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Show I GO INTO POLITICS. I Every citizen should go into politics earnestly, vigorously, and H actively. For a long time past there has existed a certain prejudice on H the part of a great number of citizens against taking an active part in I politics. In consequence thereof we believe the body politic and the H community at large have suffered because the class of people having H that prejudice have usually been found among the best class of citi- H zens, that it is people who have been successful in attending to their H own affairs, and who could have, by being active in politics, benefitted H the community by their services. H Many times it has been found in our conventions and in our juries H that the people who seem to be the most representative citizens and H were eminently able to render services shirked or avoided the rcspon H sibility of doing duty in either of these essential capacities, in a free H and representative government. The consequence has been that H many blunders have been committed by juries and gross mistakes H I1 made by conventions. H The spirit and genius of a representative government or govern- H mcnt of the people, for the people and by the people depends for its H 1 real and lasting success upon the interest, watchfulness and active participation in government affairs on the part of its representative Hi citizens. I Since the beginning of the world men and nations have fought, bled and died for liberty and the privilege of self-government. History H shows us the examples of many nations and peoples who have achieved liberty and freedom and have flourished and progressed and attained great heights of development and then have fallen into decay and obscurity because their representative citizens had lost sight of the fact that the price of maintaining liberty and freedom, j, progression and development in a free government, depends upon the I1 vigilance and activity of the whole people and not merely upon the ever unceasing labor of the ofttimcs selfish office holder. H 1,1 tllis grand Republic of ours, for many years past, 'the great fr body of the people in various states and communities have been so j busy with their own private affairs that they have paid little or no at- I! tention to the science of government and the consequence has been ! tliat tIie matter of government and law making has been left in the t hands of individuals who seemed to be interested, and as subsequent I events have shown that they were interested, selfishly interested and m laws have been made, rights, franchises and privileges granted to those H interested parties and their fi ends, regardless of whether the conccs- sions so granted were for the benefit of the whole people. Graft and corruption have been found in many of the departments of government govern-ment both municipal, state and National. This is merely the result of the people themselves having slept on their privileges and rights, and allowing professional politicians and office seekers to run the affairs of government. These evils arc not unnatural, they arc the logical outcome of the conditions which the people themselves have allowed to be brought about by forgetting their own responsibilities and duties as citizens of a free and representative government. Again let us repeat it is the duty of every citizen to be a politician, not a professional politician in the sense this word is commonly used, but a careful student of the policies and politics of political parties and be active in the affairs of self government. Where political affairs arc in the hands of rings, gangs, cliques or machines it is the fault of the people, it is the price they pay for being inactive, idle and indolent in exercising the supreme right of .Ij self government for which their forefathers fought and died. This year is an especially important time for the citizens to take u a lively interest in the affairs of government and every person should "fj see to it that he gives an intelligent expression of his desires as to J what policies he favors and what men he wants elected to office to serve him. It is not, however, enough that a person takes an active part in politics during an election campaign, but he should take a keen and active interest all the time, and see to it that corrupt and selfish sel-fish men are not elected to office to execute laws or that vicious and unjust measures arc enacted into law. We repeat it, go into politics and stay in politics and then history cannot repeat jtsclf, as in the case of other republics, where the people have gone to sleep and allowed free government to pass into the hands of the few. When government once passes into the hands of the few it is no longer liberty or freedom, free-dom, it is no longer progression and development, but subjection and slavery and despotism and decay. |