The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1899-05-16
Temptation of the Average Politician
Is to Promise Reforms. but to Do
Everything for His Party.
TAXATION OF FRANCHISES
HOW TO DEAL WITH CORPORATE
WEALTH A GREAT PROBLEM.
Views of Extremists on Both Sides Of
the Observation-Disclosures of Ger
tain Men q Growing Evil.

BUFFALO, N. Y, May 15.-Governor
Roosevelt was the principal guest and
speaker at dinner given by the Independ-
ent Club in the banquet hall of the Ellicott
Square Club tonight. The hall was crowded
and the Governor was given most enthu-
siastic reception. The Governors address
was upon the important subject, THE Use
and Abuse of Property" He said in part
81 do not mean to talk merely Of the use
or abuse of private property so far as it
does not affect the public. l want to talk
to you Of what concerns all of us-what
particularly concerns those Of us who for
the moment occupy public positions-and
that is the attitude that should properly be
observed by legislators, by executive OFF,
GERS toward wealth, and the attitude that
should be observed in return by men OF
means and especially by the organizations
Of men of means which distinguish
corportiaons, toward the body polite and
toward their fellow-citizens.
Il utterly distrust the man of whom 1t Is
continually said, Oh, he's good enough
fellow, but, Of course, in politics he plays
politics. If he does that you cannot afford
to trust him.
1T is about as bad for a man to profess,
and for those that listen to him, by their
plaudits to insist upon his protesting some
thing to which they know he cannot live
up to, as it is for him to go below what
he ought to do, because IL he gets into
the intolerant habit of lying to himself and
to his audience as to what he intends to
do, it is absolutely certain to eat away lis
moral fiber, and he won't be able to stand
Up to what he knows ought to be done.
Hhe temptation of the average politician is
to promise everything to the reformers, and
then to do everything for the organization.
l think can say that whatever l have
promised on the stump or off the stump,
either expressly or impliedly, to either or
ganization or reformers, / have kept the
promise, and 1 should keep it just as much
If the reformers disapproved as If the cr-
ganization disapproved, and vice versa
A DEGRADING PROCESS.
II wish l could warn all my countrymen
against that most degrading of processes,
the process of deification of any man for
what we are pleased tC term smartness, the
dedication of more intellectual acuteness
wholly Inaccompanied by moral responsible
ity wholly without reference to whether It
is exercised in accordance or not in accord
ance with the elementary rules of morality.
If there is one thing which should like to
eradicate from the character of any Ameri-
can it is the dreadful practice of paying a
certain mean admiration and homage to the
man who. whether in business or politics,
achieves success at the cost OF sacrificing
all those principles for the lack. OF which
in the eye Of any righteous man no possible
achievement or success can in any way
compensate That applies just as much to
the smart politician as 1t applies to the
INSCRIPTIONS man of affairs who makes a
fortune, not legitimately but illegitimately
In some form of gambling. which is not
merely gambling. but gambling with loaded
dice, and who can count upon having from
no inconsiderable section of the people the
same admiring homage that would be
gained by the most respected business man
whose success has been even more beneficial
to the community than to himself.
Amy man who has had TO do with our
legislative bodies as senator assemblyman,
as congressman. especially if he has been
speaker Of the lower house as / have
known, as 1 have seen again and again
during the three years that 1 served with
the assembly, that when you find as rule
/ want to state all these general PROPOSE
tions with the proper reservation for the in
who is the loudest denouncer of corporate
wealth, spelling corporate with a large
c. and wealth with large W. and who
is the most infammable in his insistence,
in public. that he will not permit the lib
critics of the country to be subverted by
the men of means, is himself the very man
for whom you want to look out most sharp
ly when there comes up something which
some corrupt corporation does really want
and about which there is not any great pop
ular excitement at the moment.
"A public man here Is bound to repre-
sent his constituents. but he is no less
bound TO cease to represent them when, on
a great moral question he feels that they
are taking the wrong side. Let him go out
of politics rather than stay in at the cost
Of doing what his conscience forbids him
to do.
HOW TO DEAL WITH WEALTH
Now, I think that among the different
problems that give us all serious concern,
there is no one problem that is so difficult
10 deal with as the problem of how to do
justice TO wealth, either in the hands of in
dividuals or the corporation on the one
hand. or on the other how to see that
wealth in return is used for the benefit OF
the whole community The tendency as is
natural. is for men to range themselves in
two extreme camps, each taking a position
that in the long run would be almost equally
fatal TO the community.
II am going TO speak, as you would have
the right to expect me to speak. OF what
affects us at the present moment here in
this State. OF one of those problems with
which we. who are for the time belng your
servants and representatives in public life,
are trying to deal. Now. take the very ques-
tion that you have seen advocated and
which You will see advocated some more
during the next ten days. the question Of