The Democratic advocate. [volume] (Westminster, Md.) 1865-1972, 1904-12-03


Of God .. In the 18th chapter Of Romans he dis
eusses political obligations and duties. He says the
sttels divine 1t is part of Gods divine order The
Church is divine but it is not divine than the
state The officers of the State ministers of God
We have narrowed the phrase ministers OF God"
ST. Paul knew no such limitations. Preachers are
not the only ministers of God. Civil officers are also
ministers of God. And it is the duty of Christians
to see to it, rot only that worthy men stand in the
| pulpts, but that worthy men be entrusted with
governmental affairs. The State is divine, and it is
to be supported by the devotion of Christians and
redeemed by their lives.
But if preachers have erred laymen have not
been bIameless. They have in large numbers
| shirked their duties most shamefully. Some have
done it in ignorance Others have done it through
| Incidence. They have shrunk back from political
service because it disagreeable. Others have
| been unworthy citizens because of sheer selfish
/ ness. Immersed in business they have ignored
completely those larger duties upon whose faithful
| performance the perpetuity of the Republic de-
| ponds. Some have used the State as commercial
| convenience They have made it their rule to put
into il as little as possible and take the most pos
sible out Of it. They have treated the State as
though it were COW. They have filed their own
little pail with milk and then have retired into
their house 10 drink not caring what became of the
COW. Shame on the man " no enjoys the protection
and liberties of our Government and makes no sac
rifice by means of which the Government shall be
purified and strengthened.
And what is the result? Lsmentable enough.
Mr Bryce one of the keeHest-eyed and most genial
of all foreign critics says that the government
of cities is the one conspicuous failure of the United
States Mr.. Albert Shaw .has not hestated to de-
clare that cities the worst governed cities in
Chrstendom. The government OF many OF our
States is no better. The Philadelphia L-dger, an
bipartisan paper says that 5000 fraudulent votes
we're cast by gangs of repeaters in that city in the
recent presidential SECTION. The state of Pennsyl
vania has been for years in the hands Of political
bosses Of bpth parties who have divided the spots
between them Corruption has in some instances
even involved the Judiciary and polluted the robes
of justice Into the i:sue State Of Delaware there
clme man by the name OF AdiickS, who set him
self to the task Of debauchng It's citizens and buy
ing the state In the Sts . Of Maryland, weil-we
al know what has been done here. The trafhc In
votes in many States has gone from bad 10 worse
until il has become insufierable evil. The pub
lie conscience is becoming 50 deNdencd that men
are lost to all ct mosal ami political responsi-
bilifies Our citizenship is becoming detsuebet
The number Of those who stand around every year
waiting for some one To buy them is increasing
And the buyers are Al hand supplied with nancy /
gotten IN many instances by graf' extortioa snd /
blackman Men are selected for our legislatures !
to make oar laws. becanse they weak n monsls Z
AID intcl,igere en-. can easily l-r tasic 10 oh~y
the " hi, uf iiici political masters
Yes this is great country. 10 is 50 great snd 4
rich IN resources and productions that it can stand
an amount Of extravaganza AMI corruption ia its Z
government that vouH crush :eo,.s not -
highly blessed 1se cSn tolerate great deal Of 'his
wrong doing because IN times Of Tescc aud p3cuty
the evil conscq nence, Of sre obscurt The taxes
sf.fts f4Ea aud st-rarfv little
SECURE the owners nf franchises ply ttsie bigger
y sdcuds the lSboFer In Iarrr ciiies Rays H.
lie more for his water light and Fprisiinn, the
public school system is little less ere'ent, and the
wheels Of justice are checked lllue But thss-
evils are aislrihalei over such wie aruas aud fai
on such vast miititnd.s Of peoP- tha, the insii- .
vdua sctsceIy feels his a.'dei share i h. ir,s
IT, he dos, not know % What u attr bai1 e.
Bat iAls state II aaair .farc NOT 60 on. ualcss Z
checked il will bring its retrsbUtiou. .; Niil /.
threaten the life Il Republic To he suieiy o.
Institutions stuasi ballot box q mute danKeS
ous lhHu ar army 81 forrign Invader T. isIe 4
honor ~ the American crfrnpt tall,A 81 7
Taught with greater peril thsn Ihc scci Iaint ct
insiiors bayonei. t. the psFpeIui, Of ons ErFni~ I
Hc the hand tainted with hFbe y nEtrv Stal tlasu
& nny th='t gFs-5ss traitors sword Wen asan I
60 raise army and 70 the rsigus ui ssycrs-
meui he vuud he mote guilty u tyezasrn lhsu I
). lhe man WIN b fralsa violence irickefy sub
siitutcs hts viii for iho sill 81 the r-e pc hslic
iicl Arnold was no traitor tfaa Is ihs man /
whoseils the highest bsddor his btfihrishi as s
American citizen
What is 10 De done Henuunce the wirkrdness sg I
politicians and their metboiss sosae people de 4
ceive themselves iih the iioa that they have douc
their whole duty whon they haze denouDyc-i NicE Z
edness
sbsH we al down and indulge 81 Izsssimtstir I
whiness Nothing IS ever cure; y f-sssimisgsc 4
means. shall take sway foEe=cF the elective 4
frzaohisc from both thc giFcr and she laser Of
briscs shall PISS srrioier lava Possibly. oui 4
This uii not cure the evil Whenever the hsly 4
polite IA invested with evil. wc Ihlus thal al
that necessary Is 70 pssS law sod 'he evil viii I
b. ersdirAtei 80. something more Is Rec sSaEy I.
and absolutely Indispensable It is tia. yoa Aai .
renfpr tse,sr the things are Cessr's. that 1
We 10 our civic and christian duty al oar live 4
The trouble with % attempts ~ Poiitscai 4
reformation is that they spasmotic whenever 4
the corruption becomes hasa that q Is Tsnfl aud
nauseAtins the righteous iHdguAtsoa of TIRE reo- 4
pie the taaj ariIy Of whom are a. heart good ami
honest. is aroused aud they orgaaire aud guru The
rascais oul Having accomplished thls and having 4
put good in efIee they thtns their Is notaiRg
more to do and they busy themselves with lbef fi.
rate afssIrs snd The government itssil
rarasites fonpd IN every party is again TIC helm
Of the ship II saatc spasEnoitr eaorts ~ reform 1
viii noi accomp ish much cool. Eternal Vigilance
is the price ofibeFy Nothing wiil preserve sueieIy
but the living force % carHesI men Il great
mistake to put "a nPon laws md institutions the
work hich can oaIy be done BY a Ecfus1e Hvisg
force. Men get tired Of Individual slFsrt la the
work Of good government asid would hs glad n AVS
could be ted which would take the Shelr NJ
sponsibilIsy from their shoulders But such ihiUg
cannot b.. Il is 3 snare and a delusian. Men wani
the Church to take care % the oommnnity's morris.
they want the courts TO tale care Of commercial
fairs they want ms straies and otasr ocers af the
law to do citizens duties They putting On In
sttnii0rs aud laWsand os8cisls that hich Only
be done By the pablo sentiment Of the waoie pco
PIE.
The public conscience needs 10 * aroused 20 a
sense Of is duty and responsibility THIS l. the
reason why It Is absolutely Necessary that ihe
Church should teach more on this subject. A mans
conscience never acts except In te sphere in which
IL was educated 70 act II only measures what il Is
used TO measuring II you do not educate mans
conscience to measure politics Il will measure
politics II you educate simply measure family
matters and business affairs Il viii measure these
things ard no Others. The Church must teach that
a man cannot De Christian. he cannot be In
the true sense ef the word. and much less good
citizen unless he gives as much time and wort as
are necessary to maintain an honest and good gov
eminent
Men OF patriotism, of loyalty and unseltsh devo-
ton 10 God and their country needed. men who
will only refuse to eonnive in corrupt political
practices. but who wi!i have the moEAI courage TO
refuse Office gotten by fraud; men no will not
be afraid OF defeat in fight for principle and right
It is better that any party should go into minority
and begin TO rise from the bottom by the power OF
moral principle which shah gather about it a faith
and fervor which irresistible. than that it
should win victory by appeals 10 the lower nature
Of man or by cOrrupting votes and voters.
Go into politics. Do not say that politics dirty.
for If you do you viii compel TO think that you
are Pharisee. The muddier the pool. the more
urgent your duty to get into 1t and cleanse it by
the purity and unselfshness Of your life DO say
that you viii be misunderstood and maligned and
hated. If you say that you " III lead as to think
that you are a coward We IN the world not TO
be understood but to do duty. and can afford
to wait for our reward until we reach the world
where we shall know as we are known.
Go into politics, young men. What will our Re
public do, ifyoung men give all their time to them
selves? Every young man ought to be learning the
structure of cur government and getting practical
lessons in the management of its political machin-