The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1907-02-23

nave achieved them, he must manage
to come to some kind of working
agreement with these fellows of his.
There are times of course when it may
be the highest duty of a citizen to
stand alone or practically alone. But
if this is a mans normal attitude-if
normally he is able to work in COM
bination with a considerable body of
his fellows-it is safe to set him down
as unfit for useful service in a democ-
raCy. In popular government results
worth9 having cam only be achieved by
men Who combine worthy ideals with
practical good sense; who are resolute
can accOmmO date themselves to the
give and take necessary where work
has to be done, as almost all impor--
tant work 7muStsc n cessarflY be done,
by com bination.Te Moreover. rem mber
that normally the prime object of po-
liticaI life sh Guild be to achieve results
and ont merely to issue manifestoeS-I
save of course where the issuance of
such paanifestoes helps to achieve the
results. cit is a Very bad thing to be
morally callousatfer moral callousness
is disease. But Inflammation of the
conscience may be just as unhealthy
so far as the public is concerned; and
If a mans conscience is always telling
him to do something foolish he will
do we'll to mistrust it's workings. The
religious man who is most useful is
not he whose sole care is to save his
own soul, but the man whose religion
bids him strive to advance decency
and clean living and to make the
world a better place for his fellows to
live in; and all this is just true of
the ordinary citizen in the perform
ance of the ordinary duties of political
life.
Work In Philippines.
During the last few years much
good has been done to the people of
the Philippines; but this has been
done, not by those who merely in
dulged in the personal luxury of adj
vocating for the Islands a dOctrinaire
liberty which would have meant their
imm ediate and irretrievable ruin, but
by those who have faced facts as they
actually were, emembering the
proverb that teaches US that in the
long run even the most uncomfort-
the pleasantest falsehood. 1t is these
men, the men who with shortcomings
and stumblings yet did the duty of the
moment, though that duty was hard
and often disagreeable, and not the
men who confined themselves to idle |
talk of no matter how high-sounding
a nature, who have done real good to
the islands. These are the men who
have brought justice as between man
and man; who are building roads; |
who have introduced schools; who, |
gradually, with patience and firmness,
are really fitting the islanders for self
goVernme
So it is with the great questions
which group themselves round the con-
troll of corporations in the interest Of
the public. There has been a curious
revival of the doctrine of state rights
in connection with these questions, by |
the people who know that the states |
can not with justice to both sides prac-
tically control the corporations, ana !
who therefore advocate such control |
because they do not venture to ex- !
press their real wish, which is that |
there shall be no control at all. Hon
est and fair dealing railway corpora
lions will gain and not lose by ade-
quate federal control; most emphati- !,
cally, it is both the duty and the in
terest OF our people to deal fairly with
such corporations, and to see that a |
premium is put on honest manage
ment of them, and that those who in
those who invoke the doctrine of state
rights to protect state corporate crea
lions in predatory activities extended
our states are as short sighted
doctrine to protect the special slave
holding interest. The states have
shown that they have not the ability
to curb the power of syndicated wealth,
people. it must be national action.
Our present warfare is against special
privilege. The men-many of them,
am sorry to say college men-who are
prompt to speak against every practi-
cal means which can be devised for
achieving the object we have in view
the proper and adequate supervision
by the federal government OF the great
corporations doing an interstate bust
neSs-are nevertheless themselves power
less to so muchas outline any plan of con-
stIuctive craftsmanship witch shall
give relief. I have WATCHED for six
years these Inen,Gaboth those in public
and those inp4 private life. and though
they are prompt ito criticise every af-
hrmative step taken. have yet to see
one CT them lift a finger 10 remedy