The Julesburg grit-advocate., 1914-03-26
Have We Kept the FAITH
(By Alva A. Swain)
In the Pueblo Chieftain)


Some weeks ago the writer of this
article was in Washington. His visits
to that city have not been SO frequent
as to wear away the feeling Of sacred
ness that comes when he is traversing
those streets. One night he had been
over to Congress Hall spending the
evening with Congressman Keating
and Taylor. 1t was near midnight as
no left their hotel. He went to the de-
pot to get time card of trains and
started back to the Raleigh about
12:45 a. m. Noticing the beauty Of
the night he strolled to the Capitol.
He entered the grounds from the side
near the station and walked entirely
around the building until he came di-
rectly in front of Pennsylvania ave-
nue..
There he stopped and drank to the
fullest extent the beauties of the night,
but dearer still of the memories that
clung round the scene. A few hours
ago he had sat with Senator Thomas
and heard that man express a loneli-
ness because OF the absence of his
grandchildren and because he want
ed to see the mountains Of the west.
There was a similar loneliness in the
heart of the writer as he stood under
that great dome that night, butit was
not because he wanted to see the
scenes mentioned by Senator Thomas
His loneliness was because he wanted
to see In reality the scenes that were
but memories that had been enacted a.
round the spot upon which he was
then standing.
In front of him were beautiful
grounds. A little farther on was the
foot of the avenue with its broad run
way to the White House in the distance
Under the white clouds that hung low
stood the great purity pillar erected
to the memory of Him who made it all
possible. In the distance was the out
line of the Potomac and the Virginia
hills-God's background to the majes-
tic setting.
Standing there with that great pic
ture in front of him, while in the men,
ory shadow moved the mighty process
sion of men who have left the funda-
mental principles Of our government
as their work of life, the writer could
not help but cry out, "HAVE WE
KEPT THE FAITH?"
For moment the answer was in the
negative, because he saw the assaults
that are being made upon the very fun
damental principles of our government
the attempts that are being exerted
to sweep us from representative to a
mass governed people. He saw the
iypocriticai claim that judicia! dacis-
iocs should be recalled 80 tina. a ma
jority may take away that wiicl the
minority has, thus denying to the mi
nority the very protection for which
our fore-fathers established this gov
ernment. These and other negative
answers swept through his mind, and
he shivered at the thought that class
hatred and not patriotic appeals are
being used to accomplish those results.
Then came the Affirmative answer.
In that memory shadow picture moved
the long line of troops from sixty-one
to sixty-fve Men who gave their lives
that representative government might
still live and that the minority should
be protected from the sudden impulse
of the majority. At the head of the
line was him who ranked equal with
the man sleeping under yonder pines
at Mount Vernon. Following that shad
I sow-memory picture came the boys who
passed down that avenue on their way
to give Cuba the same representative
government we enjoy.
In that line were men the writer
knew; men who now sleep under the
sod softened by Cuba's dews; men who
went from the rank and file as our men
have always gone to trade their blood
for the establishment of government
principles which mean, the majority
shall not oppress the minority and
that the justice of our courts shall not
be overrun with the false prophets who
enlarge the mistakes of our judiciary
for personal advancement, even to the
extent of trying to shake the very
foundation of that department of our
government to the point that the en-
tire structure should fall.
From those two moving lines of shad