The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1907-12-28
FROM OTHER PENS
DRAWING PARTY LINES.

During the fierce conflicts of slavery
days party lines were carefully drawn.
A Republican was one who believed
in liberty, the abolition of slavery,
the preservation sof the union. That
was a definite belief, involving a de-
finite program for the government.
Even after the successful close of the
civil war the line of cleavage between
the parties was a distinct one because
the problem of the war was not fully
solved until the black man had been
given the ballot, the states of the
south brought back into the union,
until the war debt had been paid and
the soldiers pensioned. Incidental to
this work the Republican party adopt
ed the system of protective tariff to
vitalize our manufactures and during
all this period the Democratic party
sought support principally on the
grounds of its disbelief in the efficacy
Of Republican measures. Time vim
dicated every measure proposed by the
Republican leaders. But they have
now been worked out, new genera
ton of voters has arisen who have
been given new problems to solve. The
evils of excessive tariff duties, the
great question of railroad regulation,
the reclamation of the arid west, the
development of our national water
ways, all these are questions presented
to the new generation OF voters. Ma
turally the attitude of the young voter
will be governed by his Judgment with
regard to present conditions. He has
forgotten that slavery ever existed and
learns the facts of the war out of his
history. 1t will not be easy to con-
vince him that because the Republican
party has been right in the past it
should now be right He must be
courag eous leaders. The campaign
will be one of education. a conflict be-
tween the same old democracy on the
one side and the party of Theodore
Roosevelt, the party of William H.
Taft and Albert B. Cummins.-Orange
City (Ia.) Herald.
THRILLING WITH MARRIAGE.
When will giddy girls and thoughtless
young men cease to treat the marriage
one hears of some couple marrying as
the result of a dare, without apparent
regard to the seriousness of the act,
only to experience severe repentance
little later Two notable instances of
this very thing have been made public
In the last few weeks, the latest being
that of the Harvard student and the |
waitress. who snapped sur |
names in taking out marriage license, |
and seemed to think that that fnvali- |
dated the ceremony. Both come of
prominent families. 1t seems the girl |
temporarily as a waitress in |
a students restaurant. to help pay her |
way through an art school. If the state |
ments of the two may be accepted, |
neither had seriously intended to |
marry, but somebody dared them to go |
through the ceremony, and 1t was the |
rule of each never to take a dare At |
first it was planned that they should |
assume each others names and wear
each others clothes, but this arrange |
ment was modified.
Now the parties to this foolish mar
rage and their relatives are trying to |
have 1t annullled, The case Is of in |
terest because 1t is rather a striking |
example of a sort of foolish escapade |
which appeals strongly to many per-
sons of a tender age. and in which no.
body can see any hurnor but them
selves. It should be the means of |
warning others that 1t Is a poor plan
20 trifie with the marriage ceremony.-I
Boston Transcript. y