Los Angeles herald., 1909-05-22
FOLK TO SPEAK
IN CITY TONIGHT
FORMER GOVERNOR OF MIS-
SOURI, AT ALEXANDRIA
ADVOCATE OF PURITY IN POLL
TICS TALKS ON CIVIC RIGHTS
Subject of Lecturer at Simpson Audi
torium Will Be "Soldiers OF
Peacep-WilI Leave
Sunday for Utah

Joseph w. Folk, former governor OF
Missouri. prosecutor of the grafters
and corruptionists of St. Louis and in
the legislature. virile reformer and
lecturer arrived in Los Angeles yes
terday morning.
He will lecture tonight in the Simp-
son auditorium, his subject being,
SOLDIERS of Peace. Tomorrow morn
! ing he will leave for Salt Lake city,
Utah, and before returning to his home
will lecture at various southern and
/ middle western cities.
Mr.. Folk last night lectured at Co
vina and was expected back in the city
| by midnight He is registered at the
| Alexandria.
A special program for today has been
arranged by Democrats and admirers
and lovers of purity in government
Some time this forenoon he will visit
friends in Glendale. He will visit the
| beaches in an automobile and will tour
Hollywood. Mr. Folk will be the guest
of the City club at luncheon today at
the Westminster hotel. William Kent
will speak on 'fCities and Things" and
Mr. Folk probably will follow him.
In the afternoon he will be the guest
of Joe Simons in an automobile trip
during which Pasadena will be visited
and promptly at o'clock the Demo-
cratic league will tender him a dinner
at Levy's. The dinner will be an in
formal affair.
The high priest of pure politics"
was not averse to discussing broadly
the civic rights and virtues of COM
munities which should be respected by
the stewards of public affairs. He said
all the problems of good government
I ~,
Make patriotism as aggressive as COR
ruption. Where there is an active pa
triotism instead of a passive patriot
ism, good government and an absence
of graft and corruption are found.
Cannot Eradicate Corruption
He said that corruption could not be
eradicated by concealment and that
liberation of it was d worse disgrace
than revealing and correcting it. He
refuted the statement that disgrace
by bringing to the surface corruption
in public affairs hurt & city more than
the corrective work which followed.
Driving out grafters and purifying the
official atmosphere was more health
full to the growth and future prosper
ity of a city than harboring its vices
and embarrassing its governmental ills.
1T is well enough to say that a city
should show its virtues and not parade
its faults" he said, but ii should be
remembered that a city can show it's
correction of civic depravity unblush-
ingly and with all due propriety.
Instead of hurting a city to have
corruption exposed, it helps it to weed
out things of that character. People
seeking new homes are not attracted
to a place where corruption reigns and
the people do not rule.
They naturally prefer a city where
corruptionists are not tolerated, and
where, when it springs up, it is fought
by an aggressive citizenship.
Popular government now is on trial.
If the corruptionists and their allies
have their way, we shall not have gov
eminent of, by and for the people, but
government of, by and for the few with
wealth enough to purchase official ia
Yors.
TOO many men are willing enough
to fight for their country in times Of
war, but are towards in times of peace.
The country needs to be fought for in
times of peace just as much as in times
of war.
Evils which threaten today are not
from without, but within. 1t is these
which must be contended against. 1t
should not be forgotten that the man
who lives for his country is just as
much a patriot as the man who dies
for it.
Lauds Los Angeles
"You people of Los Angeles are maxi
ing a good fight. The excellent re-
suits already accomplished here are
encouraging to lovers of good govern
ment all over the country.
when you win do not lay by your
sword, but prepare for the next con-
test. When YOU lose do not feel dis
couraged. but fight all the harder.
THE disposition of good people has
been to fight gloriously for a little
while and then to go to sleep. The
representatives of graft and privilege
never sleep.
when those who believe in the pub
| lies interests are as active as those
who stand for graft and greed, good
! government will result.
mo law can give good government.
All that any law can do is to afford the
good people an opportunity through it
to obtain good government.
'Your primary law is not in itself a
cure for evils, but the good people are
given an opportunity through it to cor
rect evils"
| Mr. Folk said the movement for re-
! form was gathering strength through
/ out the country. The fight had lust
/ begun. Even in Missouri it has not
| spent its force as some believe by
reason of the drift of political fortunes.
1 The good people, he said, had been
brought to a full sense of their duty
and they were now in frame of mind
| to hew to the line and let the chips
/ fall where they would. He asserted that
/ civic pride was never before at higher
| tide than now
| A. M. Norton, chairman of the demo-
cratic county central committee, ac-
companied by w. r. Burke. w. T. Har-
ris and Frank G. Hender~op met Mr..
Folk at River Station. He was driven
to the Alexandria where he lunched
with members of the committee. After
touring the city for several hours the
party proceeded to Monrovia, where he
was the guest of honor at dinner
party given by the Monrovia- Duarte
| democratic club.
FEDERAL RIFLE RANGE Is