Morgan County democrat. (Versailles, Mo.) 1900-1906, 1903-09-18
GOOD GOVERNMENT.
Speech Delivered by Hon.
Joseph w. Folk
AtShelbyyille. on Saturday, Sep.
tember IL, 1903, to Crowd Of
Eight Thousand People.

Missouri. 1t has the highest regard for
God and man. We have no fear Of the
knife which is probing for boodlers.
We have good government, honest OIL
Gals and an empty Jail.
There Is not a man. woman or child
Is this county who doe not seek to
honor the greatest exponent of good
government. not only of Missouri and
the United States, but of the world.
This county Is in sympathy with this
work in the past and in the present,
and is with him in his fight against the
boodlers.
at Is said by some that this Is the
doodle state, but certainly we have a
man who stands up and eniorces the
law against those who put him In Of
flee. He had friends who told him,
Don't do it, The corporations said,
Don't do it, but he did il.
II now present this man. Circuit At
torney Joseph w. Folk Of 81. Louis.
Such was part of the introduction
which Mr.. Folk received Saturday at
the hands of Congressman James T.
Lloyd of the First district, who pre-
olu'u DNfI lIt ElAlt'.lih lIiiiii
Of the old settlers of Shelby county.
Mr.. Folk spoke as follows:
u has been 50 years since the FIRST
term of the circuit court in Shelby
county. The grand jury evidently
could find no ~wrongdo!ng, for no in
dictments were returned. At The next
term a number of the citizens OF the
county were charged with betting ON
horses" an oiicnse evidently very com
MOI In those days. | judge from that,
those early settlers were from Ken
lucky or Tennessee. The county has
been remarkably free from serious
crimes, an evidence of a high order Of
citizenship and of good government.
Thomas Jefferson once said: The
time to guard against corruption is
before it shall have gotten hold OF US.
1t is better to keep the wolf out OF
the fold than to trust drawing his
teeth and talons after he shall have
entered" The people must be . II
stantly ON the alert 10 keep corrup-
tion out. Whenever the people be-
come inattentive to public affairs, cor
rupiiOn follows as "a logical cOnSc-
ulcNte. iHueT our form Vi govern
ment all authority IL vested in the
people, and by them delegated 10 those
who represent them in official Capac-
ity. 1t is a valuable thing to be a cit
i2en in a republic such as ours. for
zach citizen Is "A constituent part OF
sovereignty. Under a monarchy, the
king is the fountain head Of power.
with MS the people are. As L king
should be careful and watChful in the
exercise Of his authority, 50 should
The people in Il republic. The people,
in giving attention to public affairs,
are attending 10 their own business;
ye, how careless they become al times;
Low Indifferent to their tWn welfare
they often are. The people tie part
ncrs in the affairs of state. Each in
dividual has "a much power in its
management as any other, yet the ma
joTity of people are neglcctiul of this,
their highest duty. If a firm is COM
posed of a dozen men, and ten of them
give no attention whatever to the buSi-
ness. leaving It entirely to the two,
they cannot complain when they awake
some morning and find that they have
been plundered. When good citizens
voluntarily abdicate the throne of
American manhood by negiecting civic
duties and leave the government Ia
the vicious minority, they may expect
to be robbed by dishOnes. officials.
Thomas Jefferson wrote that man Is
the only animal that dcvours his own
kind" and that "if once the people
.- .-l,. -. ,n,IIi, a. ffn iru
congress and assemblies. judges and
governors shall become wolves. II
seems to be the law Of human nature
In spite OF individual exceptions The
majority of officials. | believe are
honest. else we would have anarchy.
II Is true, however, that civic evils in
crcas. as the exercise Of civic duties
by good citizens decreases.
The Indifference of electors 10 the
weakness of a republican form of gov
eminent. To arouse hem and make
them realize the necessity Uf EXERCISING
their civic duties Is a matter Of st-
prcme Importance. The responsibility
OF citizenship Is not discharged by
vote on The day of some general cleo
ton. Every good citizen should at
tend his party primary. Even This Is
lot all: he should take part IN the
lrst meeting OF precinct, ward ol
awnshlp where tickets for genera
.nclions or primaries are born. Nine
- uine per cent. Of the people arc hon
e51, but the M per cent. OF diShon'
cs.r Is p~crnic!ous!y active and works
whi.a the nlnety-ninc sleep. The dis
recafd by good citizens OF their civic
dnIies LrCnlA communion by loiNinl