Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1913-04-15
Senator j. II. Lewis On
the Duty of the Hour

citizenship is peace. order and patriot
ism. Il is false lesson impaired TO
the generati-a which teaches that the
numbers constituting AmericSnship
are mostly evil or mostly false. 1t is
false doctrine we are establishing
before the world when We permit the
land OF Washington. Jefferson and
Hamilton TO oe held up before the
world as one where across its open por-
tails fate has inscribed, He who enters
here leaves hope behind"
1T is not true, as many OF our pub
lie men and prominent papers and
magazines assert, that all is corrup-
ton in public life and all is deflement
IN private homes. II is not true that
in America honor has persisted among
men, nor that patriotism has died
among Americans. In the souls of re-
united citizenship OF the republic is
the gladstone JOY al the mention Of
Americas achievements. ana the heart
throbs in glory with the names Of Lex
ington, Concord and Bunker Hill. where
our fathers sounded. through the
vCice Of Washington, the death knell
Of kings in America, and inscribed by
the hand Of Jefferson the declaration
OF independence, proelaiming the
equality OF man and the kingship only
Of God.
THE union tonight. as ever, sends
her cheers across vale and mountain
to Illinois at the naming OF Lincoln
and Grant, and the nation beholds with
rapture the unison Of harmony, north
and south, in the devotion to a com
mon flag. among a united people, for a
reunited country. Gettysburg and APP
pomattox are the sacred glories Of the
American. revived in tears, il may be.
but celebrated in pride they ever will
be. The citizenship of America, from
the umhblest 10 the highest, from the
most powerful 70 the most lovly, &C
claim their land as the supreme Of
earth, and their people the no5lest OF
mankind Honor is yet the standard
Of men in their daily lives. and patriot
ism their ardent inspiration in the de-
Tense of the republic, anywhere, any
time. as against the world.
Yet this occasion commands, and
the spirit OF truth impels. the confes-
sion that many wrongs have been in
fiicted by a certain number of our citi-
zenship upon the nation and upon her
people We must admit that if Theses
offenses we're not stayed and the
course OF their consequences not ar
rested, our land would go the way 9th
er worlds have gone in such extremity
-insurreCtion, revolution. then death
10 liberty, the end of freedom. Thebes
Carthage, Rome. are the widowed
crumbled, vet enduring evidences Of
these follies committed by a people up
on themselves and perpetrated upor
their country.
As Byron says:
'Tis the moral Of all human tales
First freedom. then glory;
With that past-avarice, corruption
Barbarism az last
And all Of history's volumes vast,
Hath writ but one page.
, We pause 10 note the demand To-
, the initiative and referendum in Amer
p lea This call by the people TO th'
legislatures both state and national
= 70 give up and surrender their priv
; lege TO make laws as the representa-
: tives Of the citizens. this call and de
t msnd of the people that they them
, selves by their ballot directly intiat
.. their own legislation and execute it b.
2 their direct action. this demand OF TN
70 American citizen for the introduction
. OF this innovation has been caused b,
D a long-suffering Of the betrayal Of III
2 peoples will. by the representative
y bodies designated legislatures. Ate
tlis long endurance. coupled with III
2 experience Of much disaster to the IL
5 terests Of the people, and Swallowed Il
J. the gloom Of bribery, pollution and col
; ruption of legislatures by the instrl
3 meutaEties and influences which hav
d for the last 20 years particularly er
: gagged in these undertakings. the cit
b zenship has merely sought some nett
? cd by which they may remedy the il
4 justice upon their country and proven
/ the betrayal OF free government an
r the outrages upon citizenship commi
5 ted by these different branches {
n state and national legislators. The az
!. vocacy Of the iniative and Referendum
K was not projected by America as e S,
Y Perior agency or more complete on
Y than that provided by the fathers. moe
s eled after the lessons that the ancieI
? governments Of the world had affor'
r ed the initiative and referendum wa