The Caldwell tribune. [volume] (Caldwell, Idaho Territory [Idaho]) 1883-1928, 1906-10-06


At time when charges Of graft are
made on every hand, when wrongdong
has come to be expected from every
| officeholder, when individuals long
trusted and honored have been shown
to be made Of the commonest sort OF
| clay, 1t Is easy to become pessimistic
and to see only evil In the path of the
republic. The respondent are apt to be
carried away by the storm, and even
saner folk, warned Of some impending
curse by a prophet Of III, are swept
from their moorlngs. At such a time
1t is refreshing and ope-lnspiring to
hear a clear voice telling Of the good
Of life and calling to the down-hearted
to cheer up and see the bright side of
things. A notable instance of such op-
timism was President Angeles bacca-
laureate address at Ann Arbor, In
which he said that the present reaction
Of Indignation against the public In
lquities which have been exposed has
carried the great mass Of the people to
a moral height which they seldom have
attained. The thoroughness with which
mismanagement has been Investigated,
the determination which has been man
Tested to eradicate evils, the insIstent
demand for strieter laws Of regula-
ton, the dethronement of bosses who
have held power for years, the scorn
and contempt accorded to public men.
long honored, who have been detected
in unsavory business dealings-all
show the moral soundness Of the ma
jority Of the people Of the country. "A
more sane and wholesome state Of pub
lie feeling has never been SEEM" are
Mr.. Angeles words. This suggestion
opened the way for an appeal for en-
rollment Of college graduates among
those who are determined that right
and honor shall prevail. On the one
hand there Is the temptation to get
rich quickly by dubious means, per-
haps, thus adding to the army Of cor
ruptionists and destroyers Of society.
On the other hand. there Is the chance
for an honorable career among the
self-respecting and respected members
Of a community. In a striking sentence
President Angel asserts: THE lawyer
Of fair ability. Of industry, and of
character Is sure to be recognized In due
time; the physician Of Intelligence, of
fidelity to his patients, of pleasing ad-
dress, and of good morals is certain
to be in demand and to bind to him
the families he serves by the dearest
ties; the editor who loves veracity
more than sensationalism, and purity
In his columns more than the ill-gotten
gains Of salacious Advertisements, Is
assured Of influence In a decent COM
munlty: the man on whom political
office 10 thrust by his fellow citizens
because OF his intellectual and moral
worth dwells in an atmosphere quite
above the vulgar and nauseous tempta-
lions that captivate the professional of
fceseeker, and when he finishes his
career leaves an honored name behind
him." These things are true, and no
ever presented itself to the
more encouraging than that
which is afforded right now, when the
people. tired of exposures and frauds,
weary of grafters and corruptionists,
and themselves at heart all right. look
for the honest and Intelligent servant
who will be right and do right. 1t has
often been proved In the worlds his
tory that an era of seeming wholesale
was really. for the great
mass Of citizens, an age Of virtue.