Omaha daily bee. (Omaha [Neb.]) 187?-1922, 1911-11-06
SHOULD VOTE FOR BEST MEN
Bishop scannell Says 1t is Duty of
Citizens to Act Wisely at Polls.
AND CAPABILITY
Man without Regard Go Party or
Personal Considerations TO
Get RiRht Men,

FA"bhA w AANAN
Personal Considerations TO
Get RiEh; Men,
Apropos the election near at hand TT.
Rev. Richard scannell, bishop OF the do.
ccsc OF Omaha. Divert upon government.
NhFt the quality o. = candidate shuuld
he, end tho duty ol a., citizen. ~ st.
Cecillas church Sunday morning. For his
text he took Render Unto Caesar the
Things that Are Caesars, and TO God
the Things that Are God's-Matt %. H."
TO give TO others what belongs to them
Is a precopt OF the natural law--of that
law thet was written on our minds and
hearts BY the Creator Himself and that
Is proclaimed by the voice Of conscience
to everyone who has the full use OF
reason" said the bishop.
This precept is emphasized and given
a special application in the words OF the
text: Give to Caesar the things that
sire Caesars and 60 God the things that
are Gods.
Who Il Caesar.
Who Is caesar? And what are the
things which we are commanded to give
him? Caesar is the government under
which we live. whether 1t be an empire. a
kingdom, or a republic. Human society
has God for its author. and It has re-
ceived from Him authority to govern
the individuals who comprise it. IT Is for
thistreason that st. Paul commands every
soul TO be subject TO the higher powers
for all power. he says. Is from God. and
they who resist tho power resist the or
dinance OF God Human society. however
cannot. as q whole and directly. rule its
members. 1t chooses one or more pei cons
whom Il clothes with its dlvinely re-
ceivcd authority. and these persons form
what we call the government. No large
masses OF people have ever been able
to govern themselves. Even our American
government is not a government by the
people, although II is said TO be such.
1t IL government carried on by a few
officials who are supposed to be chosen
by the people from among a small num-
Der of persons who are themselves pre-
scented TO the voters by a few politicians
and party leaders; and very often the
chosen ones represent. not the people, but
themselves or their party. But Il is the
best we can do, and perhaps on the whole
eminent that our circumstances will per
NIT Of But whatever it's imperfecion IT
is the governmental Is Caesar. to whom
we are commanded to give what belongs
to him.
Law to. he Obeyed.
First we are bound to obey the law.
for the law is the proclaimed will OF the
higher power and that higher power we
are bound to obey. Without law there
would be no liberty for the individual,
for there would be no order. Law Sc
cures liberty but prevents II from be-
coming license. II demands self restraint,
which Is another name for obedience.
''One OF the great problems OF all time
is how TO secure respect for law and
to reform the law breaker. A large num-
Der OF good men and women give much
attention to these questions but II must
be confessed that the results are not
very important. And the reason is that
they do not seem to be able to agree
upon any motive that would be strong
enough to guide and restrain human
impulses except the purely natural one
that honesty is the best policy. Doubtless
this is true. Everyone admits it in
theory, but all do not put It I'm practice.
No phe VIII udhy lndl temperance l9
the best policy In the long run, yet all
people are not temperate Such motives
as these can never control the pride or
the passions of the human heart. or in
duce men TO obey the law OF the land.
We need supernatural motives for these
things and they are supplied by re-
ligion alone,-
People Pay the Cost.
In the second place we are commanded
TO give tribute to Caesar. 1t IS Caesars
office to guard the country from ex-
tcrnal danger and to keep order at home
For these purposes there Is need Of an
army and navy, and civil officers and
courts and prisons and the like. and
IL Is the duty of the citizens TO defray
the cost of all these things: that Is, they
arc bound to pay their share Of the
public taxes. To evade this obligation
by dishonest means would be to offend
against Justice and TO refuse to give to
Caesar what belongs TO him.
In the third place, in choosing those
who are TO form the civil government,
that is. who are to look after the public
interests, we are bound in conscience
to give our suffrages only to those who
are fit to hold office. Two qualities are
necessary in a candidate-honesty and
capability. II he is not honest in private
life II is not likely that he will be honest
in public life; il he shows himself in
capable 10 managing his own private af-
fairs how could he be regarded as capable
of managing public affairs OF greater
moment2 To vote for such a man would
be to fail IN our duty to the body polite
and 10 injure the public welfare. We ar,
constantly complaining OF our public Of.