The Brookings register. [volume] (Brookings, Brookings County, S.D.) 1903-1971, 1921-12-01
CITIZENSHIP DUTIES
le'nueI BolIes, National AdIu'
tant Of Legion, Scores
Political Slackers
BY Lemuel Bolles

lowing should give food for sober re-
Election to all American citizens who
desire to see u nation purged of all
that is evil in its civic and political
life. He handles the grave questions
that face our nation without gloves.
and draws conclusions as sharp and
distinct as is possible for any man re-
CARELESS Of his opportunities or abili-
ties.l
If America (the United States) ever
goes crumbling away to political and
economic ruin the fault will lie not
from the enemies without but the cit.
liens within, not guilty Of crime COM
mission but guilty of as grave a fault,
omission of the very duty that gave
them their freedom.
If all the blood and tears, all the
great effort and unselfish love and de-
votion that has gone into the erection
of the United States is to be wasted
the fault will lie at the door of you
and your neighbor and history in the
centuries to come will point a pitiless
finger at you and yours and declare
that the greatest advance in human
government the world ever knew was
lost because you and yours failed to
do your duty, a simple, easy, duty that
should be a joy and a matter of I'M
told pride.
America today stands in the path of
a destructive force. Not a whirlwind
to tear and rend but a slow, creeping,
insidious, relentless force that attacks
the very heart of your country, drains
the strength and power and hopes and
dreams of their being and will never
pause in its blight until you and yours
have been aroused.
Today in the United States, where
popular government has reached its
highest development, a large portion
of our citizens have abandoned the
effort to exercise any of their political
rights. So, in increased measure, the
urgent need exists for bringing home
to every individual his own RESPONSE
bility for selfassertion in political life.
In wal the qualified man who fails
to take arms in defense of his coun-
try becomes abhorent in the eyes Of
his decent fellows. The obligation 20
take arms at such a time is no greater
than the obligations of peace in the
life of any good citizen. If the neces-
sity arises, he renders this service in
the discharge of his civic duties. But
this is not true of all. Every country
has it's Bergdoll and every age its
slackers. They occupy an u~nenviable
place in public opinion; their children
will live to blush at mention of their
names.
But with the political slackers-
many of them are respected citizens.
We find them in every community;
the business man who is too busy to
register; the working man who will
not take time from his tasks to cast
his ballot; the housewife who thinks
that a woman's place is in the home;
the society woman who cannot De
bothered; the average of Tom, Dick
and Harry who don't take enough in
L6T6SC Ill IIc WSlldlc VI lhSii
ties to keep informed of the time and
place of the elections. All OF these
constitute an alarming proportion or
u adult citizenry who have a right
to exercise a share in the direction
of our political destinies, but do not.
There is not an ill in American life
today which cannot be cured, and
cured promptly, if each voter Will in
form himself as to issues with the
means at his immediate disposal.
There is not a weakness in our social
structure which cannot be bolstered
if individually and conscientiously we
trv to discharge the obligations and
exercise the privileges granted us by
the constitution of our United States.
Political bosses, machine rule and
graft are impossible in that community
where the citizens are awake to their
RESPONSIBILITIES; where they measure
I'D to the obligation resting upon the
individual. In every community there
is that element, always in the minority
but bound together by selfish interests,
thriving upon corruption of public OIL
Gals and special privileges, the very
existence of which is a malicious men,
ace to democratic institutions. In the
lowest classes of society there is a
dangerous criminal element, ever
crouched to spring at the throat OF
decent society and to fatten itself from
the results of riot, turmoil and destruc-
ton.
Well organized governments are
constantly alert to curb these ele'
ments. They have but little hope OF
success by an open breach OF the
peace. Driven to cover and cowed to
a sullen observance Of the more OBJ
vious forms Of law and order, they
work to bring about their ends by
more devious routes. These hardy
partisans are present in force at the
polls. They are never too busy to
cast their ballots. They are never
too busy to lavish time and effort for
the candidate who will best serve their
needs. They are DANGEROUSLY in line
ryhor the rewards are being diStrib-