Alma record. (Alma, Mich.) 1878-1928, 1910-03-03
He IS MAKING GOOD
Ralph c. Ely, Former Alma Boy, Pre-.
SentS Way to Remedy
ALL OF THE POLITICAL ILLS
To albuquerque Republican Club-Mr. Ely's
Address Well Received.

Inc h6cOru IL diWdSs Kldu W noto
the achievements of former Alma resi-
dents especially so of Young men born
and reared In our midst who have
gone out in the world and are making
good In this connection the Record
reprints few comments from The
Albuquerque journal of Feruarv Is.
relative to our former citizen, Ralph
C. Ely. The Journal said:
The need of more careful consio-
Grafton of public questions: more
thoughtful study of public men. for
higher standards on the part of the
Individual citizen toward his party
and it's leaders this was the keyn ote
of the addresses delivered to the Re-
publican club of Albuquerque last
night by Hon Ralph g. Ely. of Dem
ing an address which is conceded
to be one of the strongest ever deliver
Ell here The club rooms at l2O
West Silver avenue were fairly well
filled. although theatres and other at
fractions kept away many who would
other wise have been present. Mr..
Ely. however. met with cordial
welcome and enthusiss ic approval as
he pressed home point after point in a
carefully though out, perfectly clear
argument to show the imperative
need for more attention to our public
affairs. local. territorial. state and
national. on the part OF the individual
citizen and voter.
1t was in no sense political speech,
Every two years. Mr.. Ely said. this
nation has an attack of politics.
Every four years il becomes virulent.
But between times we can rest
II like to talk politics.. - he said.
III the midst of the can. Iaign. Then
the issues are clearly defined. 1t is
clearly before us what the republican
party stands for and what the demo
cratic party stands and the issues can
be presented and argued out at their
true value. But in times like these it
is for us to consider carefully and
thoughtfully the grave questions which
confront the nation.
Mr.. Ely went On to refer briefly to
the problem of the purchasing price
of the dollar; the question of the rela-
tion of labor and capital, the question
of how to deal with the trusts. He
did not undertake to discuss any of the
these problems. but brought them out
merely to bring home forcful argu-
ment that it is the the duty of each
citizen to study them for himself SO
that when the political campaign does.
arise the Individual may side with the
party which more nearly represents his
own individual convictions.
He was proud, he said of the
achievements of the republican partv.
He was equally proud of the achieve
ments of the democratic party in the
past. They were all the achievements
of Americans, but for us of the present
day party politics was not matter
of past hisory but of present conditions
and future issues, The party. he con-
tinued which faced these future issues
most squarelv and forcetully would
prove the dominant party and right v
So
From the broad ground that party
alignment should he matter of care
luf thought and principle and con-
viction rather than of heredi'y and
prejudice. Mr.. Ely nassed to the ques
tion of consideration of publicmen and
politi leaders. No man. he said.
but had his weakness and the greater
the man the more likely his weakness
to be empbas iz6d ard made
prominent. He urged thoughtful con-
men before condeming them. Muck
raking. ne said, was as popular as
gossip. and in a stinging phrase or two
ne classified them together. But he
held with equal tirmness that the peo-
ple had a right and il became their
duty to demand the highest standards
of the men who became their political
leaders No leader. he said who placed
personal az ,rnandizements aud per-
sonal interest above the interests of
those whom he lead, could hone for
continuance of leadership for any
length of time aud he predicted freely
that 1t would come to he more aud
more the case in the UnitedStstes that
the party choosing its leaders most
carefully from the highest tvpe of
men. would gain and hold the conf
dence of the country.