The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1908-03-18
KANSAS CONMENT
A FOoHsH sPEECH.

A PUBLISH SPEECH
| In a speech delivered at the recent
celebration of the anniversary of the
blowing up of the battleship Maine in
Havana harbor ten years ago, General
Burt of the United States army stated
that the reason the war spirit had de-
clined was because it did not pay to be
hero. He then cited the example of q
young man who concluded, when war
broke out, that he would stay at home
and let some one else get an arm or a
leg shot off, because all he would get
out Of it would be a paltry pension.
With due respect to the general, he
made rather bad break when he made
that speech. Heroes are not men who
figure On whether or not move will
pay them; they do not stop to count the
probable return on the investment OF
courage. They are rather, men who
forget self completely when the need
comes and risk their all for the sake
Of someone or something.
The young man to whom the general
referred in his speech was not the sort
Of which heroes are made. On the con-
trary he is one Of the kind who have
always remained at home. He Is one
Of the kind that would desert and re-
enlist again to get a bounty, was there
occasion for it. He is one Of the kind
that compelled this country to draft
men at one time during the civil war.
True the army enlistments have been
SLOW uIlll1 T0C6HIly, anu Val iOdo iiiCl
have tried to explain it. The correct
ness of their explanations is neither
here nor there, but it is not because of
a decline in patriotism. Hundreds OF
thousands of young men would be re-
fused admission to the army on the
slightest indication of physical weak
ness should war break out, and with
the lines drawn as strictly as possible
the government would have more men
on hand in month than it could equip
for service in a year.
1t is remarkable that such state
ment should come from a general-one
who is old enough to know better and
that his statement was untrue from his
own personal experience. But his rea-
soning is as far from being right as IL
is possible for wrong to be.-Salina
Journal
THE RAILROAD TROUBLES.
In the year 1906, 10000 people
were killed and 100000 injured on
American railroads. This is an ap-
palling number. Loss of grip by the
management. discipline unenforced,
amount to little until railroad men
wake up out of the self-satisf1ed
trance in which at present they seem
to be peacefully slumbering." These
are the words of veteran railroad
man, j. o. Pagan, in the second paper
road Signalman." appearin in the At
lantic Monthly. 1t seems to be neces-
sary to hurt somebody or to smash
up a few carloads of freight before
any efforts can be exerted, according
to the rules, to put a stop to the neg
ligence--this is Mr.. Fagan's thesis.
These confessions are an important
contribution to the literature which
reforms by exposing from the inside.
-Emporia Gazette.
NOT A TRUST BUSTING SUCCESS.
The Standard Oil company has paid
its usual dividend again-and after
Kansas has been strangI1ng the octo-
pus for over three solid years!-Abi-
lene Reflector.
Sometimes one is inclined to give
way to a doubt as to whether Kansas
has been as effective in it's trust prose-
cutions as we would like to believe.
Fire insurance seems still to be a
reasonably profitable business in
Kansas no announcement has been
made of any intention on the part OF
the Harvester trust of going out OF
business, and Standard oil Is yet able
to collect in profits more than
enough to pay its taxes.-Leaven-
worth Times.