The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1906-01-26

good name and selfrespect of our coun-
try.
To accomplish such results, we must
begin at home. Our high schools, col
leges, and universities must be cleansed
from the germ of graft. The opportuni-
ties of grating come early in life. There
are the class officers, who arrange for
class photographs, invitations, lectures
plays, and banquets, the officers of ath.
letic associations, foot ball and base ball
clubs, and the publication boards of
school periodicals, all of whom handle
funds and have unlimited opportunities
for grating. Enough exposures of this
kind have been made to warrant ex-
treme care on the part of school authori-
ties to remove the opportunities for
transgression and to instil in the mind
of the young student the criminality of
grating together with the punishment
and disgrace which sooner or later must
follow. Every teacher and minister of
the Gospel should make an effort to
cneck the spirit of commercialism which
now yields such controlling influence
by demonstrating that the object of life
is not riches, but happiness and that
riches are frequently the greatest OBJ
stacle which stands in the way of hap
piness. The spirit of getting rich quick
is imbibed in early youth Consequently,
the only thing lacking, as the student
enters the arena of public OF private
life, is the opportunity, and this will
not be waiting long, because if he has the
requisite longing for wealth coupled with
a certain amount of intelligence and
business sagacity, he can create the OPP
portunity at any time.
The principal remedy, however, lies
within the reach of the independent vot-
er, because he can reach the worst forms
of both public and private graft. In
stead of voting for a party, we should
vote for the city, the state or the ma
ton, as the case may be. The worst
forms of private CRAFTS are made pos
sible by permitting men whose official
influence is for sale, to occupy positions
of trust and responsibility. If a candi-
date for office has a questionable rec
ord of any kind he should be promptly
rejected, no matter what political party
he is supposed to represent. We should
blame ourselves for permitting men Of
questionable character, integrity or abil-
ity to represent us in any official ca
pacity whatever. 1t is an admitted fact
that we are continually sending men to
fill the highest and most responsible po-
sitions in the state and nation merely
because they are good fellows" for
getting that in almost every case we
pay the eXpence connected with the
good fellowship ourselves. The very
theory on which the public CRATER JUS
titles himself in his own mind for be-
traying his trust, is that in order to be
in Office he must be a good fellow, and
the dear people should be willing to ex-
cuse him for helping himself to so much
of the public funds as may be required
for good fellowship. No machine poll
tics should be permitted. a political
machine cannot be built up and main
tanned without graft, and it should not
make the least difference by what pOlit-
ical party the same was maintained. The
machine politician is stain on our gov
eminent and free institutions, and he
should be forever relegated to the rear.
In order to accomplish such result, it
is absolutely necessary that the reform
llONcllclI NC anu IiOt oplohOuiS.
Our experience has been that after the
''rascals have been kicked out" the re-
formers settle down to indifference and
inactivity. Not only the action of a
few leaders are required, but the joint
effort of every honest, upright, and con-
scientiOus man and woman in the land.
We should not sit back and wait for
the action of the officials in direct charge
of this work Every American citizen
is trustee on whose shoulder rests the
responsibility of carrying out the pur-
poses OF our government. Why should
he not do everything in his power to be
true to his trust? The moment he be-
comes false to it, either by seeking or
obtaining personal pecuniary gain, or by
permitting others to do so, if in his
power to prevent, he is merely a graft
er and traitor to the most sacred in
terests of his country. Some of us are
liable to leave the destiny of our ma
ton altogether in the hands of the AL
mighty This is mistake. We should
do something ourselves in striving fo1'
the highest, purest, and most intelli-
gent form of citizenship; and only in so
far as our efforts are sincere in that di-
rection, will our requests for Divine
care and guidance avail us anything. Let
us rot forget that it lies within our
power to remove the stainss of graft
from our national emblem and maintain
our selfrespect III the eyes of the civil
lized world. As long as human nature
remains substantially what it is today,
we cannot expect that all forms of graft
in it's various intricate remifcatiOns
shall. be entirely eradicated, for that will
never take place on this side of the mil
lennium, but we have a right to ex-
pecr that the public conscience shall con-
tinue to quicken and that civic virtue
shall continue to grow, until character,
honesty, integrity, and personal worth
shall be The standards by which men in
either business or politics shall be meas
ured irrespective of good fellowship or
political boss endorsement. When that
time comes, our patriotism shall not con-
sist in an occasional display of fire.
works on the national holiday, but in
clean and upright character, in an unset
fish love which prompts square deal
between man and man, and in the sim
cere gratitude of a truly independent
people.
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