The Republican journal., 1906-05-31

lc. Their interest III our country cues DIS
far as their selfishness will reach and no
further. The new patriotism cries out
against Just this evllneSS OF our political
life No man il SO dangerous an enemy to
the welfare of the land as he who is a party
man before he is citizen. 10 place ones
party before ones country is the Dasest
kind of treason. Yet that is the position Of
many men in the land to-day. They exer-
else the highest privilege of citizenship in
the use OF the ballot, aud use that most
sacred opportunity to further the ends OF
the machine. DO YOU wonder | say We need
men to live, more than we need them to die
for the country just now? This is what the
new patriotism says: it says We need men
who will, first OF all, take pride in the purity
of the land, and who viii let that ideal have
the chief place in their p0iltlcai life. 1t says
we must teach this mes age to the younger
generation; that the love of country should
find the supreme place II their life and that
a regard for party should never be permit
ted 10 uSurp 1t. A modern writer has We'll
EXPRESSED the thought of the new patriotism
at is to talk less about Old Glory, and to
make children understand what II is that
gives glory t0a flag; it is to bring home to
| Young America the fact that every young
man owes his life to his country ana that lie
must give that lie to htI service" That
time Will come when men Will look upon
patriotism as something besides the de-
tense of our country from foreign enemies
equally as much defense from internal
foes, especially those who ale cOrrupting
our political life. Of the two. the III tchine
man, and the man who makes no effort to
exercise his franchise, do not know which
is the worse. one seeks to tXalt his party
above the nation; to use the national ma
chinery to further his party's ends. The
other quietly remains at home ana proves
himself d menace to righteous government
by his lack of interest in pubic affairs.
Both are dangerous men to the country
both need to learn the lesson OF the new
patriotism, which holds up righteous
ideal Tor the nation, and endeavors to at
tain it. The sloveny, shlftless individual,
who stays at home on election day because
it is an soft year. IN politics ought to be
deprived of his franchise. lie is danger
Gus menace to the nation. There are no
soft years" in the life of the nation. There
are always issues of righteousness at stake,
whether they be Of national, State or local
significance. Shame upon that individual
who through sheer indltfence or the puf-
suit of his own private affairs, cannot ind
time to use the highest privilege which his
citizenship confers upon him at the time
when men of unprincpled politics are
croWding every moment with hard work
for the success of their unpatriotic plans.
Our hearts thrill at sight of the starry ban
ner for which great host fought and died,
yet there is too little of the blush of shame
upon our faces that the democratic nstltu-
tons which that flag represents should be
SO stained by foul political pollution.
This is message of the new patriotism,
which has as one of its aims the preserva-
ton of the traditions of our country, by the
publication of our civic life and the bring
ing in of an era of righteousness
The growth of our country financially
during the past decade has been phenome-
Nal never has it been duplicated in the his
tory of the world. We are rapidly taking
the place of commercial supremacy in the
world. But all this progress is not with
out its dangers. Our wide-open doors have
proved themselves a haven to many an in
dustrious immigrant whom we have been
SO glad to welcome, in due time, to the
privileges OF citizenship. But they have
also admitted, we know not how many OF
class of men who stand for no law and who
are constant disturbing element Once
in awhile they shoot down an official, and
then glory iii the thought that they are go
ing to d martyrs death. Though the tradl-
ton handed down to US is that our country
should be a haven OF rest for the oppressed
of all lands, yet its does not follow neceS-
sarily, that it must needs be permitted to
become nest in which anarchy may thrive.
Every patriotic citizen desires to see this
menace stamped out of our land, and our
liberty and freedom denied to all such foes
of our country The great social problems
await the interest of the new patriotism.
The new patriotism does not seek the favor
of any particular class. 1t is interested
for the development of the country as d
whole 1t knows the rich man and the
poor man solely as men, but it is quick to
perceive their rights and their wrongs.
This great problem of capital and labor is
one of the things which need adjustment
for the sake of the welfare OF our country.
No man can call himself good citizen,
patriotic man, who grinds down his EN-
ployees; who works them as hard as he
can and gives, in return for their labor, the
most meagre wage. The new patriotism
says the sweat shop with all its slavery
must cease; it says that child labor must be
done away; that the men who work in the
mines of our land day after day, without
sight of the sun, risking their lives every
moment, must be paid a proportionate wage.
There must be something wrong some
where when year after year hosts OF men
find SO many grievances against capital
You see man who is not paid fair living
wage is being made into a poor kind OF cltl-
zen, and the man who is responsible for this
is worse citizen. 1t is cheering sign that
the strikes of today are attended with less
violence and bloodShed than they were ten
years ago. On both the sides of capital and
labor there seems to be willingness to dis
cuss the issues candidly and calmly and
that method is always the best. But the
questions will never be solved ultimately,
until the one man puts himself in the other
mans place and does for him as he thinks
he would like to be done by. That Is a
work for the new patriotism to DO. for
uh oil nj SSoc nf a aOnntrV are living at