Clearwater Republican. [volume] (Orofino, Idaho) 1912-1922, 1916-01-07
BANNING THE SYSTEM IN ROT.


DAMNING THE SYSTEM IN ROT.
The Republican has no quarrel with
those who differ with it on politics,
religion, or any other question. We
admire people, who think. Nor have
we ever felt that becaues a man diff
fered he was necessarily dishonest or
foolish. We have not even imagined
that all the wisdom, virtue, honesty I
and integrity in the world was monop-
olized by the republican party, to
whose principles we have generally
subscribed. We have found good men
in all parties, and bad men in all par
ties. We have found that down at the
core all good citizens, regardless of
party affiliations, are laboring for the
same thing-good government at the
minimum cost to the people. And we
have been repeatedly told by social
lists that we are socialist and don't
know it. We have on several occa-
sions refused to follow the republican
party when we believed the party
was wrong. When the republican
party, at the end of the Gooding
administration, had repudiated six of
eleven platform pledges, we refused
to endorse that record, and when the
party in Latah county did, over our
protest, we carried the protest to the
republican voters of the county and
some 300 members of the party voted
the republican party out of power in
Latah county.
Last fall the Republican refused to
support O. V. Allen We believe
good citizenship stands above every
thing else, and that our village,
county, state and national govern
ments will be as good, and no better.
than the people who make up this
great nation.
You hear socialists, good, sincere
men, excusing graft and corruption on
the theory that our present system of
government is wrong, and responsible
for things socialists condemn. They
even go so far as to impute dishonest
motives to all republicans and all
democrats. But here is something no
socialist has yet satisfactorily an
, swered: What reform that the Amer
, lean people cannot have, under the
!, present form of government, if ma
jority of the people want it?
, You can't name one single thing,
. from government ownership of rail
roads and other public utilities, to
!, pensions for disabled attorneys and
political and business failures. Our
banking system will be what the ma
) jority of the people want; our public
school system will be what majority
/ of the people want; our national and
state constitutions will be what the
, majority of the people want; our laws
, will be what majority of the people
D want; the prohibition question, the
biggest political problem of the age,
r with popular demands.
r Shall the women of the United
: States have equal political rights with
$ men? Has the system of government
anything to do with it? Only this
r Under the identical system socialists
0 condemn the humblest citizen in the
| land has equal voice with the mos,
e wealthy citizen in the nation, and the
d majority rules. 1t is therefore mani.
e testify plain that woman suffrage is
I simply question of'what a majority
: of the people want.
e If the majority rule, and if the
e majority can run this government
what is wrong with the SYSTEM
n We believe we have the grandes1
n g)vernn ent ever co ceivei by man
r that it is the very fruit and consum
e nation of government, born of man :.
. dreams of civil liberty, nurished an,
e sustained by an imperishable longinl
: for system of government bette
e than the world had yet enjoyed
" The strangest thing is that a vas
n majority of those damning our govern
d ment and its institutions are men VIII,
l. never knew VIII, I FIRE e ION was, neve
e enjoyed liberty. never stood equal a
a citizen with any other citizen in tn,
e nation, until they came to the Unite,
y States and disgraced it by becomin,
: citizens.
These men curse and hate the fla
n Of fhis co1pfrv sacred Old Glorv