Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1919-06-14
ELKS FAVORED
BY FLAG TALK
Moline Fraternity Hears Cyrus
Dietz Deliver Annual
Address.

Flag day ceremony last night at
the Elk club rooms. The fraternity
brothers were favored with an ad-
dress from Cyrus E. Dietz, Moline.
Mr.. Dietz spoke of the relation of
the Elk order to the patriotism it
has shown during the war and the
distinctly American ideals that it
now carries on its work with. Mr..
Dietz said in part:
In respect to the establishment
and performance of such exercises
as these, the Benevolent and Pro
tective Order OF Elks is unique
among the fraternities of the world.
It is, above all else, distinctively
and zealously American. In ac-
cordance with the precepts of the
order, to the true Elk, love of coun-
try is his religion; patriotism is
his form of worship.
Stirred at this moment, with the
same quickened emotions, by which
you all are so plainly moved, l
need not say to you that the magic
words and the matchless work of
the ritual just concluded have in
| spired and demonstrated a rever-
ence and a devotion, unexcelled by
| any form of conSecration-whe
human or divine.
at seems, therefore, almost a
| sacrilege for US now to break in
upon this resulting and spOnta-
neous spell of patriotic fervor, with
any prolongatiOn of the program.
However, the official regulations
of the order appear to contemplate,
at this point in these services, this
sort of interruption. 1 have some
times thought that this was an I'M
fortunate error, on the part Of
those who prescribe these exercises
and, that, perhaps, more good
might have been accomplished II
we had been allowed to separate at
this stage of the proceedings and
to have been permitted to pass
from here to our homes with the
splendid enchantment of this mag
nificent ritualistic spell still upon
US.
Must Consider Government.
But, maybe, it is well enough
| that in passing on this occasion
we stop to consider our govern
I ment, not only in ideal and theory,
but also in the practical and real.
In a brief but feeble way to con-
template the two, will be my pur-
pose.
"One hundred and forty-two
years ago the American flag was
born. At that time our form Of
government was at best an ideal
an untried theory. Better stated
perhaps, it was a grand concep-
ton. 1t was not a mere dream. 1t
was a scientific program of govern
ment. 1t was the product of the
best thought of the greatest stu
dents of government in the history
of the world. 1t was not the idea
! of a single man. 1t was the COM
! posite conception of whole galaxy
of statesmen. 1t was not mere
| experiment nor pure invention:
1t was based upon and backed up
| by the experiences of all mankind
| in the science of government. The
plan was not drafted or prepared
in secret or without argument and
debate. The discussions which
preceded the adoption of our con-
stitution developed the greatest ut
terances of all times upon the sub
iect of government OF the result,
/ that great Englishman, Gladstone,
said: Their work was the most
wonderful ever struck off. at sin
gle time, by the brain and purpose
| of man
New to the World.
"In all the history of the world
nothing like that was ever done,
| either before or since that time.
Many nations, it is true, had grown
I'D. Many types of government had
bean evolved. But ours was the
only form that was ever created
for adoption, and adopted upon It's
| creation. Those who founded this
government had just renounced one
form of government. Their very
souls were wrought up on the sub
iect of government. They knew
we'll from the history of the world
that man could not work out his
own destiny without government.
Their sole object, therefore, was TO
create and adopt a new form or
government under which that could
hest be done. In rough outline
their plan was simple. The col
onies. as separate individual states
and commemorative, drafted and
eutered into a partnership agree
ment. That was the constitution.
IT'S prime object was to recognize
the fundamental rights of man
those rights, with which, 1t was de-
clared, every man was endowed by
his Creator. 1t was to protect
these rights that this new govern
ment was established; and, yet so
sacred and inviolate were those
rights regarded, that, under the
provisions of that partnership con-
tract, even the government itself
was expressly forbidden TO en-
! croach upon them.
ct is safe to say that we have
stood the test of the tendencies to-
ward the extremes OF autocracy.
1t vet remains to be demonstrated
whether it viii stand the test OF
the tendencies toward the extremes
of democracy. Each of these eX-
trcTnes represents the highest form
of tyranny. OF the two, perhaps
the tyranny of the mob is by far
the greatest menace to govern
ment. This is so because the many
can always, in time, overcome the
few. The mere force of numbers
alone will, in the end, unthrone
the tyranny of the few. There is
no such natural safeguard to pro-
tect government against the tyr
amy of the many. In times of
war, the many can always Outright