Barbour County index. [volume] (Medicine Lodge, Kan.) 1880-current, 1906-04-04
WAKE UP THE cHuMps.

COE plalnL Is not REFORM. and the
great SO called reform movement tina,
has been sweeping the country fol
the past two or three years will amour,
to nothing in the end if it has in il
nothing more substantial than sensa
tionalism and fault-fnding. Unless
the people mean to act when their op,
portunity comes, and do act, all their
reform talk viii be as empty as the
chickering's of fishermen's wives or the
gossip of washerwomen.
Good government cannot be brought
about through grumbltug alone. The
rumble of discomfort may scare thieves
and malefactors into better behavior
temporarily. or quieter misbehayior,
but it will not put final stop to their
depredations or cure the evils in the
system of law and government under
which they thrive.
The answer to reform is votes. This
country is ruled and its laws are made
by voters. The fact that it is misruled
and its laws are badly made is charge
able to the Yoters-to the voters who
vote and to those who do not vote.
VIII the grumblers who have so enthus
ed over reform go to the polls on cleo
ton day-and especially at primary
election days-and cast their ballots?
That is the question, and in the present
state of public opinion that 1t is the
only question. Voting is the solution
OF all of the nations troubles. The
people know what is right. Their moral
and political education is sufficient.
Their profession of desire for honest
and decent rule Is unanimous. viii
they get out aud vote for the things
they profess to desire? Will the man
who bowls against corruption spare an
hour of his time to go to the polls and
strike blow against 1t?
If he will not then he may as well
shut up his bowling, which only renders
him ridiculous, for he belongs to the
great and preponderating mass of
chumpS whose remissness gives corrup.
ton its license. When the mass of
chumps is infused with as great pas
sion for voting as for talking, the Unit
ed States of America Will be model
nation and very comfortable place to
live in. In very simple analysis the
trouble with this country is that it con-
tains too small percentage of citizens
in DrOnOrtjOD tO manhattan
In the last primaries in st. Louis a
merely trifing percentage voted. In
Kansas City week or two ago the vot.
ers represented but handful relative
ly. In Rhode Island Senator Aldrich,
boss of this country's great misgovern-
m ent machine, is able to perpetuate
himself and the thing for which he
stands; and there is no other reason
than that most of the so.called decent
people hold themselves aloof from the
polls and permit the Machine to herd
small bunch of submissive 'citizens"I?)
to do the ballotiug. The chumps in
Rhode Island, just as elsewhere, are If
anything a degree worse than the ''citi-
Zens';' who are bought and bribed. The
small personal selfishness, lazlness or
Indifference which acts as a deterrent
in the chump's case is just as despic-
able as the dirty So bill which is the
consideration in the bribed mans case.
One sells his vote as cheaply as the
other-and both sell to the same cor
rupt interests. The man whose patriO-
tism Is worth less than a few minutes
time and effort, involving perhaps a
trifling inconvenience, is, in the aggre.
gate. ten thousand times worse foe to
his country and ten thousand times
better friend to corruption than he who
sells outright his political soul and his
manhood tor 50 bill. This is so be-
cause it is rather the chump's acquies
cence than the bribed mans vote that
is responsible for the ills of govern
ment.
Let the honest or would be honest
chump feel his-fesponsibility. Let him
go to she polls and prove that he has
a conviction. Especially let him go to
the primaries-that's where great
deal of the business is done-and fol.
low up that patriotic service on general
election day, and bad public servants
and representatives will not be able
to perpetuate themselves; the vicious
circle of corruption will be broken; bad
laws will be torn from the statute books
and decent laws will be enforced. RE
form" will be something vastly more
than an emotional thrill or sensation
al clamor-it Will get prompt results
Republic.
With Cortelyou and Bliss, both right.
hand men and close personal friends of