Forest City press. (Forest City, Potter County, D.T. [S.D.]) 1883-19??, 1907-10-10

not De changed.
In any great movement for righteous
ness. where the forces of evil are strongly
intrenched, 1t Is unfortunately bile
that some unoffending people should suf-
fer in company with the real offenders.
This is not our fault. 1t is the fault
OF those to whose deceptive action these
innocent people owe their false position.
A year or two ago certain representatives
of labor called upon me and in the course
OF a very pleasant conversation told me
that they regarded me as 1.-THE friend OF
labor 1 answered that / certainly was.
and that / would do everything in my
power for the laboring man except any
thing that was wrong.
/ hav the same answer to make to the
business man.
] will do everything / can do to help
business conditions. except anything that
Is wrong.
Go Ahead, Anyway.
And it would be not merely wrong hut
infamous to fail to do all that can be done
to secure the punishment OF those wrong
hensible because they are not committed
under the. stress of want. When ever a
serious effort Is made to cut out what is
feri IN 1ak "ar , Pel. a6ane lif re whether the ef.
the gross and sordid forms Of evil in some
municipality. or whether II takes the
shape OF trying to secure the honest en-
forcement of the law as against very
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-
lieve that there will he no permanent dam
age to business from the movement. hut
mat II righteousness conflicts with the
fahcied needs of business, then the latter
must 80 to the wall.
Way Of the Transsressor.
We can not afford to substitute any 9TH
cr test Tor that guilt or innocence. OF
~wronsdoing or w,elldoing: in Judging any
man. II a man does we'll. il ne acts hon
administration. But SO for as in me lies
the corrupt politician, great or small. the
private citizen who t~ransgresses the law
fore the impartial justice OF a court. Per
haps | am most anxious to get at the poll
tician who 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
in supporting and enforcing the laws.
Nevertheless men and women OF this great
state. men and women of the mid
die west never forget that Law and the
aam'n aSe' muat 0 always 1aW; ' oce1py t t nSof
secondary place as compared with the
character OF the average citizen himself.
On this trip l shall speak to audiences in
each OF which there will 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
general no matter how good, no organ
ization no matter how perfect. can avail
II the average man in the ranks has not
got the fighting edge. We need the organ
~ization. preparations: we need the good
general: but VIC need most the fighting
edge 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 a nation and we cannot
as individuals afford to cultivate only
the gentler. softer qualities. There must
be gentleness and tenderness-the strong
est men are gentle and tender-but there
mus. also be courage and strength.
/ have "A hearty sympathy with those who
believe in doing all that can be done for
peace: but ! have no sympathy at all
with 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.
You women have even higher
and more difficult duties: for 1 {:
honor no man, not even the soldier :