The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1911-03-28
KAMSAy COMMENT


A NEW DAY rs BREAKING.
All tne bosses didn't get fourteen
Years N the penitentiary, as did Abe
Ruef of San Francisco. cut boss rule
na sreceived a big Jolt in many parts
or the United States during recent
Years, and is fast becoming a. fading
mower. man who works for the
puohc good and wins public confidence
but the boss who gains power. in order
10 sen special privileges or to protect
criminal traffic for share of the gain,
TO dispose of Jobs and offices for a
rake-on' to grant rights and franchises
belonging to the public, for the benefit
of himself and an organized gang of
graIters-this is the kind of leadership
tnat is going to find harder shedding as
the Gays go on. AS men become more
independent in their thinking and vot-
ing, as they refuse to be bound by a
party caucus to what they know isn't
square, and decline to be pumped full
OF not air and prejudice by party or
gans winch support the party what
ever II does, and which oppose the OPP
posltion, Whatever it does-as this
great political evolution makes progress
among the people. the political boss, the
convention hxer, the wire pu1ler, the.
Drioe glver and the brihe taker. the
gang leader. the ward heller, the sa-
gradually retire, and better and more
decent men will naturally gain con-
troll, resulting in a government more
soundly established in the principles of
honesty and justice. It is big thing
for any American citizen to have
ieven the most humble part in these
great events that are coming to pass
| In our day. The man who believes
that one political party is always right
and that the rest are always wrong.
ana Invariably makes his X under the
rooster or under the eagle, let's other
men do his thinking. He is a wooden
pawn on the board. to be moved by
other men as their own selfish interests
appear. It is of course right and
necessary for men who think alike to
organize and work together; but in
order to work with men who think as
he does. man must refuse to let any
machine caucus tie him to some other
way of working. He must reverence
no mere party name, which stands for
one thing today and another thing to-
morrow; which means one thing in
Kansas and another thing in Pennsyl-
vania; he must divest his mind of any
false notions concerning the sacred
ness of party loyalty and party soli-
darity. The sacred thing is the right
principle; and a right principle is a
right principle whether advocated by
one party or another; whether cham
pioned by Mr.. Bryan, Mr.. Taft, Theo-
dore Roosevelt, Champ Clark or UNCLE
Joe Cannon. The good citizen, the
patriotic citizen. the progressive citi-
zen is the man who is alert and I'M
prejudiced, who holds himself free and
open minded to discern and support
the right principle wherever he finds
it, staying with the party of his natural
choice just SO long as he has reason to
believe it is the best party through
(which to accomplish the things he de-
sires to see accomplished, but hypno-
tized by no fetish loyalty to a mere
label after it ceases to denote any real
| quality in the goods. Such a citizen
will make use of party to accomplish
results for his country's good. He will
not let party posses use him to &C
complish things at his country's cost,
| for themselves and for their masters
higher up. The skysfs red in the east.
A new day is breaking in the political
world. Drink in the fresh morning air
| and be glad.-Jewel County Republican.
FOR ALL MEN AND PLACES.
You like this old town. don't you?
| This old town is your home-you live
| here, all the interest you have in this
Mechanically, morally, socially. re-
| ligiously and in every other way are
all centered in Abilene. This fact be-
| ing true, you owe a selfish interest to
everything that will promote these,
that will make the old town a better
town for you and for your neighbor.
| Don't lean on what others may do
and reap a half benefit but get out
and do some hustlin~ yourself and help
I push the thing along. Don't kick
I don't growl. but be a good fellow
among your fellows and watch things
move.-Abilene Reflector.