East Oregonian : E.O. (Pendleton, OR) 1888-current, 1916-07-04


The fathers adopted various ex'
pedients because they seemed best
fitted for this purpose. If they could
have found better ones they would
have adopted them. They put in the
amendment clause so that they could
adopt better expedients il they did
find them, and thus it was that We sc.
cured the initiative and referendum.
There was nothing farther from the
minds Of Franklin, Jefferson and
Washington than sacred tradition and
divine right. They were pioneer
thinkers and doers and expected us to
go on pioneering in thought and act.
''Neer thing the vlct'ry won
Nor lay thine armor down"
We must continue their pioneering
il we make our government live up
to their ideal of loyal consent won by
| service, How can we stop pioneering
when new worlds open before us every
day new worlds, not of plains and
rivers, but of problem and expedient?
our fathers framed their institute
ons for 100000 people, We have
/ OO,OOO,OOO to provide for. The old
house must be rebuilt to shelter the
f2mily.
They had no poor, They had free
land and self-secraficing families.
The Contrasts.
They had no overtowering money
lords and they led the simple life We
now have a national wealth of $751;
600 900, 600 and most of it is in few
hands. And we have 100000 people
in actual want, earning less than
living wage.
They had industrial liberty. There /
We're no industrial kings in those days |
and no rebellionus serfs our indus |
tries have fallen under great dynasties |
who are continually al war with their
exploited workmen. Every great |
trust is threat to the American in
stitutions and liberty.
The natural resources, land mines, |
timber, game, were then free to all
Now they are owned by vast economic
potentates who exercise the power Of
life and death over us all.
They had no child labor problem.
Now we have 1000, 900 children grow
ing prematurely old and sick in the
factories
Earning living was for our faith
ers a simple affair of willing hands
and ready brain. Now it requires
more and more training every day
And of our 100000 wage earners, !
100000 are utterly unframed. OIL
these workers 100000 are MANNED
every year and $4,000 killed outright
at their work.
The fathers had no immigration |
problem. To them America looked big |
enough to hold the population Of the
world. Now we feel crowded. There
are more mouths than jobs.
They had no problem of the hy-
phen. Now European race feuds be- |
gin to stir, European intrigues seep |
into our politics.
So ] might go on and enumerate /
many other problems with which we
of today must deal and which wers
unknown to the makers of this retpubo
lie. I cite these problems not to dis
courage or to depress but to stir to
action. We cannot sit down in the
faith that all Of our problems were
solved by our fathers They are here
today. big and menacing and we
solve them ourselves. We must use
our brains in pioneering thought just
az the fathers used theirs
Mental Preparedness Needed.
We need mental preparedness the
conviction that new times and new
problems need new ideas. And new
ideas will, if we are not afraid Of them
work out in new methods of service
to the people such as state markets,
rural credits, public ownership Of
utilities, state insurance and old age
insurance
New and more adequate expressions
in government of the peoples wishes
will secure greater service and so lead
on to that complete loyalty which
gIows out Of intelligent love.
1t is not enough to teach the peo.
pie that they ought to love the gov
ernment and salute the flag outer
acts may be deceptive. We must
make the government so fully expires.
sive of their highest ideals so aptly
ccnformable to their wishes and so
serviceable to their deepest needs that
they cannot help loving it.
And when they have learned to
love the government they will need
no compulslon to defend it. How to
secure this rational and unconquer |
able love which makes sacrifice JOY
full and death welcome is the great
problem Of preparedness. We shall
solve it by living up to the fathers
ideals. Make the government express
ever more promptly and fully the peo-
pies will Make 1t ever richer in SER
vice to the common man