Audubon Republican. [volume] (Audubon, Iowa) 1894-1925, 1910-09-01

COVER
the bare cost OF living. and hours of la
Dor short enough so that after his days
work Is done he will have time and en-
ergy TO bear his share In the manage
nent OF the community, to help In car
rying the general load. We keep count
less men from being good citizens by tho
conditions OF life with which we surround
them We need comprehensive work.
mems compensation acts, both state and
National laws to regulate child labor and
the work of women. and especially we
need in our common, schools not merely
education in book learning but also prac-
teal training for daily life and work We
need 10 enforce better sanitary conditions
for our workers. and TO extend the use
OF safety appliances in industry And com
merce both within and between the
states. Also, friends, In the interest of
the workingmen himself we need to set
our faces like flint against mob violence
Just as against corporate greed; against
violence and Injustice and lawlessness by
wage-workers Just as much as against
lawless cunning and greed and selfish az
rogance OF employers.
National efficiency has many factors
IL is a necessary result OF the principle
OF conservation widely applied. In the
end II will determine our failure or sue
cess as Nation National efficiency has
to do not only with natural resources and
with men. IL is equally concerned with
institutions. The state must be made ef-
ncient for the work which concerns only
the people OF the state and the Nation
for that which concerns all the people.
There must remain no neutral ground TO
serve as refuge for lawbreakers and
especially for lawbreakers OF great
wealth, who can hire the culpine legal
cunning which will teach them how to
avoid both jurisdictions. 1t Is a misfor-
tune when the National legislature fails
to do Its duty In providing a National
remedy, so that the only National activ-
ity Is the purely negative activity OF the
judiciary In forbdding the stats 10 ex-
ercise power In the premises.
Calls for Broad NatIonaiism.
do not ask for Decentralization.
but do ask that we work In spirit OF
broad and far-reaching Nationsiism when
we work for what concerns our people as
whole. We are all Americans Our
common interests are as bread as the
continent ] speak TO you here In Kan
sas exactly as I would speak in New
York or Georgia, for the mort vital prob
| lens are those which affect us all alike.
| The National government belongs TO the
| whole American people, and where the
| whole American people are interested,
| that interest can be guarded effectively
| only by the National government. The
betterment which we seek must be ac-
/ 4
National government.
! The American people are right In de-
manding that new Nationalism without
| which we cannot hope to deal with new
problems. The new Nationalism puts the
| National need before sectional or per-
sonal advantage. II Ia impatient of the
| utter confusion that results from local
| legislatures attempting to treat National
issues as local issues. 1t is still more inn
| patient of the impotence which springs
1 from the division OF government
| powers the impotence which makes II
possible for local selfishness or for legal
/ cunning, hired by wealthy special inter-
ests, to bring National activities to q
4 deadlock. This new Nationalism regards
the executive power as the steward OF the
1 public welfare. II demands OF the judici-
| airy that II shall be interested primarily
\ in human welfare rather than In proper
\ ty, just as 1t demands that the represent
4 tatiye body shall represent all the people,
/ rather than any one class OF section OF
/ the people.
! believe I'm shaping the ends of gov
ernment to protect property well as
4 human welfare. Normally. and In the
4 long run, the ends are the same. but
| whenever the alternative must be faced
\ l am for men and not for property. I
\ am far from Understanding the impor-
\ lance of dividends. but rank dividends
| below human character. / know well
4 that the reformers must not bring upon
the people economic ruin, the reforms
4 themselves win go down in the ruin
But we must be ready to face temporary
! disaster, whether or not brought on by
4 those who viii war against us TO the
4 knife. Those who oppose all reform Will
4 do we'll 10 remember that ruin In it's
4 worst form is inevitable II our National
| life brings us nothing better than swol-
4 len fortunes for the few and the triumph
4 IN bot ny,A 1.tfGi ~
and selfish materiaiism.
Honesty in Public Servants.
| II our political institutions were perfect.
| they would absolutely prevent the polite
| al domination of money in any part of
| our affairs. We need to make our polit-
ical representatives more quickly and SEN
| sitively responsive to the people whose
| servants they are More direct action by
the people in their own affairs under
| proper safeguards Is vitality necessary.
| The direct primary Is a step in this direc-
/ ton II II is associated with corrupt
| practises act effective TO prevent the adj
| vantage of the man willing recklessly and
unscrupulously TO spend money over his
1 more honest competitor. II Is particular
| iy important that all moneys received or
| expended for campaign purposes should
| be publicly accounted for not only after
| election but before election as we'll Po-
i
| Ter. and freer from confusion for every
| citizen. I believe that the prompt re-
| moyal of unfaithful or incompetent pub
| lie servants should be made easy and
sure In whatever way experience shall
| show to be most expedicnt in any given
| class of cases.
One of the fundamental necessities in
| a representative government such as ours
| is to make certain that the men to whom
| the people delegate their power shall
serve the people by whom they are elect
| ed. and not the special interests. be-
| lieve that every National officer, elected
| or appointed, should be forbidden to per-
| form any service or receive any COM
pensaton directly or indirectly from in
| ter-state corporations: and similar pro-
| vision could not fail TO be useful within
| the states.
The object of government is the well
| fare OF the people. The material progress
and prosperity of nation are desirable
| chiefly so far as they lead to the moral
| and material welfare of all good citizens.
| Just in proportion as the average man
and woman are honest, capable OF sound
| judgment and high ideals. active In pub
| lie affairs-but first of all sound in their
home life. and the father and mother of
healthy children-just so far and no far
Their we may count our civilization a sue
cess. We must have-I believe we have
alresdy-a genuine and permanent moral
awakening, without which no wisdom Of
legislation or administration really means
anything: and, on the other hand we
must try to secure the social and eco
nomic legislation without which any in-
provement due TO purely moral agitation
Is necessarily evanescent. What we need
is good citizens. Good citizenship means
progress; and therefore all good citizens
should stand for progress. and must be
progressive.
Had Cause to Rejoice.
"Alas!" sighed the poet, "the world
does not understand me-"