The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1908-07-22

forms of this country and declare that
this is an age of decay in public af-
fairs and that the whole country il
going to the devil. Now there has
never been an hour during the twen-
ty-f1ve years of my public life that 1
could say that a large, a very large
majority of our public men were not
doing their best for their country.
There are men who still declare
that the lobbyists control all state
and national lawmaking bodies. The
facts are, that while the lobby is still
odious it has less influence today than
at any time in the history.
There has never been decent his
tory written of the United States for
the reason that no one has written
of the life of the people-they who
are the state and commonwealth.
''They tell YOU that the standards of
our public life inrts Washington are
lower than they were a generation
ago. I want to tell you that when I
went to congress- quarter of CEN
tury ago, a green country boy filled
with the highest of ideals, 1 saw men
| In a drunken condition on the floors
of the national senate and house.
| Would such a thing be tolerated now?
| II enter an appearance here for our
own day-the most glorious political
| ly and morally in the history Of this
nation. L
| 'In this country at this time it is
only the poor boy that has any chance
at all. 1t has come to the point where
you have to do something in order to
amount to anything. Nobody is going
to get the work habit unless he has to
work. If you have a real boy and
| $4,000 in real money, keep the two
of them apart if you want your boy to
amount to anything.
"As I have grown in years and ex-
perience 1 have found that the solu-
| ton of the worlds problems comes
from the doctrines of our fathers.
"a man wrote a book on the race
| problem and sent it to me and asked
| me to write him my honest opinion of
the book. Well, 1 read the volume,
and as the man did not live in my
| congressional district, / sent him my
| ten. L told him that he had written a
| very good love story in the book Uf
| had my way all books would be love
stories and end in the language. they
Elived happy ever afterD but as for the
| race problem, he had solved 1t by
leaving ten millions of Gods children
in this world without hope and with
out life. He ought to confine himself
to love stories entirely and let the
black people alone. ~
j 1.-THE Democrats at Denver wrote
their platform with such pains and
| scientific art that no one knows what
they are standing on at this time.
THE Japanese are little brown men
They have swept away European
armies, and yet certain saffron tinted
| orators in this country are trying to
agitate war with Japan by advising the
same treatment of the mikado's en-
pire that China receives. The Japs
will not stand for injustice and hope
thct may not live to see my country
men turn from the faith of their
fathers.
1.-THE ancient law of this republic
inherited from the men of the revolu-
ton is that human life Is not for re-
pose, for comfort, quiet, contentment;
struggle. a labor. sacrifice. service.
The makers and movers Of the world
must be of rugged hbre II they would
gain the crown OF achievement.
| "A short time ago ! stood, hat in
hand, and bowed in reverence before
the log cabin in which Abraham Lin
coin was born in Hardin county, Ken
lucky. Lincoln was the mightest man
that ever lived in the tide of time.
THE tendency Of the times is to rail
against millionaires. yet George Wash
ington. the father Of his country. died
| a millionaire the only one in America
at that time. His will, signed in his
own hand, showed that he was worth
a million and further that he was in
terested in about every industrial en-
terprise in the thirteen colonies 1t is
likely that he would have been a cap
tain of industry had he lived in these
times.
IT served with William ]. Bryan In
congress, and do not use his name in
J, my political speeches as one to sneer
at, but rather as one with which to
illustrate the opportunities for the
| poor and unknown young men Of this
Iday. Bryan, without money or in
, nuence. has made his name known the
: world over.
TT is popular nowadays to cry out
II against the railroads. The other day
/ saw the printed statement In one OF
l Jour magazines that all the great rail-
Fl way presidents In this country today
were .clsrks. water carriers. telegraph