The Hays free press. [volume] (Hays, Kan.) 1908-1924, 1916-03-25

er-mad. You will hear these political
stuffed prophets say, 'tnow this scheme
this move will sting the dear people.
But the days of Leland Powers and
Mulvane have passed. Meme, Meme,
Tekel, Upharsin,' has been written
above their heads and Mulvane and his
kind have been able to read the inscrip-
/ ton without calling in Daniel to in
terpret.
There are people who think that vir-
tue consists in ventilating the faults of
others. They are always, from their
attitude before certain self organized
committees, eager to give their testi-
mony, and advice on the improvement
of somebody's morals.
If you will look about, you will know
spring is here-small boys, marbles,
fishing tackle, ball gloves are now pa
rading the streets. How 1t makes you
want to yell to see them warm up, and
try to make curves, and listen to them
talk rules of the game. Bless the boys!
There IS much baseness in today's
life, but there is more goodness. Most
of the evils are the penalties for being
good. All well regulated homes have a
garbage can. Fail to have one and you
will soon need a commission on santa
ton, or die from typhoid. Apply the
figure to social life.
Honesty is not as picturesque as ras-
cality, but it is better and more help
full. Just mountaineering is not
social house cleaning. All wrongs will
be corrected, making a real public
conscience.
Charlatons talk loud to detract from
their own meanness; boodlers confess
to escape punishment; good men con-
fess to get relief from their conscience,
but rascals confess because they have
no conscience.
Our fathers, you well know, built
our nation on the teaching of natural
rights, certain inalienable rights, -
but today we are trying to reconstruct
and build our nation on interstate COM
merce.
One time we thought our constitution
needed sections and clauses, but lately
it seems our congress and supreme
court act as though sections and clauses
are useless, and say regulate ''inter-
state commerce" The only supreme
court decisions that have been worth
noticing in the last fifteen years have
been on the question of commerce.
Take railroads, packing houses, and
labels on canned goods as examples.
Until recent date all nations got their
start like Moses-on water. If you do
not believe the statement, study gener-
al history little while. Only cities of
the first class are found near great
navigation, yet there have been few
national crooks trying to ruin Kan
sas City.
If you will study geography you viii
find that much of Minnesota, Iowa,
Illinois, Mississippi and Arkansas is to
be found in the Gulf Of Mexico. If the
nation now makes use of its great nat
ural waterways for its own use and
will stop paying such tribute to pri-
vately owned railroads, much relief will
be had.
am sure the water in the rivers if
rightly used will pay larger dividends
than watered stock.
There is no West, that is, it cannot be
fixed like New England and the South
The West is a state of mind. It means
your attitude toward life. If you are
narrow, 'tsot" and dogmatic in your
views you are an Fastener, but If you
are willing to let the other fellow think
and live you are a Westerner
The West means vitality, larger zest
and more consideration for others. It
banishes all provinciallsm and despises
arrogance of any kind. It is tolerant
and originates but does not borrow It
has killed its buffalo to give pasture to
its kline The past tense has disap-
peared in the West. 1t lives in the
present. When person commences to
talk about "the good old times" i'm
mediately the family becomes anxious
and commences to make arrangements
/ for the undertaken. We in the West
live in the Now, and have nothing to do
with the past.
There was queen who learned that
her people were starving for the lack
of bread. The silly queen said, 'ttWhy
do not the poor dear people eat cake?''
You have heard that story before and
you have said. s'What q silly trihing
idiotic queeni" but friend, it pictures
1 the attit,llia Of = ..srtair class oe r,sc,r,lo