Willmar tribune. [volume] (Willmar, Minn.) 1895-1931, 1920-06-02
FATHER O'DONACHUE SPEAKS
FOR FARMERS AT MOORHEAD

FOR FARMERS AT MOORHEAD|
The following is report of speech
made by Rev. Father Martin O'Don-
aghue at a meeting held at Moorhead
Friday, May 81, as published in the
Fargo Courier-News, May p. 1t is
especially interesting in view OF the
statements made by hired tools Of big
BUSINESS in travelling thru the county
that the clergy is solidly against the
Nonpartisan League.
There is nothing the matter with
the American form Of government the
only real trouble is that we as q people
have become lax in the performance OF
our duties as citizens" said Father
O'Donaghue I'VE have shirked these
our duties too much and as a result
there has grown up class among US
who have taken advantage of this stu
alton to the detriment of the vast ma
jority ofthepeople
THE cause of the present unrest the
dawning realization of this situation by
the rank and file of the people of the
country and their determination to right
it as they have perfect right to do un-
der the constitutions There are those
who tell us that a democratic form Of
government cannot succeed, that the
common people are not fit to rule them
selves. We do not believe this. We
believe that the declaration of indeper-
dence is the truth and the constitution
of the United States is a practical basis
| for the government of this nation
1.-The people of this country believe
| this altho for some time they have been
Sinking their duty citizens. The
| war has aroused them to the danger of
| this situation and they are beginning to
assert themselves The present unrest
| is symptom of this awakening.
! I'VE are facing a critical time and it
! is incumbant on every honest citizen to
enter politics and assert himself. We
| have nothing to fear from this unrest.
| The American people are fully able to
solve the problems that confront them
| today and they are going to do it, God
has thrown down the gauntlet to us and
| it is up to us to act
| America Able to Solve Problems
1.-THE great problems that confront us
| today are the finest praise to the Ameri-
| can people because we are able to Crap
| pie with them and solve them. The
| fact that certain conditions which we
are now fighting have been allowed to
arise does not, to my mind, indicate
| weakness on the part of the people but
! rather strength. The spirit of the peo-
pie is embodied in the declaration of in
dependence and the constitution and the
fact that an unlawful spirit has been
|
in the nation does not mean that this
| spirit will win.
strength is always forbearing and
| the fact that the common people have
allowed certain interests to get tenn
| porary control of the government does
not indicate that this state of affairs
| will be allowed to continue. The Strength
of the common people is going to assert
| itself and that time is now. We are tn?
American revolution and it is not going
| to stop until right and justice win, nc
matter how long a fight we have beforl
Tories in America Today
1.-THE tories at the time of the revolu-
tionary war believed that the common
people were not fit for self-government
We have that kind Of people with us
today. I meet them often. They are
doing everything in their power to make
democracy a laughing stock. They have
! arranged things so that the people be.
lieve they are making laws of the nation
and actually taking a part in the gov
| eminent, while as a matter of fact q
small group of men opposed to them are
putting their own ideas into operation.
There is an invisible government ir
this country today and it is the none;
power in the hands of the few. I do rot
really feel like blaming them for this
condition. The blame lies with you an(
me, the common people who have beer
negligent in exercising our duty of citi
zenship We have failed to grasp Cu]
own Importance or have been so busy
attending to other matters that these
!; few men have been allowed to usurp ou1
powers.
War Was Not Failure
THE war was not a failure It has
awakened us to the seriousness Of tht
situation that confronts us. 1t has
caused such an unrest that men will no.
, rest until the objects for which the wal
was fought shall have been realized fo1
every one of u.s. There are some people
in this country who are alien to Amer
lea tho born here. They are men wht
are violating the spirit of the declare,
ton OF independence and the constutio1
of the United States by attempting t.
prevent their fellow men from enjoyin:
the liberty which means the fulles
equality and opportunity.
These men and the interests the,
5 represent are creating discord anon!
the common people, setting them t,
! hghtlng against each other so that il
the meantime the interests may con
+ tinue their unlawful exploitation The,
may succeed here and there but I coult
not believe in God if I did not believ,
IN man and his ability to win agains
these forces.
These unlawful forces are always
at work splitting into factions Will
they so serenely on ursurping the pow
ers OF the citizens. You cannot max,
the people defending special 1nteres
believe that the common people cal
govern themselves, but we expect, b,
this election to make them know it,
Interests Fear Intelligence of Mob
The common sense of the majorit.
is the best guide There is nothing tn
special interests fear so much as tn
intelligence of the mob. Special priv
lese always feared the organization O
the people. That is why these forces
are putting up such a bittr fight on tin
\onpartisan League and the organized
workers. But these people are only do
ing their duty as citizens, exerting thei
rights under the constitution.
The eyes of America are on Nortl
Dakota today. The farmers of Nort]
Dakota deserve the thanks of the Am
erican people for having shown then
that the people have the capacity t.
rule; for having shown them that the,
believe thatit is the duty Of the Ameri
can citizen to exercise his rights. Her
are people who are real Americans TIL
workers of the nation are going to fol
low their example and unite and prov
to the world that they can rule, tina
they arecaPable of self-government il
| the highest degree.