The central record. (Lancaster, Ky.) 18??-current, 1912-06-07

A good citizen. Did you ever stop
to consider what it takes to constitute
good citizen? First subservienee to
the laws of your country, your COM
monwealth and the municipality in
which you dwell. Next you owe it to
your country to aid in the administra-
ton, to assist in the application of the
laws which are made and provided for
the government of the people: it is
your duty to serve, cheerfully. on the
various juries which are empaneled for
the administration of the law. How
many of you yield cheerfully this SER
vice? When the officer comes around
seeking jury. do you submit cheer
fully, or do you offer an excuse, and
when you are brought before the judge,
do you qualify, or do you look up every
imaginable excuse which will release
you from jury service, and then when
those who have qualified and served
upon jury decide case in manner
which was not to your liking, you con-
denim them for it, when you yourself
had the opportunity to serve on that
self same jury and evaded it. Some
one must compose the juries, why not
you. 1t is your duty and one which
you should not evade. Do you report
to the officers or to the grand jury the
various infractions of the law which
come to your notice, or do you wait
for the officers or the grand juries to
find out these infractions for them
selves, and if they fail to do this, you
condemn them for their failure. An
officer cannot be everywhere at once, a
grand jury is but an instrument for the
inquiring into of crime, and without
the cooperation of the citizens, both
the officers and the grand juries are
pOwerless. Did you ever stop to think
that if you would bring to the notice
of these people the various infractionS
which have come to your knowledge
that the prevalent crime to great eX
tent might be mitigated, that it was
your duty as a good citizen to give in.
formation of any wrong doing of which
you knew, and thereby aid the admins
tration of the laws which tend to make
this a peaceful community in which tt
dwell.
Do you pay your taxes promptly, OIL
do you wait until the very last minute
and then reluctantly pay into the pub
lie Golfers what it takes to keep up the
state, the county or the town?
When you complain of a bad piece
of pike in the country, bad crossing
in the town, or some other deficiency
upon the part of the people whose duty
it is to look after these things, do you
ever stop to consider that you have no
yet paid your taxes, that it takes
money to do all these thifgs, and i
everyone would do like you, persist il
waiting until the last minute to pay
what is their due for the upkeep O
the community in which they dwell
that the thorougfares and the genera
condition Of things would be in mucl
sadder plight than they are. Whel
the matter comes up for some interna
Improvement which requires the ex
penditure of more money than is readil,
available, such as the improvement 0
the school facilities or the extension 0
the water works system, and whic
requires the issuance of bonds for tn
raising of the money, do you simpl
because you fear it will increase you
taxes by few mills on the dollar, re
fuse to vote for the issuance of tn
bonds and use your influence to brin
others to your way of thinking. l
this good citizenship?
Do you condemn your governin
body, the fiscal court, or the city coun
Gil because they fail to perform sam
act just as you would have it perform
ed, do you stop to consider that thes
bodies in their deliberations seek tn
greatest good,tO the greatest number
did you attend their meetings or lie
them know your opinions about mat
tiers under their consideration? w
will venture to say you did not, an
yet you were ready with harsh crit
cism and condemnation of their act
when you never sought to assist theI
in the unraveling of any knotty prol
, lem which confronted them.
We do not advise anyone to be
busybody, but the affairs of your tow
and county are your affairs. and if 20
fail to air your views as to the prope
management of the affairs in whic
you are interested, then it is not tn
act of good citizen to condemn whe
you failed to offer advice or assistance