Reporter and farmer. [volume] (Webster, Day County, Dakota [S.D.]) 188?-1946, 1908-06-04
THE HIGHEST TYPE.

In Mr.. Kittredge's Decoration day
| speech at Woonsocekt in 1907, he said:
"The temptations in business In this
age are SO great that 1T demands the
| highest type OF conscience, the clear
est brain and the most genuine man
| hood that can be enlisted"
MI Kittredge was addressing his
| observations largely TO young men, in
tending, as he stated at the outset, TO
apply his remarks especially to those
Just engaging or about To engage, in
the activities OF a business or profess
sional life, or in the industrial pur-
suits Of the farmer or the mechanic.
Celebrating the idea, the senator con-
tinued:
The man who is dishonest In his
personal dealings wants only the OPP
portunity OF public position 10 become,
In the parlance of the day, public
instead OF private CRATER There is
no such thing as impersonal dishon-
esty. Let us remember that the cor
nerstone OF our governmental stIuc-
ture Is intelligent personal integrity.
Upon II depends the endurance Of the
republic"
II is only through the elevation OF
the highest type OF manhood TO posi-
tons of trust that any nation, any
y,
its standing as q representative gov
ernment-represen in the same
sense that our forefathers had in mind
when they sought freedom from the
disease Of official corruption that per-
meated the mother country across the
sea.
Had IL not been for the moral de-
generacy of the governing forces of
the parent nation there might possibly
tot ~
ica. England became purified, in a
measure, through the shedding of
blood following the Declaration of In
dependence
With the advent OF the new born
era In commercialism in America
there has seemingly crept into our
body polite decisive propensity to
graft--a term made to fit into modern
conditions.
Senator Kittreage's conclusions
were basel upon reflection ard obser-
walton, and but conform 20 the teach
ing of history. I'm the long rum" he
said, "our public morals reflect the
composite character OF our people and
our legislation is moulded by public
opinion. II that composite character
is high, our public morals will be
wholesome. II public opinion is form
ed by intelligent thought and moral
and equitable" But perhaps no more
forceful point was made In the SEN
ator's Woonsocket address than that
contained in the following extract:
Integrity without intelligence will
accomplish little On the other hand,
1t may serve as a fruitful field for
exploitation by the CRATER. The indi-
vidual must have discriminating jurg-
ment. He must be able TO Judge the
true from the false, the good from the
bad"
Senator Kittredge was not deliver
Ing political speech. but nevertheless
some of his deductions might be strik-
ingly applied to present conditions in
South Dakota. That "yice invariably
seeks the protection and concealment
human misfortunes. Holy wars in
variably have bred greedy suffers,
camp robbers and noisy horde of
men whose predatory purposes are
sought to be concealed by a vocifer-
erous but spurious patriotism" Pc
litically speaking. this fact is aptly
set forth by another extract from the
senator's address, as follows:
"Paradoxical as at first 1t may seem,
there Is nothing that the accomplished
CRATER likes better than to associate
himself with a crusade for moral bet
terment. To him it is opportunity
1t matters not how shockingly ne may
have offended morality, he expects his
noisy professions to cause him to be
recognized as virtues champion par
excellence"