The commercial. (Union City, Tenn.) 190?-193?, 1915-01-15
Our Political Duty.
Come let US reason together, saith the Lord

much like reason. But man is pre-
emlnently reasoning creature, an
the free exercise of reason in every feel
of human activity is always wise an
beneficial. Let us try to reason the
little upon politics. subject upol
which we are often prone to be mos
unreasonable.
!. All informed and candid people o
our State will admit, / suppose, tina
politics in Tennessee is somewhat-yes
deeply-corrupted by base and selfisl
interests. We must also admit tina
just as long as that is the case, and oul
State government is dominated at leas
in part by quacks and corruptionists,
we cannot have. that honest and whole.
some administration of governmental
affairs that will best subserve our moral
and financial interests, and conserve
our liberty and honor. What, then,
becomes our solemn duty relative to
our politics? Obviously it is to purify
politics and eliminate the self-seekers
and INSCRIPTIONS from places of power
The question, then, as to how we may
best do that-or even approximate it
is one OF prime Importance; and |
should be over sanguine if | supposed
that l could adequately and succinctly
answer it.
Certain it is, however, that we can
not purify our politics, and consequent
ly rectify our State government, by let
ting politics alone. Plato has said,
somewhere in The Republic, that phil
osophers shun politics because it is cor
ruption; but that, to my mind, only
proves shameful lack of vigorous
patriotism on the part of early philos-
ophers in general. And that Plato him
self was fully alive to governmental
things, The Republic is an everlasting
monument. To shun politics because
of its corruption, or for any other rea-
son, as for that, is, as l see it, to shun
a great responsibility and duty that we
owe to ourselves and to posterity. Rous-
seau-the wise and strange Rousseau
one of the greatest political philoso-
pliers, evinced true patriotism when he
said: Il feel that, however feeble the
influence my voice can have on public
affairs, the right of voting on them
makes it my duty to study them" 1t
certainly is every citizens duty, who
would not become mere subject, to
study our political conditions, and the
men who are out for positions of trust,
so he may exercise his franchise with a
wise choice and moral emphasis; for
it is only by doing so that we can hope
to keep good men in power, which is
the first perqusite of good govern
ment and the only surety of its per-
petuation. Sparta recognized this great
fact, and consequently would allow no
man of questionable character, how
ever fair his promises, to hold positions
of trust and power.
1t is often the case that many of our
good citizens, either through disgust or
indifference, refuse to take any part in
politics, public affairs and elections; and
that is a most dangerous practice and
one that is fundamentally inimical to
our liberty and prosperity. For when
good men refuse to express their will at
the ballot box, it leaves gap that al
lows selfish interests and particular wills
to step in and thWart what Rousseau
would call the general will, which is
always for the best common interest of
the people. Hence it is that ambitious
self-Seekers are always anxious to de-
ceive or corrupt the people or suppress
their voice. So when the people cease
to vote, or can be bought, all is lost.
Rome, as a republic, was rapidly merged,
or changed, into an aristocracy, when
her citizens began to sell their votes.
Sound morality and patriotic interest
in the government, among the people,
then, is the only sure and durable foun-
dalton for any democratic government. |
Corrupt men, because of the extra
and unlawful profit and power which |
they hope to reap, are usually more
active in public affairs than honest
men, and always more ambitious for
power. For the probability is, says
Plato, that if there we're a city COM
posed of none but good men it would
be an object of competition to avoid
the possession of power, just as it now
is to obtain it.. An honest man in
power is apt to be, and should be, active
in his proper sphere, but corrupt and
selhshly ambitious man extends his
activity beyond his proper province