The daily Gate City. [volume] (Keokuk, Iowa) 1855-1916, 1912-07-02
lis too early to prognosticate beyond
the one point that the old parties will
form the lines OF battle.
What We Call Progress.


Cedar Rapids Republican: We hear
a great deal said nowadays about the
progress that we have made and about
the national conscience that has been
aroused. We really think that won
ders have been wrought In our midst,
nationally, as the result Of great agi-
tations that have perturbed us.
But let us give ourselves no false
assurances; let us not flatter our
selves too much. When We come to
be viewed historically, the verdict
may not be SO clear. 1t may be the
verdict of the historian that while We
churned about great deal. as they
say OF butter or of herd of cattle,
we did not really advance as rapidly
as the commotion seemed to indicate.
We have had ten or twelve years OF
this excitement, but after each cleo
ton men find that the sun rises IN
the same place and in the same way
and that men still have to earn their
living in the sweat OF their faces. In
each campaign. and before the pas
sage Of each new law, we are told
that conditions will be entirely
changed, and everything will be easier
and better. We wonder why the man
and his measure did not come sooner
But he is in office and after the Law
is on the statute book why, life is
just about the same 1t still takes
the same amount OF muscle for Jack
and Jill to carry their load uphill and
the laws Of gravity remain the same,
when they lose their footings and be-
gin to roll down the hill.
The world does not change much,
at least not in obedience to the mach
nations Of the politicians We shout
progress. as the young man cried "Ex-
celsior," but the world is not remade
and men are not reborn. Let us be>
lieve there is an uncaasing purpose.
but sse::::.. generation to generation, we
find the progress. we make is not SO
large. We point to the dark ages,
but We are still lowering on the bor-
ders ourselves and we are easily de-
moralized and easily thrown into a
panic. We pity those who have lived
before us, but they also were meas
urably prosperous and happy, and
that is all we can say of ourselves.
We discover new things and we cry
eureka which means I'VE have
found it." But after while some in
vestigator finds that some one had
found it before u.s. We call this the
age Of cement, but the Romans have
left in the wrecked pathway of their
history the remains of concrete con-
struction in degree of perfection
that we have not vet attained. We
speak of the initiative and referen-
DUN, without really knowing what
they imply, but the Romans had both
these doctrines and they did not save
them. We discuss the recall as some
thing new, but the Romans had the
recall and the men who were recalled
under her system of jurisprudence
were banished. The truth is that all
these things that We discover" have
been tried before u.s.;
And that is why we have used the
word "churning' That describes us
and our mental and political states.
And because the process of churning
upsets great many things and makes
great deal of noise, we think we
are going forward at rapid rate.
When we come again to stand still for
a while, or fall exhausted, as We will,
we will find that we are not SO very
far removed from the original place
the sun will rise in the same place,
traverse the same path in the sky and
man will go to his work in the same
way and the same kind of sweat will
roll down his face.
oh, God, but we are lot of chill
dren and, probably, the best thing
about us is that we are SO easily
amused, and so easily deceived, espe-
cially by our politicians.
Good for Clarke!
Sioux City Journal: George w.