Dakota farmers' leader. (Canton, S.D.) 1890-19??, 1906-09-28
Changes OF Twenty Years.

The Minneapolis Journal publishes
a brief review of reform conditions as
outlined by William Allen White and
| tells of some improvements in Mime
sofa political life, and much can be
told of improved conditions in South
| Dakota. Take some of the 'machine'
sessions and you could uncover enough
to surprise a native, while Territorial
days may be passed in silence. The
world is getting better, and the peo-
pie are getting better The political
debauchery of Is or 20 years ago will
never return, because it existed only
through rotten machine politics and
the men who stood for such infamous
over the country never to return.
South Dakota has come up out of the
filth steadily, and with an awakening
that surprised the country, threw Off
the machine incubus that had made
men tools and worse, and driven
others out of the state and forced
men to untimely graves. or other
political crimes it is not necessary to
speak South Dakota will enter upon
a new and glorious career under the
reform banner Of Governor Crawford.
The filthy marks of machine power
are yet visible in spots but the cleans
ing process led by Governor Crawford
and an honest legislature will drive
the machine boss and his corruption
from the state.
William Allen White makes some
remarks about Kansas politics which
should be encouraging to reformers.
LESS than twenty years ago. he
says, THE United States marshal OF
Kansas lay drunk and half naked in
the secretary of states Office, and the
whole statehouse and nearly all the
reporters in town came to look at him
and laugh. Less than twenty years
ago Kansas politicians kept their mis-
tresses on the payroll. Less than
twenty years ago man lost no stand
ing in Kansas by being known as
railroad man in the legislature. Less
than twenty years ago the Legislature
adjourned drunk and disorderly and
the members carried off the desks,
and the writer tried in vain to get
one of them. The things that seem
all right to this generation will seem
like larceny to the next. The world
is growing better, and if you don't
get better with it the fault is yours
This is pretty plain and pretty true
talk. There is not newspaper man
in Minnesota but could duplicate the
sentiment expressed by Mr.. White
from his experience. Drunkenness,
lascviousness and dishonesty were
more common in public office twenty
years ago than today Men who were
leaders then would be regarded as
lepers now. There is better stand
ard of conduct. There is less tOlera-
tion of the double standard of vir-
tue, one for the public man the other
for the private man. The senator OF
great abilities whose private life is
rotten finds now that he must give
up his evil ways or give up his posi-
tion. He cannot serve two masters,
the people and the flesh.
There has come in public life, it is
true, another dangerous character,
namely, the SNUG, clean, perfumed
and correct agent of the corporation,
whose nice private character is a
cloak for his operations against pub
lie morality. But he is being dealt
with. He is unmasked and it will
not be long before he is unhorSed.
The world is, as Mr.. White suggests,
growing better, but it does not sweep
on unremittently. We see eddies
and back waters in our own vicinities
that make us think the whole sea has
set the other way; but it is not so.
The world is growing better, and the
only way to be truly prosperous is to
grow better with it.