The Iowa plain dealer. [volume] (New Oregon, Howard County, Iowa) 1867-1895, 1883-04-05
"THE WEALTHY CRIMINAL CLASS

W - SAASfSe
It was startling proposition that
of Mr.. Roosevelt in the New York Az.
sembly--that in this boasted land Of
freedom and equal rights there il q
wealthy criminal class He rose to
support the veto Of the bill for reducing
fares on the elevated railways Of New
York city, for which he had lately voted !;
and in on agony Of regret at being
placed in a position Of seeming sympa-
thy with the monopoly side OF the ques-
ton he denounced the managers Of the
elevated roads a. common thieves" rs
internal thieves and constituencies
swindlers," and finally az constituting
part Of that most dangerous OF all
dangerous orders, the wealthy criminal
class.
It is peculiarly appropriate that this
Characterization should have been made
in gilded hall Of the gilded Capitol Of
the Empire State--that vast edifcc on
which millions Of dollars have been
squandered, that edificc whose secluded
passages and retired hooks have echoed
thousand times the mufiied tones OF
the briber's siren tongue. Mr.. Roose-
welt must have had visions Of hosts Of
iniquitons schemes which in the last
half-century have been bought and
lied through the Assembly Of the En-
pire State; and as these visions fioated
before his minds eye his wrath in
creased, and his indignation reached
climax in the words above quoted. In
this climax his vision took in the whole
country from Washington City to the
shores of the Pacific. He must have
thought of the Standard Oil Company
monopoly, of the barbed-wire monop-
oily, Of the match-bond monopoly. OF
the coal monopoly. Of the telegraph
monopoly, Of the Vanderbilt consol-
dated railwas monopoly, Of the Gould
consolidated railway monopoly, Of the
Pacific railway monopoly, AMI Of others
If like ilk.
These mammoth corporations are NIL
IF the same brood. They were Matched
n the lobbies of Congress and Of the
capitols Of the various States: and
from their birth till the present day
here has never been q time when they
were not seeking to secure or to pre-
vent Legislation. The Tribune has
shown their history to the country in
Ill its revolving details--how they have
crushed or absorbed rivals. how they
have procured enactments Of Congress
and Of State Assemblies, how they have
seduced. courts and obtained injunc-
tons and DEGREES.
Mr.. Roosevelt is quite brutal in his
lenunciation of the managers of these
corporations. He calls them common
thieves" internal thieves and con-
,cienceless swindlers," and gives them
the generic title of 1.-The wealthy Grim
NAL class"
We do not propose to discuss the
question whether such class rs Mr..
Roosevelt describes as "the wealthy
criminal class exists III this country.
For the sake of the argument let it be
admitted to be true that there is such
class. What shall I've said Of the COM
munity which has permitted such
class to develop into vast proportions
and to take the first social, commercial
and governmental positions? If these
monopolies fed on Legislation procured
by bribery, somebody had to be bribed.
Wherever there was ON agent of mon
opoly offering successfully to bride,
there were representatives OF the people
ready to accept the corruption money
and betray their constituents. Where
ever there Was q corrupt decree pur-
chased with favor or money, there was
corrupt Judge chosen from the body Of
the people. Monopolists would have
labored in vain to secure special priv
ileges from Congressional and legisla-
tive bodies and improper DEGREES from
courts If Congressman and Legislators
and Judges had not been ready and
willing to perjnre themselves and be-
tray the people.
This is merely a repetition Of the
by their rulers" is written over the
ruins Of every nation Of antiquity. But
in analyzing the history Of dead nations
the intelligent student too often finds
the rulers quite worthy of the people
they BETRAYED. Mr. CARLYLE and Mr..
Emerson have propounded the theory
that great men shape the destinies of
peoples; but there is al opposing
theory that great men are the logical
product Of the civilization in which they
flourish. If this latter theory be the
true one, Governments have persisted
by the peoples faults, the peoples
rulers merely representing the peoples
vices. If this theory be true, 1.-THE
wealthy criminal class" in this country
is logical outgrowth Of the vices Of the
American people.
Mr.. Roosevelt would do we'll to in
quire whether the injunction of the
Yankee to his son-"Get money, hon
estly if you can, but get money"-does
not express the ruling spirit of the
American people to a degree that rem
ders honest government under present
conditions impossible. Trit-