Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1907-02-23

he was human and had his faults, you
and | can understand him. The story
of Washington as he lived and as he
was. is far more inspiring than steel
engraving of heroic size and sanity
mien hung between a framed marriage
license and God Bless Our Home
motto. He followed the young Wash
ingtons career, and, referring to the
incident of his meeting Martha Curtis,
Mr.. Stead said. Upon one occasion,
while carrying dispatches to the gov
ernor, Washington was invited TO dine
at a Virginia mansion. The dispatch
es were important, and at first he de-
clined. Upon being urged, however,
he consented to stop for glass of
wine, and left his horses with an or
derby He met Martha Curtis. He
forgot all about the horses and the dis
patches and the governor. | am glad
he did. Any young man who can think
of such things in the presence of a
young and fascinating widow, is unfit
to be the father of country or of any
thing else. They talked until after
supper. and the horses were put away.
They talked all night. Shortly after
daylight he remembered the dispatch
es. y His subsequent cOurtship was
brief, but decisive. Martha Curtis be
came Martha Washington
Duty AS Citizen.
After referring 10 the home life OF
Washington, and his thrift as Il farm
| er. Mr. Stead spoke of his discharge
of his plain. everyday duties as cit
| izen and the active part he took in
| the affairs of the government under
which he lived. His example ought
to be followed now added the attor-
ney general The man who neslects
TO vote or refuses to serve on jury
| is not Il good citizen. and it makes no
difference who he is or what he pro
fesses. The evils which menace the
nation the state, and our munlcipali
ties today are largely due to the list
lessness and apathy of the average
citizen" In this connection he refer
red to Washington's service as a mem
Der of the militia. justice of the peace
| juryman, and member of the local as
sembly.
Had More Than Character.
Mr. Stead stOutly maintained that
Washington did not leap at single
bound from an insignificant Virginia
farmer to the first American, but that
he grew
He had more than character. Char
acter never won campaign nor CON
Ceived constitution. Character never
read the qualities of men-it was sa-
gacity. Character never composed the
greatest state paper in history-it was
intellect. Character never created a
foreign policy. nor funded public
debit was craftsmanship"
Continuing, after referring to the or
ganization of the Is states, which he
maintained was not the work of Wash
ington alone Mr.. Stead said of Wash
ington's assuming the presidency: mo
man ever faced duties which were
greater and no man ever performed
great duties better
above all" he said, washington
was a patriot His patriotism was
Problems of Today.
In continuing his address, Mr.. Stead
took occasion to refer to a few of tho
problems confronting the nation. ant
pointed out the evils which lie about
us Greed he held to be an evil thai
threatens our social and national life
He referred to frenzied finance. thief
and default, graft and loot, as The
progeny of greed But the citizen i:
: arousing. Rascality today is in the
= limelight-and it can not live there
: And whoever imagines that lis mora
awakening is merely the wnlm of thee
rists and cranks, misreads the signs
, He spoke of combinations as anothe
, evil. and pictured the influences tina
have resulted in the tendency 10 com
bine. Admitting that the growth o
, this tendency has worked a hardship
the attorney general pointed out tina
invention, too. has done So OF a rem
edy, he said. Relief must come through
REIMBURSEMENT. Economic law is tn
survival of the fittest" The remed
: lies, first. in an honest enforcement o
the laws we have, and, second, in eA
ercsing the right inherent in govern
!. ment and state. of regulation and cor
= troll He took occasion to refer t
= President ROosevelt's efforts agains
\ illegal combinations of capital, anC
y paid tribute to him in the highes
\ terms.
, Faith in Citizenship.
Concluding he said, 81 have faith i
the genius of our free institutions
V faith in the patriotism of an INTEL
, gent citizenship; faith in the stamin
= of American manhood. | have fat
A." TO believe that Washington's work wi
;. live-for truth is eternal; that it wi
< survive the shocks and storms of tim
# and broaden with the ages"
p Poems by RexdaIc.
Il When the applause following NJ
a. Steads address had subsidized, Dir. Ely
Ill d., .I,T,