The Spokane press. [volume] (Spokane, Wash.) 1902-1939, 1910-02-26
Every man who strives
honestly to be patriotic and
serve society as a whole
learns something about the
Blakeley and His
Friends

meaning of friendship be-
fore he gets very far with his public work
District Attorney VIM. A. Blakeey of Pittsburg said
something the other day, and wish all honest citizens
could grasp the significance of it. This is what he said:
II am going to lose all the friends ever had but Pitts
burg will be clean when l get through"
Some people probably didn't much meaning in that
statement when it made That because they had
never made the sacrifice They think they have friends
SO many it would be hard to count them They haven It
learned that Can count his true, unsesh friends
his fingers though he be a one armed man.
Blakeey had started out to prosecute the grafters in
Pittsburg He had got just far enough to find that
ardy friends fall away from brave man. when that
has to hit hard at influential citizens order to protect the
rights of the masses.
For the biggest and most dangerous grafters
ally men who are socially and financially powerful
But Blakeey will learn more than he has learned He
will lose his rendsnot all of Them possibly but most of
Them And he II be glad to lose them when he finds
what kind of friends they
Every of ability has friends in plenty long he
is good fellow and doesn't tramp the of Priv
lege. Many of them will pat him the back long he
can be of service to them Let him his ability however,
for the benefit of the whole public, and his friends will
gradually fade away.
This hurts-at first One doesn't like to lose friends
And hurts realize that friends don measure up
to the mark 1t hurts to sefishness master whom
considered friend For that's what happens-those
friends fear the loss of something by sticking to who
has the courage to battle for human justice.
But the honest who loses friends by being the
square with all of humanity doesn't lose anything worth
having Every time he loses false friend he gains, and
grows.
He'll learn, too to feel that he is making thousands Of
true and honest friends whom he may know
For he will grow more and more to respect himself as he
sheds his selfish friends and finds himself working out of
circle and into harmonious relation with the entire
human family And when he knows that he deserves the
friendship of all honest he ii feel that he has it. Then
he'll be happy
Throwing off selfish friends throwing off dead weight
getting rid of burden You're working toward free
dom.
Some slaves of their friends. The only friends
worth having those who love you enough to want you
to be reeree to do right free to give the world the best
there is in you.
If Bakey has gathered unto himself in all his lifetime
true honest friend who wants Bakeey to be Bakeey
and to become useful member of society as Blakeey
genius will permit-why then Blakeey has done well.
And that friend will delight in Blakeeys strenuous work
in the of justice There such friends in the world
If Bakeley hasn't found tlem it's time he shedding
thos he has and getting in touch with REAL MEN and
TRUE FRIENDS.
Anyhow any who is true to himself and humanity
will have one friend leas-himself may fool his
family his friends and the public but he can't fool himself
He can't get away from himes So he might better so
conduct his life that he may always know that when sleep
ing alone he is in bed with honest man.