Daily capital journal. (Salem, Oregon) 1903-1919, 1905-07-05

tions is required at the.hands Of every
man. That men may be the more able
to study and take their proper share
in the politics Of this country, our
country has established the grandest
educational system in the world, free
to every child of its people. How
much in duty bound is he then, who
comes to man g estate, to take his place
among the citizens as one Of them, ex-
ereising to the full every right and
function thereof.
Politics should be the noblest pro
fession of our country. Any man SO
lected to fill an office in this country
should feel that full majority, or a
very large plurality Of the voters of
his city, district or state, stands be
hind him and shor'd know that every
person entitled to do so has voted
either for or against him. Not that
a weak minority have turned out and
elected him, and the rest have stayed
away, showing lack Of interest in the
struggle, or the election. This ac-
counts for many failures in public Of
fee; men having been elected by, and
therefore only responsible to few
Of the voters.
Indifference to Elections.
This lack of interest is displayed in
the municipal election, the school elec-
tion, the county, state and national
elections. But the worst feature of
il is the constant neglect of duty in
this matter, which leads to failure
to attend the primaries, the beginning
Of all political organizations.
In this / am not complaining of the
Republican or the Democrat, or any
of the members of any other party.
I am complaining Of him, who, living
under the flag and constitution which
have como down TO us as the birth
right from that declaration Of hun
dred and thirty years ago, fails as a
citizen.
In this city you have ever before
you the questions Of municipal gov
ernment; the question Of school man
agement. You are each also bound in
duty TO the county, the state and the
nation.
Building Permanent Bridges.
Within a few days you citizens Of
} Salem will be called upon to vote on
the question of bonding your city for
: the construction Of permanent bridges
of a modern character to replace the
} decaying wooden structures now serv-
} ing throughout the city. How many
, Of you are prepared TO vote intelligent
r " on this question: Does not duty
! demand that each should study the
, matter and decide for himself wheth
= er the proposition is one favorable &c
the city and to the city's interest
am not telling you what l fee
or think for it is rot properly in line
with my subject to do so but you should
think, and every voter should east hii
ballot setting forth his opinion eithel
for or against, at the election.
A few days ago an election was hello
here for a director for your public
schools. How many Of you stayed
away from that election, because yor
felt there was nothing of interest al
stake. How few of you knew that
in that school election principles were
being fought for, you who stayed
away and took no part in it1 Yet each
one Of you was vitally interested in
that election. What those principles
were nor who represented them is not
! the question.
The Man Behind the Ballot.
Behind every man in every election
be it for constable or the presidency
there are principles of government al
stake; there is character and every
other policy Of men and parties at
stake in every election. On the selec
tion of one man to a small and seem
ingly unimportant position in an OBJ
seure district, may depend ~the selec
tion of president.
Politics should therefore be the
study, the duty of every man, and the
Fourth of July in the proper time to
remind you Of this. While the blood
courses through the veins and the heart
beats, the nerves throb, in unison
with these songs of patriotism, these
martial strains. let us all look deeper
into our own souls and ask there what
we still owe our country, and how
we can best repay it.
Let us remember in this moment
the glorious days Of our early history;
those stirring events which thrilled us
when we read of them in our boyhood,