JANUARY 3, 1907
9
The Nebraska Independent
Lincoln and Washington, and, taking
alarm, they seized the reins of the
party and with a spectacular flourish
ing of banners with new mottoes in
scribed thereon, and loud blaring of
trumpets they stampeded the party
into a new corral. Following the tac
tics of the cowboys they cut out a
couple of lusty leaders and run them
at the head of the procession and suc
ceeded in landing in office a queer mix
ture of white, black, streaked and
spotted politicians, as incongruous a
mess as was eve seen.
Will this outfit obey the order that
was so plainly given by the people,
of stop thief? Is not such too much
to hope for under the circumstances?
Yet, upon a strict obedience to the
command of the people rests the fu
ture of the republican party in the
Btate. Through indifference born of
ignorance, alone, do the people con
done offenses in public servants or
political parties. They are incapable
of condoning an offense after becom
ing aroused and active in the work
of overthrowing recognized evils in
government.
Let us hope that there are enough
honest republicans in the legislature
for the fusionists to unite with to
save the state from the further hu
miliation of a government in the in
terest of the plunderers of Wall
Street.
WHY WE HAVE FAILED
That our expjeriment in popular
government, so far as we have gone,
is not altogether satisfactory must be
admitted. , But, there is nothing in
our experience that need in the least
discourage the friends of popular gov
ernment, while on the other hand
there is found every assurance that
substantial progress is being made to
ward a realization of the perfection
of human government. , The above
may seem to such as have not given
the subject the attention it deserves
as a rather optimistic view. But,
nevertheless, there is ample and
abundant warrant for such view, as
wji shall undertake to show,
j First, we assert that our people are
now in the full possession of every
requisite for perfection' in govern
ment, except that of intelligence alone.
Next, our contention is that our peo
ple are learning fast, and that it is
only a question of a short time when
they will have mastered, not only the
principles of government, but will
have also mastered the details tf the
administration at" government, ade
quate to a perfect function of Justice.
Self preservation Is a law of nature.
History, has not yet khown us a man
good enough to govern others Justly
without responsibility to them. As
poon as the whole people learn to
participate in the government as a
means of projecting their own Inter
ests, the Interests of the majority will
be safeguarded to the extent that the
majority possesses the Intelligence to
do no. And as the IntereMa of a
majority will always include any just
claim of a minority the rule of the
majority cannot inflict pain upon the
minority without at the same time in
flicting pain upon its own members.
Therefore, while the right remains in
the minority and the various members
thereof to criticise, without fear, the
government in all particulars, the
minority can, through the work of
education, make their own views the
views of the majority at a subsequent
election.
But, it may be asekd, how will it
become possible to make the whole
people participate in the government?
While conceding the power of a ma
jority to rule, yet all are forced to ad
mit that the interests of the majority
of the people have been grossly abused
by the government for more than a
generation, during which time the
government has been converted into
an engine to enable the crafty cun
ning and unscrupulous to plunder the
people under forms of law. True, the
majority have failed to realize their
power and control the government in
their own interest, and have through
indifference, born of ignorance, al
lowed a minority to control the gov
ernment and plunder them.
The idea, however, never occurred
to any considerable number, until
quite recently, that our political ma
chinery was at fault and that a change
in political methods must be devised
such as will encourage and inspire
the voters to take the helm of govern
ment into their own hands. Neither
did it occur to many, until quite re
centlythat as a means of self preser
vation the people would not only have
to displace the tried and found want
ing, caucus convention system of mak
ing nominations and hereafter nomi
nate their candidates by a primary
election system, but that they would
have to go further and penalize non
voting. But now that the people in large
numbers realize the necessity for such
a change, the change is sure to come,
and with it possibilities in the way
of just government, that are so far
removed from the people under the
caucus convention, as to cause many
to sink into indifference' or despair.
The dawning of a new day politically
is already here. The generation that
is just entering upon the stage of po
liticol action are doing so with a
broader intelligence than did 'their
fathers. They know their power and
will, never, fear, exercise it wisely.
From the nature of Ihings a suffi
cient number of our people to consti
tute a majority will never adopt ex
treme views, or venture any long
step upon untrodden paths. The idea
of liberty so permeates the American
heart and mind that a majority can
never be found on the side of ill-considered
experiment In the 'government.
But, on the other hand when ever any
method or practice In our politics has
been tried and found wanting it In
only a question of a abort time until
It will bo forced to give wuy to an
other and better system.
We need have no fear of social hm
or Kindred extremes. On the other
hand the fullent and freest dlcus
tdon ff all xuoh can only result In
broadening the mental hoi lon and d'
veloplng the latent powers of our peo
ple. The evils that have afflicted us
most and are responsible for the
growth of industrial monstrosities
among us are intellectual indolence
and party slavery. The awakening
that is now in evidence is unmistak
able and is a genuine contagion.
Party Idolatry is withering before' the
flashlight that is Leing thrown onto
the lives of the men who have con
troled the machinery of the parties
for private ends, in total disregard of
the public good. The order of the
day is to dethrone party bosses, re
store the government to the people
through a primary system of making
nominations, and the penalizing of
non-voting both at primary and reg
ular elections.
A Modern Solomon
Joseph Choate, the famous lawyer,
related at a dinner party at Lenox
Home interesting reminiscences of the
bar and bench. '"A striking case,"
said Mr. Choate, "transpired in the
Go's. It was a case of a workman
who claimed to have lost the sight of
his left eye in an explosion.
"There was no doubt about the ex
plosion, and there was no doubt that
tho workman's eye had been Injured;
but the physicians claimed that he
could see out of it, while he stoutly
declared that the sight was utterly
destroyed.
"The Judge heard all the evidence
pro and eon. Then, sending the work
man from the courtroom, he said:
"'Get a blackboard and write a
sentence on it with green chalk. Also
get a pair of spectacles with ordinary
clear glass for the left eye and with
red glass for the right.'
' "This, 'in the course of an hour or
so, was done. Then the workman was
brought back and he was ordered to
put the queer glasses on.
"He put them on and the judge said
to him.
" 'Turn the blackboard round and see
if you can read what is written.'
"The man read the sentence with
out hesitation, whereupon the judge
said to him sternly:
'"Your case Is dismissed. You are
an impostor. You must have read
that sentence with jour left eye, for
the red glass over the right one turn
ed, the green writing black and made
it quite invisible on the blackboard."
Cincinnati Enquirer.
The ogic of Childhood
"Mamma, you said the other day
that If I ate too much of anything
I'd get pick of It and never want any
more."
"Yes, my son, I know f did. Why?"
"Well, I think it would be a splendid
idea io begin with candy, lee cream
and cream puffs and keep on till I'd
eaten too much of ever) thing and thtn
I'd live without eating."' -Judge.
A New Vernlon
"How did you get ,Mr. Oimrox to
provide money for that project of
yours?'" asked MUj Cayenne.
"I Bulled him to a very M-lect din
ner party."
"I understand. It was one of the
cases where invitation was the sin
cerest flattery." Washington Evening
Star.
Exciting
The headliner was busy getting up
his headlines.
"Crush! Mob! Riot! Police!" ho
mused methodically.
"(J rent Scott!" exclaimed the caller
In the sanctum, "has there been an
other outbreak in Rnssia?"
"Oh, no," replied the headliner, "I
am only getting ready to describe the
scenes, at an ultra-fashionable wed
ding last evening." Chicago News.
His Prize
He wag very short of money and
was also out of a job. Wondering ,
what on earth he could do to meet
the rent he happened to gaze in at tho ,
window of a grocery store, so that ho .
might feast his eyes on the luxuries
he could not purchase. A bag In the .
window caught his eye. On It was
written:
"The person who guesses the exact
number of beans in this bag by the ,
twentieth of this month will be re
warded with tho sum of $50." -
He went home, made a guess, wrote
a number on a postal card, and to his ,
intense astonishment gained the prize
when the count took place.
But he was not happy. - Oh, dear,
no! His troubles only Just began at
that moment. A small crowd of
friends were awaiting him. They all
wished to congratulate him in the
same old way, and after leaving them
he was quite $5 poorer. On leaving
them he went home, only to find
awaiting his arrival one or two book
agents, an insurance man, the butcher,
the baker, the shoemaker, the install
ment fiend and the landlord. They
had in some way all heard of his good
fortune.
He discovered his wife highly elated.
She had, on receiving the intelligence
of his good fortune, immediately gone
out and purchased a new bonnet,
which she had ordered sent home C.
O. D. This was the last straw. 1
He hid himself in his bedroom, and
later on a wild-eyed individual might
have been seen furtively stealing out
of the back door, and running at a
break-neck speed down the street fol
lowed by a band of shrieking der
vishes. Such is good fortune. Judge.
GREETINGS FROM JAPAN
The following Is taken from a re
cent lssim of the Japanese Evan
gelist: "To the Hon. William Jennings
Bryan, Lincoln, Neb. Hon. 'and Dear
Sir: At the annual convention of
the National Temperance League of
Japan, held In the city of Yokohama,
the 12th and 13th of this month, the
following action was taken: That tho
convention send greetings to the Hon.
William Jennings Bryan, and hereby
express sincere appreciation of tho
firm stand he took for the cause of
Temperance, while In Japan u year
ago, by refusing to drink wiim at ban
quets and by went lug 'our' temper
ance badge in public, thus xhowing hU
r-tauueh championship of the great
U-npernnre movement in the world.
Banal to Mr. Bryan! Signed for uud
In behalf of the National Tcmperam
League."
