The Lexington intelligencer. [volume] (Lexington, Mo.) 1901-1949, 1903-12-26
DR.. Roberts On Bribery.


DR. J. f. Roberts, of Kansas City
preached a notable sermon last Sun
day on bribery. He said in part:
The public is by many regarded as a
legitimate object Of prey The sense
of obligation to the public res but
lightly A mao who would seoru to
rob or defraud; a man who is loyal
aud truthful in his dealings with indi-
vidnals has no scruples at being the
reverse 10 his dealings with the public.
The public, in the minds of many, Is
a thing so vague and indefinite that
they find it both difficult ana lnconven-
lent to establish moral relations be-
tween it and themselves. Special leg
lslaton, the obtaining Of franchises,
the return of property lists to the as
SCISSOR, are acts conceived Of as relat-
ing to the public, and not subject to
the stern requirements of morals as be-
tween man and man. We condemn
the man that holds up the street car
conductor. That IS a crime against
the individual We think little of it
when a street car company holds up q
city. The larger the victim the less
the crime.
The lobby is word Synonymous
with improper means and methods to
influence legislation The lobby pro-
duced a twin evil, the ''sanbag." The
lobby went to capital cities to secure
legisIaIon; now it has to go to pre-
vent legislation 1t was game well
suited to both For, if men would
pay money to have certain laws enact
ed, they would also pay money to have
certain other laws not enacted. These
evils have grown stealthily and steadi-
ly They are generally believed to
exist; in a certain sense they are ae-
cepted 10 matter-of-fact way, as
though they belonged to our form of
government and we're inseparable from
It. But the seeds of death are within
them.
The problem is one for wise men in
The law TO work out But suppose, for
an example, that law we're enacted
whereby any franchise found at any
subsequent time to have been secured
by improper methods that it should
become null; that all property rights
under 1t should be invalidated that no
matter what its stocks or bonds or
property might be, by whomsoever
held, the title was at once wiped out;
suppose it should become law that
any legislative act tainted in any way
with corrupt means or influences
should be by that very tact uullity,
where would be the profit in bOodling
aud bribery? Ofeoqrse " would come
TO pass that under such legislation
:, there would be thousands and thous-
ands of innocent investors in stocks
and bonds of companies who had i'm
!. properly secured tbesr franchises, and
the innocent would suffer, 1t is time
for US to face the fact that never since
the fall Of Eve has there been crime
committed upon this earth but that il
Involved within its penal consequences
ID the innocent II IS no more possible
n to separate the Consequences of wrong
Of and i'll doing from innocent sufferers
/. than it is to sepafate matter from the
E. reign and sway of physical laws
,e This principle is applied to the pro-
oil cess ST the courts. If verdict Is rem
e dered in one OF the courts, aud 1t iu
le found out afterwards that the jury was
is influenced, the courts does not for a
IS moment hesitate to set aside the yer.
e dict aud order new trial. BIT no
ID matter through what eesspools of cor.
% ruption a franchise may be dragged, it
I, becomes valid and binding. Take TIE
!, profit out of wrong-doing, eliminate
5. the dollar, fix it so that it will have
J no cash value whatever-then it would
p become the business of every man,
u of every citizen, OF every investor, Of
every owner ot,a dollar to see to 1t that
councils and legislatures were clean
and above reproaeh.
NahsosLo O,,it. M;.,o,,..