American Falls press. [volume] (American Falls, Idaho) 1907-1937, 1918-07-23

sized the responsibilities of the youth
full citizen. Then he thrust his hand
into his pocket and. taking out a
small pamphlet entitled IAN Open
Letter to the Young Men of Indiana.
handed it to the Dispatch correspon
dent.
Read that" he said. as he turned
away TO answer a sharply ringing tel
ephone. And the correspondent read:
IF there are any ills in our gov
eminent today that ought and can be
corrected. il is the fault of every per
son who holds himself aloOf from
participation In the affairs Of his gov
eminent that these ills exist. If you are
dissatisfied with your government you
have no business TO stand by and
criticize. You c~ountenance those ills
By your inaction. and IL is your fault
If they are not remedied. Every young
man has got his duty 10 perform in
this respect.
In a national crisis. as II by magic,
the blood In the veins of young Amer
leans transforms boys into bayonets.
playfellows into patriots. dapDer dan
dies into destroying dreadnoughts,
and dancing pumpkins into Damascus
blades-all soldiers whom the world
may we'll fear. But in times of peace
our duties are imperative. The forces
OF evil work continuously, and neglect
is as wrong as willful evil. To young
men | appeal. To take part in the gov
erning Of yourselves is a privilege. to
aid in making this government right
is your duty. The only effective way
you can exercise this privilege and
perform this duty is by participation
in the politics Of your community"
Back from the telephone the young
chairman pointed 10 the pamphlet,
saying:
You note in there that l say that
to which party you now be inclined
IL of less importance than that you
seek for the truth and finding it, act,
and then act continuously. That's my
creed. While / am interested primarily
and exclusively in the Republican
party of Lincoln and Mckinley, when
il comes to the question of the young
man in politics, | say every chap 10
his guns and do his full duty in what
ever party he belongs.
Political parties are not instru-
ments for individuals to use for their
own personal ACKNOWLEDGEMENT. Polit-
ical parties are the means by which
thinking men promulgate and prac-
tise principles for the government of
their cOuntry-fOr the control of the
influences surrounding the place they
call their home. Any nan who thinks
otherwises is not aware of the high
privileges OF his citizenship. Any man
who thinks politics is a game to be
played in side-street shelters behind
locked doors is away behind the times.
The nation will stand no such prac-
tises.
when our boys come home from the
trenches of Europe they will take up
the duties of citizenship as they might
not have done had we continued in
peace. They have gone forth from their
homes to fight for their country hav-
ing fought for it and made it great as
the champion of the peoples of the
world. they are coming home to take
a new interest in the affairs of state.
These veterans of the battlefield will
grid on the armOr of civic and national
duty because they have seen the world
from a new viewpoint and in that
perspective glimpsed their wi power
and their responsibility.
1T is up 10 the Republican party,
and to every political party, to take
these things into consideration and
mark them we'll. That is the spirit in
which take up my duties as national
chairman. 1t is the only kind of poll
tics / have ever known and the only
kind that | ever will know. AS a
young man myself l want TO see every
young man in the country get right
in heart and soul.And this | ask for
a purpose for greater that the success
Of any party-for the ultimate goal
that no harm shall come TO the Repub-
lie"
Putting Indiana back again in the
Republican column after its backslide
was really what brought Hays into
national prominence. Elected chair
man Of the Of the Indiana state Re
publican committee in February, 1914.
he conducted SO able a campaign that
he lifted his party in the state from
a very poor third in 1912 to near-vic-
tory in 1914. Complete triumph came
his way in 1916, when. after being
reelected state chairman. he led a
brilliant campaign that resulted in the
election OF two United States senator's.
the entire state ticket, and nine of
thirteen congressman. all Of whom
had been Democratic.