Lincoln County leader. [volume] (Toledo, Lincoln County, Or.) 1893-1987, 1906-09-28

At time when charges of graft are
made on every hand, when wrongdoing
has come to be expected from every
officeholder, when individuals long
trusted and honored have been shown
to be made of the commonest sort of
clay, 1t Is easy to become pessimlstic
and to see only evil in the path of the
republic. The Respondent are apt to be
carried away by the storm, and even
saner folk, warned of some impending
curse by prophet of Ill, are swept
from their moorings. At such a time
1t Is refreshing and hope-inspirlng to
hear a clear voice telling Of the good
of life and calling to the down-hearted
to cheer up and see the bright side Of
things. A notable instance of such op-
timism was President Angels bacca-
laureate address at Ann Arbor, In
which he said that the present reaction
of indignation against the public in
lqulties which have been exposed has
carried the great mass of the people to
a moral height which they seldom have
attained. The thoroughness with which
mismanagement has been investigated,
the determination which has been man
lfested to eradicate evils, the insistent
demand for strlcter laws Of regula-
tion, the dethronement Of bosses who
have held power for years, the scorn
and anntan1nt onon,.flnI tn ntthlip mn
long honored, who have been detected
In unsavory business dealings-all
show the moral soundness of the ma
jority Of the people of the country. "A
more sane and wholesome state Of pub
lie feeling has never been seen," are
Mr. Angell's words. This suggestion
opened the way for an appeal for en-
rollment Of college graduates among
those who are determined that right
and honor shall prevail. On the one
hand there is the temptation to get
rich quickly by dubious means, per
haps, thus adding to the army of cor.
ruptonists and destroyers Of society
On the other hand, there is the chance
for an honorable career among the
self-respecting and respected members
of a community. In a striking sentence
President Angel asserts: The lawyer
Of fair ability, of industry, and OF
character Is sure to be recognized In dut
time; the physician of intelligence, O.
fidelity to his patients, Of pleasing ad
dress, and Of good morals is certain
to be In demand and to bind to hin
the families he serves by the deares
4 ties; the editor who loves veracit,
more than sensa tionallsm, and purit,
In his columns more than the ill-gottel
assured Of influence In a decent com
munity; the man on whom polltlca
office Is thrust by his fellow citizen
because of his intellectual and mora
worth dwells In an atmosphere quit
above the vulgar and nauseous tempta
tlons that captivate the professional of
ficeseeker, and when he finishes hi
career leaves an honored name benin,
him." These things are true, and n
opportunity ever presented itself to tn
aspiring more encouraging than tina
which is afforded right now, when tn
people, tired Of exposures and frauds
weary Of grafters and corruptionlsts
and themselves at heart all right, loo
for the honest and intelligent servan
who will be right and do right. 1t ha
often been proved In the worlds his
tory that an era of seeming wholesal
corruption was really, for the grea
mass of citizens, an age of virtue.
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