Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1912-11-09
The World Mess=POt
lRy Smith Bakery


| mocracies. Two or three, small limit
| ed republics are in Europe but ours is
| the only approach to a pure democra-
! ev the world has even known. 1t is
! still on trial
Universal suffrage is the most fearful
| experiment in the history of nations.
| Such a problem with one nationality of
men would not be so difficult. A re-
| pubic Of all Frenchmen. or all Eng
| hshmen or all Germans or all of any
one nation or race would be quite easy,
but we are a republic of all nations,
races and creeds. Our fathers succeed
ed IN conquering their own independ-
enee. Then we conquered foreign foe
and after that subdued the greatest of
rehellions and proved our ability to DE
a nation but with our success has come
cur greatest peril. While we have been
doing all these things the nations have
been watching. They have had their
ears to the ground, listening to dis
cover if a pure democracy could be a
success The kings have doubted and
trembled The common people have
watched for the results. With our vie
tories and growth, we have thrown our
doors open to the whole world and
from All the world the people have
come. and we are now the mess pot OF
the nations-Englishm Frenchmen,
freshmen. Germans, Italians, Swedes,
c,hinamen. Japanese, Poles, Spaniards.
mack men. Jews, Mohammedans, Ro-
manists. Protestants. Mormons and
nleople of every nation, creed, poiltlcal
faitn philosophy and idea of social
life comprise our citizenship. can this
Ifyse. in harmony!
This question is upon us. We nave
anarchists who march our streets
ev,ioes cling the red flag of mo God, no
afastsr > we have socialists who
,hrsaten TO burn our mills and our
cities unless their demands are gran,
cd We have Mormons who are SEND
ing their missionaries into all our COM
munities teaching polygamy' we nav
the question of negro suffrage peeoia
ing more and more difheult with .le
advancing conditions, OF the race. we
have ultramonta nism demanding .i,e
authority of the church over 90
schools We have atheism that Wouiu
hanish all recognition of rellsieh- Wv
have rumism which is the tai sese
source of crime in the nation we NAVY
white slayeism, which is reducing ~
the social rottenness of ancient A'hsl.s
and Rome al our larger cities.
have the arrogance of moneseo III
tocracy which seeks TO cohtroi .ne
6nancial interests of the iaha' W"
have the greater arrogance OF a..
combinations which seeks 10 oi.1e y
Cor whom a man may work ana Wiioi's
q firm shall employ-the greatest u
all tyranny. .ha seeth-
All these make our nation the see'n
;ng ,ness-pot of the world. can an
.tbis diversity of ignorance ant ih'ei.
,,a,,e,.t Of noyerty and wealth ana every
variety of political. social anu ies
,o,,s belief and the dens of imhoraiits
no Thought into harmony II 10
ar question than was that oil ehe
Civil War. &c
W. believe in liberty; we boast o,
..r I;bsrtv but liberty unrestraineo
by law is anarchy. ,,,t
Kings are sometimes tyfahts pu.
wild. democracy may be
t,,rant Many of us have faith III
Coa that He is boiling down TINS
saething mass of diverse humanity
and conflicting isms into new ia
tionalitv and higher civilization pu,
at present there is confusion aha
peril. .,.;,.d
Liberty is dangerous when an''eo
with ignorance.
Intelligence is dangerous when gov
erned by selfshness.
Poverty is dangerous when It sees
no RIGHTS but it's own.
Wealth is dangerous when II Is
blind to justice. :.
Inf;delity is dangerous when II
RECOGNIZES no higher authority than It's
own reason. ;.
Reliaion is dangerous when II
denies the liberty OF others.
All these things are in this mess
pot of our nation. We are trying an
experiment for all humanity. God
has made our nation the vanguard OF
the world. Can we lead humanity
into safe democracy? Can we prove
that republic is stronger than
kingdom? Can ignorance and intelii-
gence. poverty and wealth, with equal
rights live together in peace. strength
and prosperity? That's the greatest
question in the political history of the
world. A republic TO be strong must
have an intelligent citizenship. In
monarchy, it may do for only the few
who rule to be intelligent, but in a
democracy where every man is the
peer of every other man in his right
to vote, the safety rests in the high
average intelligence of all the people
That was the strength of old New
England, the high average intelligence
of her yoemen. and that must be the
strength of our nation if it is to last
thrauph the centuries.
In a monarchy it may do for only
the governing few to feel sense OF
personal responsibility, but in "a
democracy its strength rests in the
high sense of political responsibility
among all the people. This also was
one of the reasons of the strength of
old New England, the common people
felt sense of Individual political re-
sponsibility, and this must also be
cultivated if we are to stand the
boiling down in the great mess-pot.
Again though our fathers were called
stern men, still they We're governed
by a firm sense of righteousness in
their relations, man with man. They
had civic righteousness without or
ganization. They We're religious,
that made them self sacrificing and