Custer County Republican. (Broken Bow, Neb.) 1882-1921, 1905-07-27
A TALK ON GRAFT
MEMBER OF SUPREME COURT
MAKES AN ADDRESS.
A DISHONEST TWIST OF FUNDS
Prostitutng Of "ubIic or Private
Trusts by Trustee Alleged to BE
More Dangerous than coarser Kinds
of Theft.

MILWAUKEE, - Justice David ].
Brewer of the United States supreme
court delivered a short address before
large assemblage of life insurance
agents in the Masonic building in this
city. He devoted most Of his talk to
modern graft and praised President
Roosevelt in his efforts to make public
affairs pure and honest. He said:
"This has been a year which may
be characterized as one of great in
surance upheaval. The result has
been prejudicial to the interests of a
certain company and also to the in
terests and business of others. | be-
lieve there will result great benefit to
insurance business throughout the
world. The moment private pecuniary
gain is sought through the advantage
of trust someone is guilty of graft
ing. For instance, trust funds are the
funds of this insurance company and
this and that bank and this and that
trust company We will take these
trust funds, put our assets in their
place and let the insurance company
carry them until we can sell them
with profit. The company takes a
risk Of carrying them until such time
as they can sell the assets, the insur-
ance company may be able to pay its
interests in full as it has been doing
heretofore, but the men who have
done this have not fulfilled their trust
with an eye single to the company's
benefit. They have sought to make
| these funds insure to their private
gain and cast upon the company the
risk, great or small, of that specula-
ton. Why, do you suppose for mo-
ment that Mr.. Ryan paid $780, 900
for property which under no legal cir
cumstances could pay him more than
8 or per cent interest, with the idea
that all he could get would be this
! interest.
There was never a truer saying
than that by Grover Cleveland, that
public office is public trust. There
is today so much grating going on
among public officials as to startle us.
l am not speaking now about the
coarser kind of grating, such as buy
ing votes, paying money, ETC., which
we all condemn. | have reference to
the more insiduous ways that the one
holding public office is not carrying on
the duties of that Office with an eye
single to his trust, in prostituting in
one way or another that Office for his
own gain or the gain of his friends.
"Take the president of the United
States. Along last winter, San Dom
lingo put itself on a financial footing
Suppose the president had acted
secretly and advised his friends to buy
up San Domingo bonds. Would moi
that shock the people Of the country
Yet the government would lose moth
ing and some would be private gain
ers. Suppose the United States su
preem court justices would give ou
information in advance of certain deci
sions? Wouldn't you revolt at such {
transaction. 1t would be unworthy
this would be grating.
"a month ago today was in Ten
nessee. went to the Hermitage where
lie the remains of Andrew Jackson
and l thank God today that there wal
another equally honest president, AM
it seemed as if I could hear fallin;
from the lips of Theodore Roosevelt
the words, public affairs must AM
shall be pure and honest" no presi
dent can do all the work. No pres
dent or congress can do all this. 1t re
quires not merely action of officials O
the government, but action of every
one that the administration of publ
affairs be pure and honest.