The Marietta journal and courier. (Marietta, Ga.) 1909-1918, 1913-06-06


dawn of DAY
A government is good as the aver
age morality of the average individ-
ual is progressive, and a government
| is bad in proportion as the average
morality is low and lethargic. When
good citizens attend to their civic
duties, their civic energy is repre-
scented in good officials. When they
are careless, their slothfulness is
represented by corrupt officials.
Mr. voter, you and l, are respon
sible for the future of this govern
ment. If the American republic is
to survive it must be saved by the
efforts of the patriotic citizens who
want nothing for themselves but the
advantages that accrue from the gen.
eral public veal. If the public learn
to appreciate this, learn to know the
dangers that threaten our future, and
voters, the future of this govern
ment is assured.
am not an alarmist, and do not
believe that the United States of
America will cease to exist as a re-
public today nor tomorrow. We have
lasted for one hundred and thirty
seven years-a long time when COM
pared with the average period of one
mans public activity, but short il
, the history of nations. Venice had
a republican form of government for
one thousand years, Carthage endur-
ed as republic for seven hundred
| years, and Athens lasted nine hun
dred years though there were inter-
missions during that time. Florence
was republic for three hundred
years, and Rome for five hundred
These governments were once great
er factors in civilization, and their
citizens probably thought they would
last forever, that nothing could over
throw them. We are likely to har-
Dor similar ideas, and it is possible
they will prove to be wrong.
The conditions that caused the
downfall of those old republics, now
almost forgotten, were the same con-
ditions that will cause the downfall
of the American republic, if it is not
to endure. The dangers lie in the
hearts of the people.
Too many are Indifferent, and this
indifference of voters is the greatest
menace to republican form of gov
ernment Arouse the voters to an
understanding of the danger, con-
vince them that they are personally
and directly concerned, get them
moving once and they are invincible
But while most people are honest,
they are inactively so, while the vi
cious minority are perniciously ac-
tive. 1t is not enough to be merely
honest, the good citizens should be
aggressive in their opposition to
graft and corruption, but law break
ers have nothing to fear from passive
opposition, but they must yield to ac-
tive and aggressive fighters. We
need more fighters in the army of
peace. We must fight for everything
that is worth having, we must fight
against everything that is bad The
opposed to weeds, but he must cut
them down and make an active war
fare against them, or his crops will
be ruined In governmental affairs
the same relations exist between good
and evil as between the useful grain
that must be sown and cared for, and
worthless thistles and weeds that
will spring up of their own accord
anywhere. A government neglected
will no more become good than a
neglected field will grow corn and
wheat.
There are no necessary evils in
government. 1t is the abises of gov
) eminent about which all good cit
liens have a right to complain. Those
who have protited by the abuse are
usually the loudest in the denunci-
alton of those who point out abuse
) in public affairs.
While the people are to blame
where public abuses exist, officials
who wink at the violation of the law
are nevertheless culpable. Good
e. government depends more upon the
} man behind the law than the law
itself, The law is merely the weapon
for officials to use, and without Off
/, Gals laws would be as useless as
cannon in war without men. When
an official takes an oath to enforce
the law, he has no right to violate
, that oath, and excuse the non-en-
forcement of certain laws because
, they are seen to be unpopular. Sen
timent may be against the enforce
ment of some law but an official does
not take an oath to support publ.