The St. Louis Republic. [volume] (St. Louis, Mo.) 1888-1919, 1904-12-24
FOLK DINNER AT THE BUCKINGHAM.
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country; but the man who will live for his
| city and State every day is the man good
government needs.
You business men pay tco little atten-
| ton to public affairs; not a dozen in all
the city Of ST. Louis usually vote at
primaries. You forget that you are stock
holders in the city of st; Louis; that this
is corporation. in which each citizen has
a share. 1t IS the most important cor
poration with which my OF you are con-
ilected. dare say you give more time to
the smallest corporation. in which you
have stock. than you do to the affairs OF
ST. Louis. You are so busy with business
that you leave this important duty TO
/ others. with the result that the selection
Of those who represent you is often made
by undesirable elements
When bad men get bad man in Of
flee they support him in all the evil he
does. Bad men are united: good men are
divided. That is the chief cause of cor
, ruption in our American municipalities II
good citizens would join hands in patriotic
| thing. for they constitute but a small pro
portion of the entire population. Good
citizens should demand that corrupt men
be excluded az far as possible from all
party councils and condemn the party
that harbOrS them.
While l believe in political parties Gor
without them popular government could
not eNiSt), | do not think the interests of
any party can ever be paramount to the
welfare of the city and STATE. If the
Democratic party in the coming election
its wing. then it should be defeated Ii
the Democratic party repudiatcs this ele-
ment. and the Republican party takes II
up. then the Republican party should be
buried under an avalanche OF honest
votes. 1t would be triumph Of good gov
ernment if both parties would scourse
this element from their ranks. Then the
corrupt men would he shorn of their pow
er. for It is by working on party preju-
dices. that they are enabled to accom-
plish their ends.
III you will organize a municipal voters
league, and assert yourselves YOU will
compel political parties to listen to you.
and not to the corrupt element. Put your
selves behind good officials and in front
of every bad official and then the corrod-
ing forces OF corruption will vanish like
evil spirits at the dawn of day.
ST. LOUIS'S FUTURE.
ST. Louis has lust closed the greatest
Worlds Fair in history, brought to Its full
glory by the master mind that directed its
destinies from the hour of inception. The
people are mindful not only Of this, but of
10 complete excellence with which the
city administration has met the enlarged
duties OF the Worlds Fair period; and
they are now looking forward to a time
not far distant wehn 10000 inhabitants
shall be within the city'S gates.
Every good citizen will do his part in
bringing about this result, but do not for
get. In the prospects of the future, the
dark days Of the past: how venaiity ran
rampant in the Municipal Assembly and
drove countless enterprises away from the
city; how franchises Of ineStimable value
were given away for bribe money to go
into the itching palms of the public pilfer-
crs; and how the lawabidlni. people OF st.
Louis. after three years battle with cor
ruptionists. have overcome them.
To allow our civic affairs to lapse back
into the corrupt ways Of other days would
be criminal and would do st. Louis more
harm than any pestllence or calamity that
could occur. ST. Louis is now freed from
the chains Of corruption You men of ct.
Louis must see 10 1t that the chains are
not riveted on again, and unless you are
careful they will be.
There is constant conflict between evil
and good, and evil must always be fought
The useful grain the farmer sows does not
grow by chance. but must be. cared for
and protected: while the thistle sown by
chance. cared for by accident. Will flourish
anywhere: so good government does not
exist by accident; the seeds must be sown
and the plant nurtured and defended, else
the weeds of corruption will choke II out
I'm order TO acquire the growth we all
want ST. Louis to have, the evil element
must be held in subsection. A glorious
destiny awaits St. Louis. but the true
greatness of city cannot he measured by
material triumphs alone. for without moral
elevation. material advancement can only
be temporary. Let st. Louis be distin-
suished as no other city is distinguished
for good government, and all things else
Will be added to make her the foremost
city Of America.