Omaha daily bee., 1903-06-21

come in. l think New York City has been
perhaps the worst governed city i'm the
country under Tammany rule, unless re-
publican Philadelphia has not been a little
worse governed. Political reforms, If they
are simply political. do not go to the root
of the matter. The problem is more than q
political question. 1t cannot be solved by
legislation. 1t involves the battle of all
the ages, that began in Eden. and will not
end until the great curtain of all human
history drops down and the other life be
gins. that goes on we do not know whore
or how.
In this great battle Of the ages the
enemies of honest government in our great
cities seem to me to be chiefly three.
Ignorance, indifference and greed For
ignorance the remedy is education What
in some sense every political campaign
furnishes indirectly, teaching us our obligl-
tions. teaching us the principles by which
we should be governed.
Indifference is n worse enemy than igno-
rance. The chief sinners are not those who
live in the tenement houses on the East S.Cc
but those who live in the brownstone II Dus $
in the center and heart of the city. Every
voter is a trustee. In hotly contested
presidential election. out Of 1000, 900 people
about l+,OOOOOO vote. What does that mean?
others, for the women, the children, the
nonvoting population. l am their trustee.
If l neglect to vote neglect my duty as
a trustee. If | throw away my vote |
tn ow away the rights OF these five people
who are entrusted to me If | sell my vote
for place or an advantage or "A IS bill, |
sell the rights that have been entrusted to
me. And yet think the chiefest cause one
certainty of the Chcfcst causes of this
corruption. has been what | call the in
difference Of our better class OF citizens. 1t
Is an old difficulty. very old. old as the
Book of Judges.
The trees went forth on a time to anoint
king over them, and they said unto the
olive tree Reign thou over us But the
olive tree said unto them, Should leave
my fatness. wherewith by me they honor
God and man, and go to wave to and fro
over the trees? And the trees said to the
fig tree. Come thou and reign over But
the fig tree said unto them, Should |
leave my sweetness and my good fruit and
go to wave to and fro over the trees? And
the trees said unto the vine. Come thou and
reign over US. And the vine said unto
them. Should leave my wine. which cheer
eth God and man. and go to wave to and
fro over the trees? Then said all the
trees unto the bramble. Come thou and
reign over us. And the brambIe said unto
the trees. If in truth ye anOint me king
over you then come and put your trust in
my shadow, and If not, let fire come out
of the bramble and devour the cedars of
Lebanon.
The olive and the fig and the vine have
said in America, I'VE do not care for poll
tics" Then we have elected the bramble
and when we have elected it the parable
has been reversed, for fire has come out of
the bramble "a devoured the cedars of
Lebanon. Nor can / fail to say here one
Nbrd of honor to the man who surely be
longed among the vines and the figs and
the olives, who had a position in this city
which any man might Covet, a place of dis
tinguished honor and also congenial work.
out of the quiet, pleasant constructive