The Bemidji daily pioneer. [volume] (Bemidji, Minn.) 1904-1971, 1908-10-01
EVERY REPUBLICAN SHOULD BE A MIS-.
SiONARY.

1.-THE shadows murmur while the
deeps are dumb" is saying to be kept
In mind in the present stage Of the ma
tional campaign. The firm, settled pur-
that Republican rule shall continue,
that Taft and Sherman shall be elected
president and vice president Of the
United States and that the candidate
of free silver and free trade, of finan-
cial chaos and public discredit, shall
not be allowed to make the national
government a subject for his mounte-
bank schemes and crazy experiments
accounts for much that is called apathy.
A large proportion Of the voters do
not deem it necessary to advertise their
own sanity by demonstrations such as
have attended great crises in the past.
They regard the two previous rejec-
tons Of Organism as proof abundant
that the coming election will go the
same way and that the country is in
no danger Of surrender to the twice
beaten charlatan, whose political rec
ord is the best evidence that he has no
real principles and is willing to be
anything that he thinks will tickle the
galleries. That this feeling is preva-
lent is obvious to any one taking the
trouble to make personal inquiry
among business men, workingmen and
the professions.
1t is not we'll, however, that Repub-
licans should be content with meaning
to do right themselves. The number
of those who are liable to be infu-
enced by Bryan's sophistries, by his
utterly unfounded but constantly re-
iterated aspersions, his plausible fall
lacies and deliberate falsehoods, al
though small as compared with the
total of the electorate, is not to be
ignored, and no effort should be spared
to bring them to a due appreciation Of
their obligations to the country and to
themselves. The time has come for
every Republican to make himself a
missionary in behalf Of Taft and Sher-
man, to speak out his own thoughts
and to influence as far as possible the
Opinions of others concerning the is
sues at stake in the pending cam
paign. The fact that intelligent citi-
zens everywhere believe that Taft will
be elected is not enough. The voting
population includes a considerable pro-
portion Of those who require some
stimulus toward a correct and compre-
hensive grasp Of what is at stake in
the contest, Of the widespread disaster
that Bryan's success would bring upon
business, now happily emerging from
recent depression; Of the collapse Of
the structure Of national credit that
his mere presence at the head Of the
government would undoubtedly in
volve, Of the utter untrustworthiness
Of the man and of his cowardly refuge
in reckless denunciation and prevarica-
ton to divert attention from his career
of laundering egotism.
Don't rest with being right yourself.
See that your neighbor is right. He
will listen to you if you frame your
arguments in frank and friendly ex-
preston. Facts and reason are all
with the Republican party and its
chosen leaders, and clear, temperate
presentation of the facts cannot fail
to impress. Every Republican, we re-
peat, should be missionary for the
cause and the candidates Of the Re-
publican party and not of the Repub-
ncan party alone, but Of a host of
others who will help to swell the vote
for Taft and Sherman, for efficient
and impartial administration, for a
forward march" and not retreat in
the country's progress at home and
abroad-for, in a word, all that goes
to make the United States the best
country to live in on the face of the
Qlobe.