The indicator., 1904-09-03
some THINGS THAT DON'T PAY.

IL doesn't pay to become too much
excited over this thing we call poll
tics.
1t doesn't pay to rave and tear
about and paw the air in behalf Of
this mans candidacy or that mans
candidacy.
1t doesn't pay to be too contentious,
too set in our ways, too stubborn
and too overly Jealous even for a
principle in politics.
There ought to be principle in pol
itics; everybody knows that, and there
should be more principle than there
IS. The practice is to win out, no
matter how, just SO you win, and in
order to win trample all rules of good
conduct under foot, sacrificing the
primordial elements OF trust, integ-
rity and honor in order to gain =
point.
OF course there are honorable men
in politics. and, consequently, there
must be honorable politics; but too
often this greatest OF American games
is carried on like an open gambling
shop where the men who conduct it
get the profits and the public fur
hlSHSs thC NiSllulS
The silliest individual in town is
the person who feels that somehow
or other t is incumbent on him to
scold and abuse his neighbor for
holding opposite views from his own,
even going to the extreme of falling
out with him because he can't argue
him into thinking as he does. And
yet the man he calls stubborn and
dense might seem to an outsider to be
just as open to conviction and as in
teligent as the other.
This applies, of course, to the gen.
erality Of mankind, and not to those
instances where wei | known assinine
q q'alities characterize some shallow,
prejudiced and ignorant fellow who
is always leagues behind his sur
roundings in everything else as well
as in things political The reader
will grasp the idea.
There are those who make their
living by scheming to work their fel-
low men into boosting them into fat
offices, and it is to those who are
being worked that this advice is di-
rected.
Study all conditions in order to
have intelligent convictions on . the
subjects under discussion; this is right
and proper, and becomes the duty of
everyone who has the right to vote.
Good politics constitute good thing,
and the more good people who take
an interest in politics. the better will
politics become.
We would not advise anyone to
shun politics-not at all; but we
would advise everyone to keep their
equilibrium in the discussion of
them, and not become so excited that
they are ready to abuse all others who
take different views, even to becom-
ing angry at them and maybe losing
good friends by it.
Moderation, conservatism and rea-
son should mark the conduct OF all
in the discussion of the ethics of gov
ernment (too often prostituted by
conseienceless and scheming men to /
be grab for office, and if so handled |
there would be no bitter ordinations
and determinations, and after 4 con-
test is ended there would be no apol- |
ogies to make and no torn friend
ships to patch up.
The discriminating reader will be
on the lookout for Inconsistencies. |
For instance, when they see leading |
editorial in the Rocky Mountain News
labor bodies for leaving nett
tral ground and going clear over into
the camp of democracy, and the next |
day read scathing denuneiation Of
populists for daring to put 4 state
ticket in the field for fear Of injur-
ing democracys opportunity for suc-
cess, they feel that there e q screw !
loose somewhere in the. reasoning ap-
paratus Of the editorial writer, and
are apt to pass such harsh criticisms
BY. 1t has not yet been forgotten
that only short time ago the Nsws |
could not see virtue in anything not
of populistic origin, and % now when
I speaks eontempfuous1y Of "the
Gray and Mills Side Show" ~ AZ
.rage citizen Seels that The shOW wi11
have to be Shown them BEFORE he b
ready to sesspt ~ sBllCsgos6
:asages = ss(sueesa n1D1s 6oe