Kansas agitator. [volume] (Garnett, Kan.) 1890-1905, 1897-08-27
ShOnld Awake EN-.

| date contained the following cult
orial. which should set honest Re
publicans to thinking:
"Readers of yesterdays Tribune
may recall the article head Search
light 1t gives an episode Of
American politics which may well
scare people into some very hard
thinking. As a story. it's title might
be. Our Latest, Greatest Senator
and His Private Estimate of Public
Duty
"In the year of 1890, no man
outside of business circles had heard
the name of Mark Hanna. His
rise to greatness was made through
the creation of public sentiment
which ended in the election OF
President Mckinley. In the year
mentioned, the attorney.genera of
Ohio, David Kemper Watson, en-.
tered suit, and won it, against the
Standard Oil Company. The late
day interest in this litigation lies in
the nature of the influences that
we're brought by the prosecuted
company to deter Mr.. Watson from
continuing the suit. 1t appears
that different persons were employed
to handle the different forms OF in
fluence that are commonly supposed
to affect persons in public life. One
man approached the Encouragement
on the score of his political pros
poets, another on the pecuniary
side, another on the moral side,
and 80 on. After it was learned
that it was going to be difficult
matter to buy the chief legal serv-
ant of the state, valise contain
ing $40, 900 was placed before him
as the offer OF his withdrawal from
the prosecution.
"Mr. Hanna took the political
side. In long letter, the text OF
which is preserved and published
in the papers, Mr.. Hanna cajoled
and threatened alternately lie
showed Mr.. Watson that the Stand
ard Oil Company was invincible on
all of it's chosen plans of action;
that it WAS powerful to mako and
unmake persons of political asplra
lions. and the best thing Mr.. Wat
son could do was to conform with
the wishes OF my friend, John ID.
Rockefeller In the course OF this
pathetic plea, Mr. Hanna gave ut
terance to the following settlement;
"'You have been in politics long
enough to know that no man in
public Office owes the public any
thing
1.-THE country has been so long
familiar with the way in which
money controls the action or non
&C ion of Legislators and other pub
lie servants that it is not likely that
the Hanna Watson episode would
be worth printing at this late day
were it not for the frank statement
of the man who made himself by
making president. Marx Hanna
throws it off as an accepted dogma
of our national life that mo man III
public life owes the public any
thing He means by this that the
public duty of an official must not
be permitted to stand in the way OF
his private possibilities. lie owes
the public nothing. That is, the
public has no right to look to him
for the services he is pledged and
sworn to render, in the event OF his
having a chance to make dollar
by breaking his oath. He owes
the public nothing. That is, there
ia no such thing as high minded
patriotism that can point him for
moment away from himself to the
common good. He owes the pub
lie nothing. That is. his studies
and preparations for the peri rm'
ance of official acts-not duties, tor
the Mark Hanna philosophy admits
no duties-are thrown away 1t they
have any reference to the well being
aud progress of the nation as
whole but all his midnight and