494 Presidential Addresses 



erate a dishonest man in the public service as a 

 coward in the army. The murderer fakes a single 

 life; the corruptionist in public life, whether he be 

 bribe giver or bribe taker, strikes at the heart of the 

 commonwealth. In every public service, as in every 

 army, there will be wrongdoers, there will occur 

 misdeeds. This can not be avoided; but vigilant 

 watch must be kept, and as soon as discovered the 

 wrongdoing must be stopped and the wrongdoers 

 punished. Remember that in popular government 

 we must rely on the people themselves, alike for 

 the punishment and the reformation. Those upon 

 whom our institutions cast the initial duty of bring- 

 ing malefactors to the bar of justice must be diligent 

 in its discharge; yet in the last resort the success 

 of their efforts to purge the public service of cor- 

 ruption must depend upon the attitude of the courts 

 and of the juries drawn from the people. Leader- 

 ship is of avail only so far as there is wise and 

 resolute public sentiment behind it. 



In the long run, then, it depends upon us ourselves, 

 upon us the people as a whole, whether this Govern- 

 ment is or is not to stand in the future as it has 

 stood in the past ; and my faith that it will show no 

 falling off is based upon my faith in the character 

 of our average citizenship. The one supreme duty 

 is to try to keep this average high. To this end it 

 is well to keep alive the memory of those men who 

 are fit to serve as examples of what is loftiest and 

 best in American citizenship. Such a man was 

 General Sherman. To very few in any generation 



