Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1922-06-08

goes crulnbling 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 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 pitlises
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, simple, easy, duty that
should be joy and a matter of I'M
told pride.
America today stands in the path Of
a destructive force. Not whirlwind
to tear and rend but a slow, creeping,
ms oious, 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 it's 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 self-assertion in political
life.
In war the qualified man who fails
to take arms, in defense of his coun-
try becomes adhorrent in the eyes of
his decent fellows The obligation to
take arms at such time is no greater
than the obligations of peace in the
life of any good citizen. IL 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 its Bergdoll and every age it's
slackers. They occupy an unenviable
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 be
bothered; the average of Tom, Dick
and Harry who don't take enough in
terest in the welfare of their communi
ties to keep informed of the time and
place Of the elections. All of these
constitute an alarming proportion of
cur adult citizenry who have a right
to exercise a share in the direction
of our political destinies, but do not
There is not an i'll 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 weakness in our social
structure which cannot be bolstered
If individually and conscientiously we
try to discharge the obligations and
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the Constitution of our United States,
Political bosses, machine rule and
graft are impossible in that communi-
ty where the citizens are awake to
their sponsibilities; where they
measure up to the obligation resting
upon the individual In every com
munlty there is that element, always |
IN the minority but bound together by |
selfish interests, thriving upon corrup-
ton OF public officials and special priv |
lleges, the very existence Of which is |
malicious menace to democratic in
st1tut1ons- In the lowest classes of |
society there is dangerous criminal
element, ever crouched to spring at
the throat of decent society and to
fatten itself from the results of riot,
turmoil and destruction.
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
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 /
partlsans 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 |