The Hays free press. [volume] (Hays, Kan.) 1908-1924, 1910-04-30

and ability betray themselves In the
career OF money maker or politician.
soldier or orator, journalist or popu-
lar leader. If the man works for evil.
then the more successful he is. the
more he should be despised and con-
demned by all upright and farseeing
men. To judge a man merely by sue
cess is an abhorrent wrong; and if
the people at large habitually so judge
men, if they grow to condone wicked
ness because the wicked man tri-
umphs, they show their inability to
understand that in the last analysis
free institutions rest upon the char
acter of citizenship and that by such
admiration of evil they prove them
selves unfit for liberty.
The Idea of True Liberty.
The good citizen will demand lib
erty for himself, and as matter of
pride he will see to it that others re-
ceive the liberty which he thus claims
as his own. Probably the best test of
true love of liberty in any country is
the way in which minorities are
treated in that country. Not only
should there be complete liberty in
matters of religion and opinion, but
complete liberty for each man to lead
his life as he desires, provided only
that in so doing he does not wrong
his neighbor. Persecution is bad be-
cause it is persecution, and without
reference to which side happens at the
moment to be the prosecutor and
which the prosecuted. Glass hatred is
bad in just the same way, and without
any regard to the individual who, at
a given time, substitutes loyalty to
class for loyalty to the nation, or sub
stituteS hatred of men because they
happen to come in a certain social
category, for judgment awarded them
according to their conduct. Remem-
Der always that the same measure of
condemnation should be extended to
the arrogance which would look down
upon or crush any man because he is
poor, and to the envy and hatred
which would destroy a man because
he is wealthy. The Overbearing bru-
tally of the man of wealth or power,
and the envious and hateful malice di-
rected against wealth or power, are
really at root merely different mani
festatiOns of the same quality, merely
the two sides of the same shield.
The man who, if born to wealth and
power, exploits and ruins his less
fortunate brethren is at heart the
same as the greedy and violent dema
gogue who excites those who have
not property to plumber those who
have Of one man in especial, be-
yond anyone else, the citizens of a re-
public should beware, and that is Of
| the man who appeals to them to sup
port him on the ground that he is
hostile to other citizens of the repub-
lie, that he will secure for those who
| elect him. in one shape or another.
profit at the expense of other citizens
of the republic. 1t makes no differ
ence whether he appeals to class
hatred or class interest; the man
who makes such an appeal should al
ways be presumed to make it for the
sake of furthering his own interest.
The very thing that an intelligent
and self-respecting member of
democratic community should not do
is to reward any public man because
that public man says he will get the
private citizen something to which
this private citizen is not entitled, or
will crafty some emotion or animos-
ity which this private citizen ought
not to possess.
If public man tries to get your
vote by saying that he will do some
thing wrong in your interest, you can
be absolutely certain that if ever it
becomes worth his while he will do
something wrong against your inter-
est.
France and the United States.
-,
ing. You and | belong to the only
two great republics among the great
powers of the world The ancient
friendship between France and the
United States has been, on the whole,
a sincere and disinterested friendship.
A calamity to you would be sorrow
to u.s. But it would be more than
that. In the seething turmoil of the
history of humanity certain nations
stand out as possessing peculiar
power or charm, some special gift OF
beauty or wisdom of strength, which
puts them among the immOrtals,
which makes them rank forever with
the leaders of mankind. France is one
of the nations. For her to sink would
be a loss to all the world. There are
certain lessons of brilliance and of
generous gallantry that she can teach
better than any of her sister nations.
When the French peasantry sang of
| Malbrook it was to tell how the soul
of this warrior-foe took flight upward
through the laurels he had won. Near
Iy seven centuries ago Froissart, wri-
ting of a time of dire disaster, said
that the realm of France was never so
stricken that there were not left men
who would valiantly fight for it. You
have had great past. l believe that
you will have a great future. Long
| may you carry yourselves proudly as
citizens of a nation which bears a
leading part in the teaching and up
lifting of mankind.
Seemed So.
Outdoor life is the best thing in
the world for people," she told him.