The daily Gate City and constitution-Democrat. (Keokuk, Iowa) 1916-1922, 1920-08-18
KGAcIEs GOOD AND BAD.

LEGAClGS HOOU AMI BAL.
The president has properly designated De-
cember twenty-f first as the day on which to cele-
brate the tercentenary OF the Decentralization
Of the Pilgrims at Plymouth Rock. Yet those
hardy navigators thought they were landing
or the eleventh Of the month, as it was by the
old style chronology. 1t was really, however,
on the shortest darkest day of the year that
they completed their adventurous voyage. The
midnight of the year was past and with the
dawn of nsw day fttingly began new epocA
In human affairs. i
While still on shipboard the Pilgrims declar- i
ed In their famous covenant that all owed due i
submission and obedience to the lawfully ex- /
pressed viii of the majority. To this principle
we owe, as far as we enjoy them, the blessings
of peace liberty and personal security, blessings
like sunshine and flowers SO common that VIC ,
accept them matter Of course As Presi
dent Garield eloquently said, this principle
lis not one of the doctrines Of our political sys
TEN but is the system itself, is our political
armament In which all other truths are set as
stars in the heavens.
We shall hear much of this as the weeks go
by; but just now, and In order to estimate our
notable forebears fairly, it is Of interest to note
that while both Pilgrims and Puritans are popu-
ilarly thought of as having come here for re-
ngious liberty the freedom of men to worship
God In their own ways was the very last thing
1tney thought of conceding or establishing.
Freedom to worship In their particular way,
edom to do as they did and to concur in their
practices and beliefs was all they ever dreamed
of allowing to anybody; and their doctrine Ct
concurrent powers and rights was a jug handle
proposition, all ON one side.
/ Precisely the same spirit is manifest now
whenever any group OF self-seekers is able to
make law. Intolerance, bigotry, is one of the
; undesirable inheritances from Puritanism of
which we shall rid ourselves in time We have
gone long way in this direction, and Senator
Harding voices the intelligence of the nation
IN declaring that s'we must not abrdge the free.
dom of speech, the freedom of assembly or the
freedom of the press, because there is no pro-
mise in repression In time, and soon, as may
} be hoped we shall see this doctrine widened
; into the declaration that we must not abridge
The freedom of any minority or of any indi
lvdual whose exercise Of his freedom is not in
Iderogation of the equal rights of other men.
; President Wilson'S salary is seventy five
Thousand dollars, which nobody begrudges him.
But now that his tenure of Office is drawing to
a close there is bill, bearing the authorship
of Senator Hoke Smith, of Georgia, pending in
congress to reduce the presidents salary to
fifty Thousand dollars. The measure also pro-
vides for annuity of ten thousand dollars for
ex-presidents. If the measure should pass,
which it will not, it would force President Hard
I ing to pension ex-President Wilson at the rate
of ten thousand dollars per year for at least ten
years. This is economy!
Paper suits are selling in European markets
today at prices from forty-fve cents to dollar
and seventy-fve cents But if they do not
wear any longer than some of the paper shoes
land slippers that have been sold on this side
of the water there cannot be much real economy
in buying them There s always catch some
where in these things.
Some inventive Iowan eager to see his name
in who's Who'' volume might realize his
ambition by inventing something ''just as
!. good'' as gasoline that could be sold at ten
;" cents gallon
e The person of talent needs no press agent