The St. Louis Republic., 1903-09-20
METHoDIcAL AND DIscRrM1NAT1vE.

Jacob Rs, the ideal citizen puts new dress
the old truth that patience sometimes 10
be Il virtue. New York he says needs the grace TO
get mad-and TO keep mad, he adds with emphasis.
New York is recovering from its little burst of
anger which attended District Attorney Jerome 5
radical reforming and exposures of vice some little
time ago. In passing it may be remarked that New
York is mercural, perhaps than other COM
munties 1t easily tires, and this maybe is due 10
the many demands which have been made upon its
civic emotions. Its Parkhursts and Lexows and
Lows and Jeromes have melted it TO beliigerency so
often against the old enemy and its victories
have not been sufficiently numerous and substantial
to inspire it. \ very decisive victory would be a
good thing for New YorkS virtue.
Missouri is mad all right enough 1t cannot be
lectured for the patience which is supne federation
of evils 1t needs only to be reminded of the
to stay mad. Probably Missouri possesses that
grace. There is nothing ''effete' about this Com
mOnwealth. We are not worked out, pale and
apathetic. rality hereabouts has suffered half
hearted victories and dispiriting defeats-and the
half hearted victories would be worse for it than
defeats.
There must be method in Missouris madness
There must be intelligent direction. The madness
must be conserved and applied to ends. not per-
mitted to escape like wasted energy. And it should
not De OVefWorheu all 10 10 purpose. MISSOURI
should not be teased just to show how mad it can
get. The function of the big moral energy must
not be exhausted except in the getting of results.
Turn the switch and throw the whole power of the
batteries into a working mechanism.
From a working Madness temper which fol-
lows principle, it is reasonable to expect resuls,
endurance more and greater results. and eventually
the establishment of the principle permanent
force and factor In principle and intelligent direc-
ton lie the only hope of endurance and Of triumph.
Missouri must work out principle First.
last and all the time it must be kept principle
separate and apart from the and the things,
the utterances and the acts which purport 10 rep
resent it. 1t is principle greater than any express
sions which it may receive. 1t is higher than any
OF its working factors. 1t looks beyond the mere
renovation of present situation 1t is something
which Missouri would set up for generations
after good men and our bad dead and
gone. II is something which Missouri would set
above defeat by bad men of to-day and above dying
with good men of to-day. 1t must not be tied to
any man or men or linked with the fate of any man
men however good.
Work out the Missouri idea" in realization. set
up fxedly the principle OF disinterested public ser
vice, of discrimination between the politics of graft
and the politics of decency. and you have accom-
plished more for the present and future peoples of
Missouri than it is possible to accomplish in any
other manner.
Let us fix our minds upon not only the present
demption from lobbyism and legislative pirateering.
but the maintenance of the redeemed state. In this
view the principle is greater than temporary vic
tory temporary defeat. Mssouri's immediate OBJ
ject is publication but it will not be satisfied with
a triumph in 1904. Neither will it accept defeat,
total partial. 1t will not stand fall with any
man or men or faction or party. Let our madness
be discriminatve.