Okolona messenger. (Okolona, Miss.) 1900-current, 1905-03-15

SnFRKU the progress Of all mankind
During all ages men called great
have appeared in the sOciOOgic and civic arena Of
life and led victorious, progressive march toward
the higher ideals by prOmulgating principles that
emancipated, elevated and blessed their fellow men,
And for all such men have the most profound re-
spect and admiration; but when you add the word
''worship," then and there l draw the line. 1t
seems to me it should be well understood at this
time that to build up and maintain a reform party
around any personality is failure. While it is
true leadership is necessary, it is also true that
reform party makes a great mistake in endeavOring
to tie up its forces to the will of any man. Men
often change and die. Bet truth never changes and
never dies Truth is no respector of person. Every
child of nature has natural right to enter the tenn
pie Of truth and worship at the shrine OF liberty.
Equal opportunity and equal praise belong where
justice holds court A reform party cannot succeed
and thrive on newspaper fodder; it takes personal
effort all along the line. Tt takes labor time and
sacrifice. Agitators must go to the people, organize
and scatter literature. You must get people in
terested before they will read our literature. This
trying to maintain ar organization with few news.
papers shouting for one man looks like the dry rot
u0A set Aut uuO UuE pCOpAC uto uSSVaAu6 0ASSVuA
aged. P0pulism is truth. Truth is progressive.
A lie is retrOgressive. They work contrarywise.
Truth works 10 the collar, while lie works in the
breechng.
II populism should die it will not be because of
being Over-ied. think an autopsy would reveal an
empty stomach. I should hate to be hailed as a
''hero" by spirits from the pOtter's field. Can't
pay expenses of headquarters. No postage stamps.
Can't do anything. Why not start Jim Ferriss to
Arkansas bug hunting. But, seriously, where are
we ati Let me suggest that we are at the Hotel
Apathy, each trying to get the other fellow to pay
our bill. We ought to do something and stop act
ing the hypocrite, or let the others try.
In three years more the initiative and referendum
and monopoly issues will be assumed by the Demo
cratic party-and the Populist party having done
nothing will have nothing. The money question
will be reegated to the rear then, indeed, can any
one man keep down the cry of sBetter something
than nothing" What can we do with the money
issue with no organization and no funds to run a
car paigng Have our people lost their headsi
No truly civilized man ever was nor ever can be a
hero worshipper The altar Of liberty was erected
in the heart Of by bis CREATOR and here like at
the family altar, the soul is supreme, and no man
has patent right on the fruit Of the soul Of an
other. How much better it sounds to say: "COme,
let Us worship together for thy heart is my heart
and here IS my hand; we be brethren"
True greatness stands for loyalty to lofty ideals.
Our fOreathers had lofty ideals when founding this
republic. They declared that all men had right
to ile liberty and the pursuit OF happiness. Having
raised this civic altar in harmony with the Divine
plan, it becomes the duty Of every loyal citizen to
support and defend it but to say that my loyalty to
party demands that I must worship certain per-
son because Of his loyalty to set Of political prin-
ciples-to which I am also loyal-is nonsense. I
am neither q hero worshiper nor party idoator
II you would command my moral and political sup.
port, show me the truth.
Our country needs men OF high moral sense-men
that can subordinate the passions that appear the
surface Of greed and party preudices for the higher
and better principles, and stand where manhood
towers supreme above the cringiug mediocre. / am
fully satisfied that at this hour more men are think
ingserously than ever beiore and that the trend Of
public investigation shows rift in The political sky