The Minneapolis journal., 1903-10-15
Z \ Is ! 4
DUTIES OR A
GOOD CITIZEN
Former President Cleveland Delivers
an Address Before the Chicago
Commercial Club.
Says Professional Politicians Should
Not Be Allowed to Run the
Government.

SOOu, give. lne1I1 purpose LnaC St1mU-
lates them to unite in lofty end eavor-
and let that purpose be a demonstra-
ton of the efficiency and beneficience
of our popular rule.o
This was the solution offered by for
mer President Grover Cleveland as a
remedy for corrupt politics, in a
speecht before the members of the
quet given at the Auditorium slast
night. The subject discussed by Mr..
Cleveland was American Good Citi-
zenship." and he dweIt at length on
the necessity of every citizen doing his
part to make political action what it
should be. Said he:
AS I understand my situation 7 am un-
der bonds to keep the peace, If possible
by eschewing politics in the few words /
shall speak tonight and hope I may
fulfill the condition of my bond and avoid
disturbing those most suspicious Of my
conduct If deal with that old. old topic
American good citizenship u
Too Much Confidence.
There Is an habitual associate Of Amer
lean, civic Indifference and listlessness.
which reinforces their malign tendencies
and adds tremendously to the dangers
that threaten our body polite. This asso-
ciate plays the roll Of a. smooth, insinu-
ating confidence operator Clothed in the
garb Of immutable faith In the invulner-
ability Of our national greatness, it in
Vltes our admiring gaze to the flight of
the American eagle, and assures us that
no tempestuous weather can ever tire
his wings. Thus many good and honest
men are approa ched thru their patriotic
trust in our free institutions and immense
national resources, and are insidiously led
to condition Of mind which will not
permit them to harbor the uncomfortable
thought that any omission on their part
can check American progress or endanger
our country's continued DEVELOPMENT
Have we not lived as nation more than
a century, and have we not exhibited
growth and achievement in every direc-
ton, that discredit all parallels in his
tory? After us the deluge. Why, then,
need we bestir ourselves and why disturb
ourselves with public affairs? -, : :
-'"Ihose OF sour~citizens who are deluded
by these notions and who allow them
selves. to be brought to, such a frame of
mind, may well be reminded of the good
old lady, who was wont to impressively
declare that she has always noticed if she
lived until the first Of March, she lived
all the rest of the year. 1t is quite likely
she. built theory upon this experience
Which induced her with the passing of
each of, these fateful days, to defy
coughs colds and consumption, and the
attacks of germs and microbes in a. MIL
know that with no design or intention on
her part, there came first day of March
which passed without her earthly notice.
The withdrawal Of wholesome ,senti..
ment and patriotic activity: from political
action on the part Of those VINO are IN
differenf to their3 duty or: foolhardy sin
their optimism opens the way for. a srutI-
lesss and%nn nnrelenting enemy. of our .free
ins stttutior1s. Sy The abandonnent. Of our
coiintry,ss watefia tow Iosg VIII
should be: on- guard and the slurnber Of
the sentinels who should never sleep, di-
rectly invite the stealthy approach and
the pillage and loot of the forces of sell
fshness and greed. These baleful enemies
Of patriotic effort will lurk everywhere as
long as human nature remains unregen-
crate, but nowhere In the world can they
create such desolations as in free Amer
1ca, and nowhere can they so crilelly de-
stroy mans highest and. best aspirations
for self-government' -.
Corruption of Suffrage. :,
Is not our public life saturated with
the indecent demands of s7selhshness?
More than this, can any Of us doubt the
existence, Of still more odfous and detest-
able evils whichA vita steady cankerins
growth, are, more directly than all others
threatening: our safety and national life?
speak Of the corruption Of our suffrage
Opoli oAlu 1OlOI1OuS, OF the buying and
selling Of political places for money. the
purchase Of political favors and prtyI-
leges, and the traffic in official duty for
personal gain. These things" are CON.
fessedly common. Every Intelligent man
KNOWS that they have grown from small
beginnings until they have reached fright
ful proportions of malevolence:3 and vat
respectable citizens by the thousands and
hundreds: OF thousands have looked on
Win perfect calmness. and with hypocrit-
1cal cant have declared they are not mol
itioians, or with silly pretensions Of faith
IN our strength and luck have laneuidlv
claimed that the country was prosperous
equaleto any emergency, and proof against
all dangers. - '%''1''
Resulting from these conditions in
manner not difficult to trace, wholesome
natlonai sentiment is threatened with ut-
ter perversion. -. :. All sorts of mfsconce,,L.
tfons pervade, the public Thought and
oealousies rapidly taking on the comnlex-
ION OF class hatred are found in every cor
ner OF the Land. new meaning has been
given to national prosperity. with q
hardlhood that; savorsA of ,1nsolence a.,
old pretext, which has preceded the 6oor,
o1 ancient experiments in popular r,,le is
daily and hourly dinned in our ears W.
are told that the national splendor no
nave Dullt upon the snowy ventures az
- ".e'A1ai - d UdQSe or our Sllc-
cess: ~ Ohshar1ng n contentment is entoined
upon the masses of our people, and tha,,
are invited, in the bare sllbsistanoe X
their scanty homes, to, patriottcallv re5o;oa
LII Cheir country's prosperity. This ia +oo
an enjoyment OF benefits ~
satls1y those Who have been taught Arar
lcanz equality; and thus has risen. hv !,
psrleccly natural process, dissatisfied ~
sistence upon q, better distributfon ~ ~ m
results SUI OF our yaunted prosperity. =,
:, we now see. ITS worst manifestation IN
the apparently 1ncorrtgible dislocation ~
the proper relations between 10 20. -. .ol
capital This, of itself, is sufffcientI,, an an"
tresslng; put thoughtful men are not
wltnout dread OF sadder sdevefopm ents uet
20 come. Ihere has also grown UP anooner
our people "a disregard for the Trestnai,+ss,
OF ia" ana a disposition to evade it's lirnis
"a tiotls-Wh y nile querulous structures co,
cerhing the action of our: courts tend -
.Ie unuelliillle popular faith In the course ~
Jusllcei ana iast, but by no means Loo 81
90 coinplain.s OF imaginary or exaggera teG
siut 'coli1inss IN our financial policies ~
O. e4cuse 1or the fippant exp1offa
:. ti9n ~ o. az sorts OF monetary nostrurns'
c1;4.so,'u eoou ~ ineh are to Interfere to nal,a
pontlcal act1on what it should be. las tha.,
nol suppose they will come :,sr1s, son
s.n ei.o pen heio unoccupied by an opposi,,s,
IoEce. IN the ground they have nerIactaS
.tiey VII ma a host of those who enpa 90
m III ponies ponies Tor personal ends and salfsh
purposes, and this ground cannot he alsts :.
without a5hand -to-hand conflict. The AL
tack must be made under the banner ~
olshnterested good citizenship, by soldiers