Pullman herald. [volume] (Pullman, W.T. [Wash.]) 1888-1989, 1904-07-09
NUMBER Al

honor today a single man of the past
who was satisfied with the conditions
surrounding him. The makers of histo-
ry were those who were dissatisfied with
the conditions of their day and sought to
improve them, and this conceive to be
the duty of every true patriot. He may
not succeed in accomplishing all he de.
sires, because lower ideals will seek to
compromise; but, even in compromise
there is progress, and life and the world
have been advanced thereby. Persever-
ance and strict adherence to principle
will finally triumph.
Turning to the example of the Colon.
ial patriots, we will fail to be inspired il
we see in their action only that heroism
manifested on the battlefield or their sue
cess i'll meeting the strongest military
power then on earth. The lesson that
should be drawn from their lives and
character is that true patriotism is fdeli-
ty to principles essential to the develop
ment and betterment of society. It was
not the dollars and cents involved in the
Tea tax which precipitated the Revolu-
ton. 1t was the declaration of Parlia-
ment that, in repeating the tax, England
did not abandon the right it claimed to
tax the colonists.
"The colonists were Directing to tax
alton without representation and the par
lament sought to buy their peace by Civ
ing them ten cents per pound on all tea
they bought. But they would not be
bought. Principle to them was more
than life.
" How many are there today in the state
of Washington who have surrendered or
are willing to surrender their right and
the peoples right to make their own laws
and shape the policy of this state to suit
themselves if they can get ten per cent.
reduction on freight rates? How MANY
are there who are willing to advocate and
have enacted laws that will be beneficial
to themselves, even though detrimental
to the welfare and best interests of the
masses of the people? How many are
there whose patriotism is as light as air
when placed in the scales with gold? We
look upon the pagan with plying eye, as
we see him bow before his wooden god,
surrendering to it his manhood, his life
and his liberty. But why pity the ignor-
ance and superstition of the pagan, when,
in this Christian country, dotted with the
school house, the college and the church,
we see men and women prostrating them
selves before their god of gold, and sur.
rendering to its fendish power their
lives, their liberties, their manhood and
their womanhood?
bastard though man may be who al
ways measures his patriotism with gold,
yet there is some excuse for him. He
has been taught that the possession of
wealth is the ideal to be attained, and
having tried to get it honestly without
the success he hoped for, he resolves to
get it any way he can, and if he gets
enough of it the means employed by him
are forgotten and he becomes an example
in the community of a successful and
practical business man, and fathers seek
to get their sons in business with him or
under him, to learn how it was done, and
few judicious donations to some char
liable or religious institution purchases
| for him mantle of charity and secures
his standing in the best society. But
what about the patriotism of the man who
is perfectly willing by his vote to impose
on the country a law or policy which
for aught he knows may be detrimental
to the best interests of the masses of the
people, simply and solely because it is
fathered or advocated by the political
party to which he belongs? In the lam
guage Of President Roosevelt, the man
who offers his allegiance to his party as
an excuse for blindly following his party
right or wrong, commits crime against
his country
"What think you of the patriotism of
the citizen who justifes evil because he
gains business therefrom, or tolerates it
for fear that adverse action on his part
would lose him money? While the pa.
triots whose blood drenched the battle
fields of the Revolutionary and Civil
wars bought with their lives and conse-
Grated by their blood liberty, do not as
sumo that there is no danger of it ever
being lost in this country because so
dearly bought. We are prone to think it
sufficient to make patriotic demonstra-
tons once year, and the more noise
there is the more patriotism we assume