The Plymouth tribune. (Plymouth, Ind.) 1901-1911, 1904-11-24
DUTY OF THE HOUR.
Not So Much to Celebrate Victory as
to Resolve to Be Worthy Of it.

IL would be hard Tor any party ITO
MAKE good, as the saying is. The
next four years will be difficult years,
full of important questions and vexed
situations. Every one of them must
be met thoughtfully, earnestly and
with absolute fearlessnesS.
There must be no faltering in the
discharge of our duty, whatever that
duty may appear to be when it arises.
Indeed, the responsibility which this
historic vote of confidence places upon
US is well nigh to heavy to be proper
ly estimated at this time.
1t is not hard to see the reasons for
this political phenomenon. That a
landslide was under way has been
clear to obserYant men who for the
last two months have been out among
the people, Nowhere could one hear
of republican who was not going to
vote his full ticket; and everywhere
democrats of substance and position
in their communities openly declared
their intention to vote for the ticket
headed by Theodore Roosevelt.
Hundreds of times men of property
and standing who had never voted
anything but the democratic ticket
all their lives made THU statement in
the presence of many OF their neigh
bors. Many times they made it open
ly in political meetings, No man
senSitiye to conditions could fail to
feel in the very air the approach of
that host of votes which were depos-
tied in the balIot-box.
The causes for the great victory
were: First, general satisfaction with
conditions as they are; second, general
distrust of the opposition; third, uni
yersal feeling that there was some
thing morally wrong about the meth
DDS by which the ST. Louis ticket was
nOminated-a feeling which almost
approached Mr.. Bryan's statement
that the nominations at ST. Louis
we're made by ''crooked and indefen-
sible Methods" fourth, general ap-
proval OF the policies of the republi-
can party and of the remarkable re-
cord that party has recently made;
fifth, the personality of Theodore
Roosevelt himself.
Indeed, this last clause was the
most effective of all. The president
personally was declared to be ''the is
sue" by the leading organs and the
leading orators Of the opposition. Be-
fore this campaign arose, the presi-
dent had for the last two years been
personally attacked by those whom
his peculiarly rugged and masterful
qualities displeased. The opposition
evaded every other issue but the is
sue of the personality of the president.
They refused to debate or discuss
any other question on its merits. On
the other hand, the republicans eager
ly accepted the issue of the president
rendered them by the opposition. So,
this personal tissue" went before the
people. The campaign was but the
maturing and the election itself, but
the falling off Of the ripened fruit of
the American peoples admiration for
those qualities of character which
Theodore Roosevelt SO consplcuously
represents-an admiration which has
been growing for the last twenty
years.
/ So, the election came to be a sort
of tribute by the American people
to American character as typihed in
the president. Courage, honesty.
frankness, common sense-all inform
ed by spirit of peculiarly vivid and
intense Americanism-these are the
things which the name of Theodore
Roosevelt brings to the common mind.
In a certain sense the American voter
voted for American character. Not
that otrer men are not also honest,
courageous. patriotic, etc., but that
Roosevelt has come to be the symbol
for these characteristics.
That the president will meet the
peoples high expectations his whole
career is guarantee. That our par
ty will justify the peoples confidence,
every one OF us will try. by our un.
ceasing labor and sleepless vigilance,
to make sure; that the American PEG.
pie will 60 on in the future as they
have in the past toward the goal Of
world primacy in righteous power,
no matter what else befaIIs, our faith
In American destiny makes US certain
Senator Albert ]. Beveridge In the
Indianapolis Star.
i Must Make Good.
/ Rio maiorities must no followod nv