The Manitowoc pilot. [volume] (Manitowoc, Wis.) 1859-1932, 1914-04-02
Present Tendencies.

Present Tendencies.
In a most admirable discussion Of cur
rent issues, Henry Watterson, writing
to the Courier-Journal from Nice, says;
Federal ownership? Government
censorship? Partyism by process OF
self-perpetuation? Hithe rto it has re-
quired only a revolution to affect a
change Of parties at Washington. II
the people, blindly paying the fabulous
demands, put these giant powers in
the hands of any group of public men,
it will require an earthquake. Prog
ress, indeed after the telegraphs and
telephones, why not the railways, why
not all the public utilities. And then
as far as our old-fashioned Jeilersoni-
an Democracy goes, why not the del
uge? | know not how to diflerentiate
public measures from party leaders.
As the egg is TO the shell, is the states
man to his case. All the republics OF
which we have knowledge came to
grief and were carted TO the bOneyard
through the inability of the people to
distinguish between the true and the
false among their public men. In ey-
cry age and cline the rescript for dem
agogy has been the same. II IS as old
as the hills, as simple and familiar as
the selling of gold bricks, and yet APP
parent'y as effective as ever"
After making every allowance for
the great EDITORS vivacity-which, we
are glad to say, increases with years
we think that there is a great deal Of
sober truth in what he says. II is not
of specific measures many of which
will probably never pass that we need
to think, but rather of the tendency
which they indicate. People are not
giving as much thought as they should
TO the nature, character and structure
Of their Government. II they see what
seems to be a short cut to the remedy
Of some supposed evil, many of them
never stop TO consider the effect OF the
remedy on republican government. If
they weaken that they create an mimi
lely greater wrong than the one which
they seek to cure.
This Government was never built to
be, and is not fitted to be, the general
regulator Of the peoples lives and bus
mess. TO make it that is to weaken ia
tally the energy and enterprise of the
people, to destroy local self-goyern-
ment, and ultimately to overthrow Ii
berty as the men of our race have al
ways conceived it. There is no bless
ing that does not cost something, and
liberty is no exception. Are we will
ing to pay the price? We must, for
instance, expect that liberty will some
times run into license. We can not, if
we are to be free, have an efficient
Government as it is known in despOtic
lands, A strong central authority-of
the supposed need of which we hear so
much from men who ought to know
better is, and always has been, the
deadly foe OF liberty. We can have
such Government with all its many
advantages, but we shall have to pay
for it in the weakening of our institu-
tions, and, as sure as fate, in the loss
Of our liberties.
We hear n great deal of the change
in the spirit OF our people and there
has been a change, in many respects
for the better. But has the old and
precious inheritance lost it's hold on
us? Are the traditions Of a thousand
years no longer in our blood2 1t is
not question Of conservatism or radi
caism, of aissel faire or constant med
ding, but of truth to the spirit Of
American institutions. In mnny Of our
colleges, most unhappily, there is a re-
volt not against oppression, but again
81 the very forces and institutions that
make oppression impossible. But this
is not true Of all Of them OF course,
there is a great responsibility resting
on the newspapers of the country
The poodle ought at least to know
where they are going. II they are to
tread the old path they ought 70 do it
with their eyes open,-Indlanapolis
News.