Belding banner. (Belding, Mich.) 1889-1918, 1910-09-22
COUNTRY ALL RIGHT
A STRIkiN0LY STRONG ARTICLE
BY COL. HARVEY.
THE WRITER SEES NO CLOUD
"A Plea for the Conservation Of
Common Sense" That 10 Meeting
With Cordial Approval.

A strikingly strong article by Colo
mel George. Harvey in the North
American Review, for September. Is
written in a view of such hopeful
ness for the American future that II
has attracted wide attention. The
article is entitled, "A Plea for the
Conservation of Common Sense" and
II Is meeting with the cordial APP
prevail of business men OF all shades
OF political opinion throughout the en-
tire country. In part Colonel Harvey
says:
"Unquestionably a spirit OF unrest
dominates the land. But, IL 1t be
true that fundamentally the condition
OF the country is sound, must va
necessarily succumb to dependency,
abandon effort looking to retrieval
and cringe like cravens before clouds
that only threaten? Rather ought
we not to analyze conditions, search
for causes, find the root Of the dis
tress, which even now exists only In
mems minds. and then, after the
American fashion. apply such rem
edies as seems most likely to produce
beneficent results?
Capital and Labor Not AntagonistIc.
THE Link that connects labor with
capital is not broken but we may not
deny that 1t Is less cohesive than IT
should be or than conditions war
rant. Financially, the country IL
stronger than ever before in its his
tory. Recovery from a panic SO
severe as that of three years ago was
never before SO prompt and compare
lively complete. The masses are
practically free from debt. Money Is
held by the banks in abundance and
rates are low.
why, then, does capital pause
upon the threshold OF investment?
The answer. we believe, to be plain.
1t awaits adjustment of the relations
of government to business. . . The
sole problem consists of determining
how government can maintain an
even balance between sggregations
OF interests, on the one hand, and the
whole people, on the other. protect
ing the latter against extortion and
saving the former from mad assaults.
THE solution Is not easy to fand
fer the simple reason taat the stu.
alton is without precedent. But IL
not progress being made along sane
and cautious lines?
Conserve Common Sense.
rs not the present, as we have
seen, exceptionally secure? What,
then, of preparations for the futuref
Patriotism is the basis Of our insti-
buttons. And patriotism In the minds
Of our youth is no longer linked solely
with fireworks and deeds Of daring. It
is taught In our schools. A new
course has been added-a course in
loyalty. Methodically, our children
learn how to vote, how to conduct
primaries, conventions and elections.
how to discriminate between qualifica-
tions of candidates and, finally. how
to govern as well as serve. They are
taught to despise bribery and all
forms Of corruption and fraud as
made to know by heart, is not COM
pick. 1t is simple, but comprehen-
sive, no less beautiful in diction than
lofty in aspiration. These are the
pledges which are craven upon their
memories:
las 1t is cowardly for a soldier to
run away from battle, so II is coward
ly for any citizen not to contribute
his share to the well-being OF his
country. America is my own dear
land; she nourishes me, and l Will
love her and do my duty to her,
whose child, servant and civil soldier
l am.
las the health and happiness Of
my body depend upon each muscle
and nerve and drop of blood doing
its work In it's place, SO the health
and happiness of my country depend
upon each citizen doing his work In
his place.
These young citizens are our
hostages to fortune. Can we not
mating their lives augur well for the
permanency OF the Republic! Wnen
before have the foundation stones
of continuance been laid with such
care and promise of durability?
The future, then, is bright. And
the present? But one thing Is need
full. No present movement is more
laudable than that which looks to
conservation OF natural resources.
But let us never forget that the great
est inherent resource of the Amer
lean people is Common Sense. Let
that be conserved and applied with
out cessation, and soon 1t will be
found that all the Ills of which we
complain but know not OF are only
such as attend upon the growing
pains of great and blessed country.