Abilene weekly reflector. [volume] (Abilene, Kan.) 1888-1935, 1913-07-31
THURSDAY. JULY 81. 1913.
HORSE SENSE I'M POLITICs.


horse sense. No person with sound
judgment is fooled by the assump-
tion OF all goodness by any politi-
cal party but It Is we'll to call at
tention occasionally to the logical
side of things. Mr.. Scott says:
happened to see an editorial in
the Topeka Capital, the first para
graph of which is as follows:
During the course Of one of his
debates with Henry Allen, Hon.
Charles Scott is quoted as saying,
You can not build political party
around the Golden Rule And why
not, Mr.. Scott?"
The reason you cannot build a
political party around the Golden
Rule is because It is not a subject
Of controversy. All men agree that
this sublime utterance of Our Lord
congresses into single sentence the
highest possible conception OF hui
man duty-and you can't establish
a political party on a proposition
upon which there Is no disagreement.
The only reason political parties ex-
ist is because men differ on public
questions; and 1t is the questions
upon which men differ, not those
upon which they agree that form the
basis of political parties.
Some other papers, notice, COM
menting upon the Yates Center de-
bate, appear to have an impression
that ] said, There Is no place in
politics for the Golden Rule" par
alleling that statement with the ia
nous observation Of Senator Ingalls,
that the Decalogue has no place in
politics. OF course, said nothing of
the kind. Mr.. Allen had been en-
phasizing the social welfare planks
Of the Progressive platform and by
way OF answer l said in substance:
you can't make a political issue
out Of the proper treatment of wo-
men and children any more than
you can make political issue out of
the Decalogue and the Golden Rule,
because 1t Ia subject upon which
all good men agree. The statutes
OF the states are full of laws the
purpose Of which Is to guard the
moral life and promote the social
welfare Of the people, that were put
there before the word progressive"
as 4 political trade mark had been
invented. Some Of them we're writ
ten by Democratic and some by Re-
publican legislatures. But most of
them were written within the past
fifteen years. Why? Because under
the wise and beneficient policy of
the Republican party the country
has been prosperous and the people
and their representatives have had
time to think of such things. You
didn't hear much about ''neighbor-
hood centers" and "the moral up
lift" In those disastrous years from
1899 to 1897. You can't interest a
man in q movement for better work
ing conditions when he cannot get
work under any conditions. You
can't interest him in minimum
wage for women and shorter hours
for children, when his own wife and
babies are ragged and starving. /" =
You don't have TO organize political
party in order to have measures Of
social betterment enacted any more
than you would have to organize a
party to enact laws to carry into
effect the commandment, Thou
shalt not steal!'
Is there anything in that state.
ment to justify the change that n
avowed q cynical disbelief in ann
proper connection between politics
and good morals or good CITIZENSHIP
One Of the troubles with the Pro-
gressive party Is It's calm asBunp-
ton that It has cOrnered the coun-
try.s entire stock OF public and pri-
rate virtue. and has established 81
monopoly In patriotism and human
itarianism. It's orators talk as II
every other party took the keenest
delight in overwOrked women and
undsrfed children and devoted ali It's
enefsies 70 3iasnIhs the gulf be-
tween the rich and the poor. ItI
seem, 70 me there cannot Be a yeFy
long ne a, Stoge fos 1 party which
ssek ms "a capitalize ordinary,
.u-..n 49,. lntn nollll.-l