The progressive farmer and the cotton plant., 1905-05-23
Studies in Civics.
BY w. J. PEELE.

the rulers, the most important con-
sideration is the qualification for vot-
ing. The legal qualifications are
familiar enough and need not be dis
cussed at this time. The health and
vigor of the State is dependent upon
the moral qualifications. The law
now protects society to very great
extent against the ignorant voter,
but the vicious voter and the vicious
seducer of voters are still a renace
to good government. This is why
the principles of good government
should be taught in the schools. His
tory is said to be philosophy teach
ing by examples, and [ will add to
this definition, past examples; but
civics is philosophy. i. e., current
philosophy, teaching by present ex-
amples. We may boast and preach as
much as we please, but the fact re-
mains that we are no better than our
government which, it is fair to say, is
but the exponent of what we are. Ii
the State owns railroad and cannot
run it successfully, or as successfully
as men do, who are operating it pure
ly for private gain, that is a serious
reflection upon the citizens of the
State. 1t is a reflection upon those
whom they choose as their instru-
ments of power. Why cannot a
State, with the resources of all its
people at command, find agents both
competent and honest enough to adj
minister the affairs of any public
utilities? This illustrates the neces-
sity of both virtue and intelligence
ia the voter if the government is to
continue as an efficient agency of
the popular will. Governments are
established for the convenience and
advantage of the people; that is why
the people have the right to deter
mine their forms and the extent and
duration of their powers, and to
change or establish them and substi
tute other forms of government in
their places.
The crying evil of the age is neg
lect How shall we escape if we neg
lect so great salvation, is instinct
with eloquence. The voter has moth
ing to do but to fail to read the
newspapers, fail to keep up with
what the Legislature and Congress
are doing, and especially those mem
bers of those bodies who represent
his county or district, and he has al
ready neglected his civic salvation.
If everybody is following his example
the man or horseback, or rather the
trust or corporation riding some
mystical figure, some Spiritual me-
gatharium" or new spiritual pyth-
on' which Carlyle said he could see
looming up in our political future,
will soon come. Napoleon could not
have bestridden France for twenty
years if the French people had not
been ready for just such a man. Co
lossal trusts and combinations can
not eat away the prosperity of the
nation unless the voter elects their
agents to Office or, what is meaner
sill, permit them to be elected-I saw
meaner, because Nature abhors moral
weakness, which is the essence of
meanness, more than it hates posi-
tive crime; for there is chance of
reforming any positive evil, because
there is life there: the second death
of negation is objectionable. sBe-
cause thou art lukewarm and neither
cold nor hot [ will spue thee out of
my mouth" 1t is Indifference and
hopelessness that. is abhorrent to Ma
ture and to Natures God The Ro-
man who bought at public sale the