The Sauk Centre herald. (Sauk Centre, Stearns County, Minn.) 1886-current, 1906-05-31
am that among the urgent needs of

urgent tnan tnat OF re-OapClSm OF the
spirit of 81. 1t is not only fitting
that we should remember with graft
tude and admiration the boys of 81,
but also necessary that we should
initiate their example of heroic faith.
| We live in an age of doubt-when men
seem almost ashamed to confess that
they believe positively in anything
when the tenets of our faith are
qualified and weakened by manifold
reservations and questionings. 1t is
off-color to profess mistaken faith in
anything out of harmony with the
prevalent scientific spirit. If anyone
does, he has the cry of "dogmatic"
shouted in his ear, until now the wise
man is he who processes his doubt as
to the reality of all things. But the
decay of faith is quickly followed by
the decay of morals. Political
morality can not long outlive the ruin
of political faith, anymore than
religion can exist without faith in the
unseen world.
Do we believe in our country? In
her destiny, in the spirit of her tradi-
tions, in the principles upon which
the nation is based? 1 do not refer to
her geographical and material great
ness. To believe in right principles
is something different than to boast of
material power. 1t is not enough to
say that this is the greatest nation on
earth, and that we are sufficient unto
| ourselves. But we must ask ourselves,
"What was the spirit, what the
principles, which made us great:"
The men of '76 believed that govern
ment vested in the many was safer
than when regarded as the prerogative
of the few. They believed that our
common manhood should be and
must be trusted, and that for all men
alike there should be equality of
opportunity and special privileges for
none. Thomas Jefferson said: "With
all these blessings, what more is
necessary to make us happy and a
prosperous people? Still one thing
more, fellow citizens, a wise and
frugal government, which shall re-
strain men from injuring one another,
shall leave them otherwise free to
regulate their own pursuits of industry
and improvement and shall not take
hn Of Lob ha Z
has earned. This is the sum of good
government, and this is necessary to
close the circle of our felicities. :"
This is sound democratic doctrine and
is based on the theory that the people
are honest and able enough to settle
their own affairs. Any divergence
from this creed is political heresy, and
contrary to the spirit of our traditions.
Our fathers, most of them, believed
that although new, experiment,
government by, for and of the people,
was the best kind to foster human
liberty and national prosperity. And
the boys of 81 entered into this faith
with such earnestness of conviction
that popular government did not
perish from the earth.
Now do we believe in those basic
principles which animated the boys OF
'76 and 81 The faith we show will be
the test of our present national status
as great and Independent nation.
Many of those educated in the schools,
many of the wealthy classes, are not
in sympathy with democratic prin-
ciples and uttered or unexpressed, they
entertain doubts as to the wisdom and
stability of popular government.
Deep in their hearts they foster the
political theory, the source of so much
of human misery and the cause of so
great tyranny and injustice, that the
many exist for the privileged few.
Many men in political places may
be bribed, perhaps legislatures may
even be bought and judges corrupted;
but that does not prove that popular
government is failure. Let the
light be turned on, let the people
learn the facts about corrupt political
practises and the mass of the people
still possess moral stamina enough
to rise in their wrath and punish the
offenders with polit ical death. But
the real trouble is with the great, the
wealthy and the corporations who be-
lieve so little in their country, that in
order to achieve financial success and
to be able to declare large dividends
for their great operations, they leave
nothing undone to corrupt legislatures
and courts. There lies the danger to
the continuance of popular govern
ment. If corporation can carry a
state legislature or governor or a
judge in its vest pocket, our liberties
have persisted. Now do we believe in
the underlying principles OF popular
government sufficiently to meet these
dangers and vanquish them? 1t will
take such independence, courage and
fidelity as characterized the boys of
81.
Government by parties is essential