The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1905-09-14
THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 4, 1906 :.
The Value Of Agitation.

.rhese that have turned the world up
side down have come miner s sl'o'
Acts xvii: 6.
rbese words were spoken In Thessa-
,onica of the Apostle Paul and his asso-
ciates. At another place 1t was SAID OIL
thcm .These men do exceedingly trou-5
BILE our city," and again that they stirred
in the rulers and the people Later on
ST. Paul made a sensation In Athens Ny
his bold speech, and in Jerusalem ne
actually caused Il riot. The world never
saw greater agitators than these same
APOSTLES. They did indeed turn me
world upside down. with their doctrine
and as a result the Christian Church us
II exists to-day wis established.
Later on, when the Christian church
ina lost its spirit and had dcsenerated
into Journalism, Martin Luther appeared
as an agitator and through his agitation
came the Reformation and Its world
wide beneficence.
sneaklng at random and turning from
religious to secular affairs III the la''er
mart of the eighteenth century strenuous
,r;t,tors arpeared on the American con-
,lnent and stirred the people 70 VIZ
noint Of revolution. The chletesu oi
these was Patrick Henry, OF VirElhih'
who addressed a multitude III INC cry
If Richmond, and was so violent IN ms
node If specch as to call forth shouts
of ..Treason'' from the Tories, And ina
agitation resulted in the Dcciirat'oll oi
Independence and the establishment Oh
The worlds grcntest republic
Ana what shall we say of THOMAS
1effarson and his associates in agitation
Who aroused the people to the dangers
of paternalsm and imperialism ana pre-
served and propagated, Vltall2ed ana PEI
,,o,uatcd the eternal principles OF De
lnocracy?
ro,,,nr leap in time Of a century
"a more and coming down to TINS
day and generation, we tnd co''-
sdicuous agitation in the state Oh MIS-
souri,. Through popular Indifference cor
runt politicians had obtained possession
of the offices OF government ana srui'
was running riot, when Joseph w. FOLK
n co,Ir;.goous ngitator rose to the occa-
sion. exposed the criminals stirred the
,,conle against them and drove them
from Office to prison.
The Illustrations could be multiplied
Agitation has been the primal ana IN
deriving cause of every desirable re-
form the world has ever known. Hence
tho timc-honorcd maxim. Eternal viGl'
lance is the price of liberty'-tor etcr'
nal vigilance implies frequent popular
upheayals. The American people pos
sess in an eminent degree the talent foi
sclf-government. They are abundantlI
ah,e TO attend to their affairs of gov
eminent II they will. But they arc yer!
busy people and the danger Is that the!
are too apt to become so cngrosseds II
their personal affairs ms TO neglect th'
weightler matters of government, Ant
nopular neglect Is the politicians oppor
tunity. The politicians are never negli
gent. They are ever on the alert ant
they are quite willing TO attend to pub
lie affairs for the people. And so lone
as they have all things In their own
hands, you will never hear of agitation
from that source. When such state
OF things arises, tho only hope Is TO BIZ
found In some agitator from the rank!
OF the people; some man with tai
cnt for Turbulence who Will arous
the people to a sonce of their danger AM
,o,np mol them 10 take heed,