The Irish standard. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn. ;) 1886-1920, 1910-05-07
CHAPTER |,
Lx/ c3UzxpE e'e III ran ON zaE ddX.
IT, o. HEARTS a, /1AcNS


CHAPTER !.
To begin with, | am going to call
things by their real names. At first
glance this statement will give you
a SILVER of terror. that is, if you hap
pen to be a maiden lady or a gentle
man with reversible cuffs. But your
shivers will be without reason. Prue
may read, and modest Prue's
mamma; for IT. isn't going to be
naughty story; on the contrary,
grandma's spring medicines are less
harmless. Yet there is a parable to ex
pound and moral to point out; but
shall leave these to your own discern
ment.
1t has always appealed to me as
rather Silly custom on the story
teller's part to invent names for the
two great political parties Of the
United States; and for my part I
am going to call Democrat a Demo
! crat and a Republican a Republican,
because these titles are not so hal
lowed in our time as to be disguised
in print and uttered in bated breath.
There is fortunately no lese-majeste
In America.
Men inclined toward the evil side
OF power will be found in all parties,
and always have been. Unlike So
ciety, the middle class in politics us,l-
ally contains all the evil elements In
politics the citizen becomes the lowest
order, and the statesman the highest;
and fbnnlyo tn hn ~
the race, these are largely honest and
incorruptible. When these become
disintegrated. a republic falls.
Being journalist and a philoso-
pher, ] look upon both parties with
tolerant contempt. The very near
ness of some things disillusions us;
and have found that only one illusion
remains to the newspaper man, and
that is that some day he'll get out
OF the newspaper business. vote as
please, though the family does not
know this. The mother is Repub-
lican and SO is the grandmother; and,
loving peace in the house, | dub my
self Republican till that moment
when enter the voting booth Then
become an individual who votes as
his commOn-sense directs.
The influence Of woman in politics
is no inconsiderable matter The
great statesman may natter himself
that his greatness is due to his ora
torical powers; but his destiny is
often decided at the breakfast table.
Why fourffths of the women lean
toward Republicanism is something no
mere historian can analyze.
In my town politics had an evil
Odor. For six years Democrat had
been mayor, and for six years the
town had been plundered. For six
years the Republicans had striven,
with might and main, to regain the
power and the right to
plumber 1t did not matter which
party ruled, graft let us omit the
quotation marks) was the tocsin. The
citizens were robbed, openly or covert,
| ly, according to the policy of the party
in Office. There was no independent
paper in town; SO, from one months
end to the other it was loaded edi.
torial vituperation. Then Caliban re-
volted. An Independent party was
about to be formed
The two bosses, however, were
equal to the occasion. They imme.
/ diately hustled around and secured as
candidates for the mayoralty two
| prominent young men whose honesty
and integrity were unimpeachable
Caliban, as is his habit, sheathed his
sword and went back to his bench
his desk or whatever his occupation
was.
I On the Republican side they nom
mated rich young club man. Now
as you will readily agree. it is always
written large on the political banner
that a man who is rich has no incen
] tive to become CRATER. The public