections and al classes ana 10 work
for their Interests by working Tor our common
country.
PERSONAL WORTH THE ONLY TEST.
We can keep our government on a sane and
healthy basis, we can make and keep our Social
system what il should be- only on condition OF
sudging each man. not as a member OF q class,
but on his worth as a man. IL Is an infamous
fhing in our American lie, and FUNDAMENTALLY
freacherous 20 our insttutlons, 20 ABBY 70 80
man any test save that of his personal worth
or 70 draw between two sets OF men any ais
fnction save the distinction OF conduct the as
tincton that marks on those VINO 90 Vel an
wisely from those who do 81 and foollshy. There
ere good citizens and bad citizens IN every class
80 IN every locality. and the attltuoe OF oeG S
people toward great public and social questions
should be determined, not by The accloehtal
questions OF employment or locality. but by those
deep set principles which represent iAe 4hnei-
most souls OF men.
The failure IN public and In private lie thus
20 treat eaS ,n ma On ms % bes e3tbeT for he
poor ae such for the rich IS such, would prove
fatal 70 our republic as such failure ana such
recognition have always proved fatal IN the past
20 other republics. A healthy republican govern
rnent must upon individuals, not upon Classes
OF sections. AS soon as IL becomes government
by = class by section II departs from lhe
II fs. Of course. the raerest truism 20 say that
free institutions OF avail only 10 people VINO
possess the high and peculiar characterlsIlCs
needed 20 take advantage Of such institutions. The
century that has Just closed has witnessed many
end lsmentsble instances IN which people nave
seized q government free in form, or have nae
81 bestowed upon them and Yet have permlttea
Il. under the forms OF liberty 10 become some
species OF despotism or anarchy. because they
did not have IN them the power TO make TINS
seeming liberty one OF deed instead OF one merely
~ word Under such circumstances the seeming
liberty may be supplsnted by a tyranny or
oespotism in the first place. or Il may reacn the
road Of despotisrn by the path OF license ana an
archy II tiers but little what road is "a ken; N
either case the same goal is reached People
show themselves just as unfit for liberty wnether
they submit 70 anarchy or to tyranny; aha c-s 20
government, whether II be the government OF a
plutocrscy or the government OF a mon: !
equally Incompatible with the principles esIaD-
rshed IN the DAYS OF Washington and perpef-
uated n the days OF Lincoln.
QUALITIES OF GOOD CITIZENSHIP.
Many qualities are needed by people which
would preserve the power OF self-gOvernment
IN fact as well as in name Among these quail
ties are forethought shrewdness, self-restraint
the courage which refuses 20 abandon ones own
- rights and the disinterested and kindly good
sense which enables one to DO justice to the
CHI Of affr 1~lr cfr rlryfh lark Of
courage unit men FOR self-governnent on the
ore hand, and on the other. brutal arrogance,
envy, IN short, any manifestation OF the spirit
o. selfish disregard, whether OF ones own duties
o. o. the rights OF others are equally fatal
In the history OF mankind many republics have
risen. have hourished for less or greater time,
sE6 then have fallen because their citizens lost
the power Of governing themselves and thereby
OF governing their State; and in no way has this
loss o. power been so often and so clearly shown
as "a the tendency TO turn the government into
.. government primarily for the benefit Of one
class. instead OF q government for the benefit OF
The people a whole.
Again and again in the republics Of ancient
Greece. in those OF medieval Italy and medieval
Flanders this tendency was shown, and when
over the tendency became a habit IL invariably
end inevitably proved fatal 10 the state In the
nns4 result l. mattereo not one whit whether
the movement was IN favor Of one class or Of
another. The outcome was equally fatal wheth-
er the country fell .nto the hands OF a wealthy
oigarchy which exploited the poor or whether II
fol under the domination OF Z turbulent mob
which rlundered the rich In both cases there re
suited violent alterations between tyranny and
disorder, and s. final complete loss OF liberty to
All ciuzens-destruction in the end overtaking
Hhe class which had Tor the moment been vic
iofious as well that which had momentariy
been defeated. The death knel Of the republic
had rung as soon as the active power became
lodged in the hands Of those who sought not
70 DO justice TO all citizens, rich and poor alike
but 20 stand for one special class and for its
interests opposed 10 the interests Of others.
The reason why our future is assured lies In
fhe fact that our people are genuinely skilled in
rnd fitted Tor self-goN eminent, and therefore viii
he of MIR
cite this ferocious and foolish class antagouism
The average American knows not only that he
himself intends 70 DO about what is right but
that his average fellow coUntryman has the
same intention and the same power 10 make his
intention effective. He knows. whether he be
business man. professional man, farmer, me-
Chanic. employer wage worker, that the
welfare Of each OF these men is bound up with
fhe welfare OF all the others. that each is neigh
Dor 10 the other. IS actusued by the same hopes
and fears. has fundamentally the same ideals
snd that all alike have much the same virtues
and the same faults. Our average fellow citi-
ven is sane and healthy man. who believes in
Gecency and has a wholesome mind lie there
fore feels an equal scorn alike for the man OF
wealth guilty OF the mean and base Spirit OF
.ogance toward those who are less well of. and
Tor the man OF small means who ia his turn
either feels, or seeks 10 excite in others the feel
ing OF mean and base envy for those are better
OF. The two feelings, envy and arrogance. are
but opposite sides Of the same shiclo. but diff
1erent developments OF the same spirit Funda-
mentally. the INSCRIPTIONS rich man who seeks
20 exploit and Cypress those who less well
on Is in spirit not opposed 10, but identical
with. the INSCRIPTIONS poor man who desires 10
plumber and Cypress those who are better of.
The cOurtier and the demagogue are but devel-
opments OF the same type under different cOndi-
fions. each nanifesting the same servile spirit,
the desire TO rise by panderiug to base
passions; though one panders 10 power in the
shape % single man and the other TO power
IN the shape OF a multitude. SO likewise the man
who wishes 10 rise by Wronglng others must by
right be contrasted, not with the who like
wise wishes 70 do wrong. though 10 a different
a. o. " to