Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1905-07-06
A Great Inheritance.


cial and civil forces had been to pro-
duce this result.
A Great Inheritance.
"The young men of this country
have come into the greatest inherit
lance ever bequeathed to any country
or any people, of any time. What a
splendid privilege to be young man
just now, how glorious the past, how
suspicious and inspiring the present,
how radiant and grandly prophetic the
future. If the physical, social. politi-
cal and religious soil in which you 1lnd
yourselves planted does not grow you
to the full stature of man, why there
must be somthing wrong at the kernel.
The blood of the martyrs, the prayers
of the prophets, the toll of the schol-
ars, the passion of the poets, the
thought of the statesmen, the sacrifice
of the patriots, all the fruits OF past
industry and blessings of civilization
is the inheritance upon which you now
enter with full right to possess and en-
| joy. 1t never cost you cent OF money
or an ounce of energy, and yet it is
yours because you stand today the
heirs of all the ages in the foremost
files of time Will you be mere bene-
fciaries of this inheritance or con-
tributors to it? Will you be simply
spendthrift heirs of hum anitys estate
or will you make to 1t a heroic contri-
button of service and present 1t to gen.
erations to come?
Nov the great purpose OF this
country is to grow and develop to the
fullest limit their highest and best IA
cilities To do this the wonderful re-
sources and the rich Inheritance be-
queathed by the past should only be
the means to higher life.
Every Man a King.
eff you could blot out from the pages
of American history the bright names
that are synonymous of progress and
reform and freedom and hum anity and
could abstract from the sum total of
our social, industrial and moral great
ness, their princely contributions, you
would turn back the noon-tide of our
glory into the rayless night of barbar-
ism. But in this country where all
men have equal rights and opportuni-
4 ties, where all men are equal units of
the state, where every man may be a
king though he yields no scepter of
gold and wears no jeweled crown, but
engraven on the entablature of his soul
in richer emblazonry than ever shone
from the glittering escutcheon of a
Plantagnet or Tudor, he is yet king,
it is not only his privilege but his duty
to do his own thinking. This is the
beauty of our institutions 1t places
upon every man the high moral obliga-
ton to do his own reading and his
own thinking and the extent to which
he allows somebody else to do his
thinking and mould his opinions, is the
measure of his slavery.
Are Many Echoes.
1T is said there are few voices in
the world but many echoes. This is
, unfortunately too true in this republic
of ours 1t is too often true that our
political believes, our part affiliations
and our religious creeds are formulated
by somebody else. Every honest and
intelligent voter in this country, rich
or poor. wears alike the purple OF
authority. But The man that sells his
vote Indicates his throne, strips him
self of the imperial purple throws
away his crown and his sceptre and
admits that he is less than man.
"Thes man who sells his vote fol
= any consideration whatsoever, who
can be fooled out of his vote, or be
' deceived about his vote, is not worthy
q to be an American citizen. He should
y not be allowed to vote until he meas
ures up to the standard of sovereign
ty. Every state should have suffrage
qualifications dependent upon intelli
gence and character. And this doe!
: not preclude the principle of equal op
e portunity. 1t is by no means neces
t sary that suffrage should be universe
/ to comprehend the idea of free gov
eminent. 1t is not a common right
e 1t is a civil privilege intended to pro
\ tect common rights. When restricted
as it should be, the only things neces
a sary to its just and perfect application
? are that it should be equal for all AM
removable for all when the STANDARD
v Of honest and intelligent citizenship
: have been reached. A ballot fire.
from ignorance, selfishness and preju
$ dice and hatred, ballot stuffed wit
: brains and charged with patriotism
| and honesty is the hope of the reput
q lic.'
: Universal Brotherhood.
? The speaker told of the duties O
> the voter and in conclusion said il
i part:
: up the shining pathways of M