The Mitchell capital. (Mitchell, Dakota [S.D.]) 1879-1918, 1907-10-04

In any great movement for righteous
ness, where the forces of evil are strongly
lntrenched, 1t Is unfortunately inevitable
that some unofending people should suf-
fer in company with the real Offenders.
This is not our fault. 1t is the fault
innocent people owe their false position.
A year or two ago certain representatives
OF labor called upon M and in the course
Of q very pleasant conversation told me
labor" 1 answered that I certainly was,
and that / would do everything in my
power for the laboring man except any
thing that was wrong.
l nave the same answer to make To the
business man.
will do everything 1 can do to help
business conditions. except anything that
Is wrong.
Go Ahead, Anyway.
And 1t would be not merely wrong but
infamous to fail to do all that can be done
to secure the punishment of those wrong
hensible because they are not committee
under the stress of want. When ever a
serious effort Is made to cut out what is
evil In our political life, whether the ef-
the gross and sordid forms of evil in some
municipality. or whether 1t takes the
shape OF trying to secure the honest en-
powerful and wealthy people, there are
sure to be certain individuals who demand
that the movement stop because 1t may
hurt business. In each case the answer
must be that we earnestly hope and be-
heve that there will be no permanent dam
age TO business from the movement. but
thae II r~ighteousness conflicts with the
must go to the wall.
Way Of the Transgre.sor.
We can not afford to substitute any 9TH
er test Tor mat guilt or innocence. OF
m%s9ned Il a man or y Soea Msii IL IL ~ Judging gin. any
estly. ne has nothing to fear from this
aikSP ss17aSt f' patiit! Sa{ s Rr 81 81 81 s;ns Tf } {Ss
private citizen who transgresses the Law
fore the Impartial justice Of a ee%to1uaHSns p es-
haps l am most anxious to get at the mott
.ic,an VINO Is corrupt. because he betrays
spare his brother corruptionist who shows
himself a swindler in business life; and,
according to our power, crimes of fraud
and cunning shall be prosecuted as re-
physical violence. -"
We need good laws and we need above
all things the hearty aid of good citizens
Nevertheless men and women Of this great
state. men and women of the mid
die west never forget that aw and the
they are. must always occupy a wholly
secondary place as compared with the
character of the average citizen himself.
each OF which there viii be many men Who
fought in the civil war; You who wore
the blue and your brothers of the south
who wore the gray know that in war no
NO matter how good. no organ
no matter how perfect. can avail
II the average man in the ranks has not
the fighting edge. We need the organ
.ization, preparations: we need the good
general; but VIC need most the fighting
In the individual soldier.
So 1t is In private life.
We live in "a rough, workaday world,
and we are yet a long way from the mil
lennium.
Courage and Strength.
We cannot as q nation and we cannot
% individuals afford to cultivate only
the gentler, softer qualities. There must
be gentleness and embarrassing strong
est men are gentle and tender-but there
must also be courage and strength.
I have a hearty sympathy with those who
believe in doing all that can be done for
but l have no sympathy at all
Will those who believe that in the world
as 1t now is we can afford to see the av-
rage American citizen lose the qualities
that in their sum make up a good fight
ing man. You men must be workers who
work with all your heart and strength and
mind at your several tasks in life; and you
must also be able to fight at need.