The farmer and mechanic. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 18??-19??, 1906-02-06
GOOD pI:It tIE tiiaist Iffs htSi
PHTCEDE GOOD
CHARACTER.

Imam whose private moral character =
not clean can b. trusted - do the
~lg.ean thing in pubiie nfe- The man II
public life who cannot keep sober. who
|Icannot break habit q profanity and
.Iyu-caTity. The man 80 i not true -
ms marital Vow. the ran who gam
5.e- or commits other crimes y as
ISure IL betray the interests u his CON
~Isiiiuents. Or - perfait ,h,m 10 b. IL
Istrcyed. ~ =. mas betrayed MS ov1
obligations u mis- wife. 10 society. 70
his Cod The public man with shady
private character may ever 50 ably all
i~xacatc sound principles and stand for
them nine times ont II ten. but when
the critical time comes. IL vii be out
ar place or viii be controlled or
eilenccd BIZ those who know how TO
nHuence men whose private life can-
| not stand the calcium light. IN a re-
cent issue Charity and children said
1t i enougn 70 give the veriest OF
JimiSc the blues TO hear the stories that
come from Washington Of the or
IrLption among the foremost men q
the nation.
Social life at the capital among the
leaders is said To be on the lowest pos
sible level. and men whom the coun
try honorS ~disnOnor themselves and
disgrace their names. In the mids OF
ali this WantOn WickednesS il is re-
freShing to know that the twelve mcn
North Carolina sends 10 represent iter
are clean and honorable. It is
Ia matter in which We may take honest
pride that q moral leper cannot repre-
sent this good state at the nation 81
capital. We rejoice that this is true
and hope il may ever be So
Charity and Children in th;s ~a1ticIal
gives the name OF a national leader OF
whom il say he is no respecter of
religion but spends his Sundays III
playing cards and his associates in
public life are hand IN glove with hnr
in these revelries.' The mar who ex-
poets the best government from sucn
a source might as We'll expect TO see
the sun shine at midnight.
The people OF North Carolina have
undergone a new birth in their views.
The time was when it was regarded
as hitting below the belt to refer 20
q mans private life when ne was a
candidate for office. 1t was no uni
common thing to hear men Of posi-
Soy II IiSil - bSSaIJE
the public record of your opponent,
bat you have no right to attack hi
private life" That absurd notion tnat
you can gather figs from thistles was
responsible for that saying. Under its
reign we permitted-(and still occa-
sionally permit, be it said to our
shame)-men to hold positions of
trust whose private lives are unclean.
You cannot expect good water if the
spring is poisoned at the source. You
need not expect good gov ernment to
be given by men Of bad character. IoI
be sure, the man who means TO do
right, whose will is weak and who
easily falls a prey to temptation, if pu,
in office will in nearly every case rise
to the height of doing right. But, If tie
hour for action comes when
is tempted-(and the men who
wish to use him always see to it that
is tempted when his vote OF action
hurt their special nteres)-he
fails to serve the public and their f:
canse and is betrayed as effectually, Il
not Intentionally, as if the
uealling had sold them out. {
In an experience of twenty year
his writer has never seen a General +,
Assembly, in which the railroads q j
other great interests had big things at ]
stake, where at least one weak man !
not d~ebauched in order to Ike
him out Of his seat or to induce hin i
o vote against his pledges mad )
people. More than once in Rel :
the creatures OF monopoly, know. >
the weakness of a legislator, Iave !,
him for several days in dens OF !.
SIN, stepped in liquor, IN order to max :
aim an agent for undolng the will of
us constituents.
No man, fresh from a night around
he gaming table or in other haunts of !.
is fit to serve the public. To be !,
sure, such a man often votes right =
stands up straight, but when thel o
i1ne comes hat he is to show III J.
stuff that men are made OF, he is on .
# place. /
The voters should raise high the q
and make clean private char Q
lcter the first essential for POLITICAL +
oreferment. There are plenty Of me
Il III lit L ull.Il - , y
public position because they lack sense a
II civic courage, but no man OF un- q
lean life can be safely trusted IN pun 0
ic office. When that test is rigidly ap- G
olied we will have good government. !
cannot set good government from s
men or from tim1d weaklings. You c
annOt gather figs from tlistles. |
:
America and England are both good h
0 the tobacco trust. Mr.. Buck DuLe S
hough swearing he is a citizen of I
<orth Carolina, is permitted to ESCAPED b
a~xation or all his possessions except g
cal estate, n ". II. Mills, head OF
trust in England, has recently =
ONE into the peerage, having been G.
-1nong those knighted as a result of
he Cabinet changes. ?