The Caldwell tribune. [volume] (Caldwell, Idaho Territory [Idaho]) 1883-1928, 1910-12-23
THERE WAS EXTRAVAGANC7
IN THOSE DAYS

1
IN THOSE DAYS.
"If I were to be called upon to draw
picture of the times and of men
| from what | have seen, heard and in
| part know, | should in one word say
that idleness, dissipation and extrava
gance seem to have laid fast hold o.
| most of them: that speculation. Decu
alton and an Unsuitable thirst for
riches seem to have got the better o.
very other consideration, and almost
Of ever order of men; that party dis
"utes and personal nuarrels are, the
great business of the day; while the
nomentOus concerns of an empire are
but secondary considerations In the
present situation of things I cannot
help asking where are Mason, Wvthe
Jefferson Nicholas. Pendleton, Nelson
and another I could name?"
In these days it is the custom to be
vail the ignomy of the poor, the cor
ruption of the rich, the extravaganza
Of the well-to-do and the dissipation
Of all We imagine that "an insa-
tale thirst for riches" has seized
every order of men; that poltroohery
and dishonesty are in office; and that
the country is hell-bent generally. II
this deplorable condition exist, it i
comforting to remember that the con.
dition is not peculiar to these times
md people. In fact it would be hard
to designate the particular time in the
history of this country, or any other
when that condition did not exist to
more or less extent. The days of our
fathers were no better than today and
today is not half as bad as some
would have us believe Human ma
ture and the collie have made little
change in the past hundred and TWEEN
ty-fve years. The characteristics O
the one and the symptoms of the
other are about the same as when tho
morning stars all sang together B.
therefore, not discouraged.
The paragraph quoted at the begir
ming of this article is not taken from
current magazine 1t is not an ex-
tract from the illusions of Tom Law
son or Ida Tarbell, nor will it be
found in the Osawatomie speech o.
t. Roosevelt. 1t is an excerpt from
4 letter written by General George
Washington to Colonel Harrison
Speaker of the House of Delegates o.
Virginia. 1t is dated December 80
l778. In that particular year the Rev
dictionary War was in progress; for
two years previous to that date it had
been in progress; and for six years
after the same war was continued. Ir
spite of the idleness, dissipation and
extravaganza; the speculation, pecula.
ton and Unsuitable thirst for riches:
which were so apparent to General
Washington, the war was fought to
a successful conclusion. In spite OF
the dire foreodings of the prophets o.
evil of this day, the obstacles of our
time will be successfully negotiated.
In childhood we were all laugh
that patriotism. self-sacrifce and self
denial were the characteristics of the
people who won our independence
for US. Not a child grows up who
does not think that the people of I'VE
were all heroes, if not demi-gods
Washington was on the ground and
probably knew. He was not a muck
raker. or a sensationalist. He did no.
belittle his fellow patriots. He woulc
not have knowingly spoken unjusti,
of any man, much less of the entire
people. We must accept his state
ment of the times as substantially
correct.
In 1873 Washington was asking for
the Masons, Wythes, Jeffersons
Nicholases, Pendletons. and Nelson's
In 1910 we are asking where are tic
Washingtons, Jeffersons, Hamiltors
Adamses and Lincolns Be of good
courage They showed up in good
time one hundred twenty-five wears
0go and the" will show no in 900
time now. Probably it does not re
quire Washington a Jefferson. (?
Hamilton or a Lincoln to revise tar,
if If not these men are not needed
now. If it does we probably havs
them, and Champ Clark will bring
them to the front at the next session
of Congress. In the meantime des
pair not. Be of good courage. The
times are no rottoner now than they
we're during the Revolution.