The Butler weekly times. (Butler, Mo.) 1881-1918, 1903-09-17

dSenls- OQe may De IN private lie 3
Democrat or q Republican. but when
be steps into public Office he should,
IN the exercise Of his official functions,
have the public veal first in view.
After all. he who serves the public
best serves his party best. A party
organization Is entitled to credit for
selecting faithful public servants, and
IL can rot evade responsibility for the
unfaithful. II political party con-
',ones wfongdoing 1. should be con-
demned by the public. A party that
cuts of its rotten limbs is entitled to
CREDIT The wedding out of public cor
ruption is the honor OF a par
ty not its disgrace. am a
Democra. but do not believe q
Democratic lawbreLker Is any better
thar Republican iawbreaker. Both
are criminals. believe in exposing
and furnishing Democratic rascals the
same as Republican rascals. officials
are not elected to prosecute only po-
litical opponents. bll to enforce the law
impartially against all offenders, DEM
ocrats or Republicans. The cloak Of De-
mocracy should be torn from him who
tries to use 1t TO hide his corruption.
II wrongdoirg exists, the sooner 1t is
discovered and stopped the better for
the party and the better for the state.
Under no circumstances should our
eyes be closed to corruption for fear
that by making fuss about 1t the
party might be injured. have no pa
thence with such talk. The enforce
ment of law can not hurt any party
unless the organization in some way
Is particeps criminis. II should not in
jure any organization to get rid of pub
lie plunderers. II party can not get
along without rascals the people will
get along without that party. There
can be no trucking to Doodle influences
at this time. The watchword must be:
mo compromise with public plumber
ers," Any party that tries to get the
Doodle vote in Missouri will reap q
whirlwind and should meet with dis
aster. The only way to stamp out
corruption is to strike 1t hard whenever
and wherever it shows itself There
can be no Cancellation directly or in
directly between civic honor and civic
depravity.
There should be a constant search
for corruption. 1t is an undertaking
of some degree of delicacy to ferret it
out. Enemies must be made il the
very effort to find corruption. Men
will complain because they are inter-
Fegated- reference to depraxity-Ip-
the course of investigation, individuals
may be injured, but it should be re-
membered that one who has done moth
ing is in no danger. No honest man
can be hurt by investigation. No dis
honest man has any right to object
because his mlsdeeds are made pub
lie. Publicity and enforcement Of law
are the chief antidotes for corruption.
Some people who secretly sympathize
with corruptionists appear to get very
indignant because reporters obtain
from witnesses facts regarding corrup-
tiOll anu punish tltu bO lLNg IlCui
to say that the people are not entitled
to know who the rascals are? The
people are the ones most int crested,
and if they are being plundered and
have been betrayed by any man, the
sooner they know it the better. There
can be no honest objection to publicity
as long as the truth is told, and no one
has yet disputed on that score. No in
nocent man has been besmirched in
the slightest degree. The interests of
justice and the mandates of the law as
to inQuisitorial proceedings, must be
carefully guarded. but things the peo-
pie have a lawful right to know they
are entitled to. If rottenness exists in
civic affairs it should not be hidden.
There is no secret cure for corruption.
If it exists, let hell be raised" until
it is eradicated.
The enforcement of the law against
bribery is of the highest Importance to
the commonwealth. Other ottenses
violate one law while bribery strikes
at the foundation of law itself. If
bribery is allowed to go on the conse-
quences of the violation of other laws
may be escaped by bribery. The helm
BUSINESS of the crime has been realized
by the people of all ages. 1t has ever
been the greatest foe to democratic
government.
The purpose OF the law in furnishing
crime is not revenge, but as an exam
pie to others as to what they may
expect II they commit similar crimes.
To accomplish this the punishment
should follow the crime. A distin-
guished justice of the supreme court
of the United States has written an
article published In well-known mag
azine, advocating the abolition of ap-
peals in criminal cases. While we
may not be ready to go to that extent,
it is unfortunately true that there is
entirely too much laxity In the en-
forcement Of the criminal law. The
criminal law has come to be regarded
as a machine for the protection of the
guilty instead Of the punishment of
the guilty. With US a man may be
solemnly tried for felony; a jury Of
his peers may pronounce him guilty
and sentence him to the penitentiary,
yet IL he be wealthy or have influential
friends he can Immediately give bond
pending appeal, and walk out of the
0ot,rf along With Tho i,rv thof nm