Bismarck daily tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, Dakota [N.D.]) 1881-1916, 1905-08-14
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/ it is not so much the desire to get
something for nothing, or, rather it is
not only the desire to get something
for nothing, but it is an attempt to
get something for the CRATER in con-
sideration of his parting with some
thing that does not belong to him.
1t is wrong greater than that of
the counterfeiter who merely makes
and passes counterfeit coin. The
CRATER is man who robs the counter
feiter, who made the coin, and then
as genuine.
The essential element of graft is a
breach of trust.
Graft is we'll nigh universal. We
meet it in its various forms every
where. Its most common form, how
ever, is the illicit use of power or
authority. The legislator who is in
f1uenced by the argument which ap-
peals to his pocket rather than to his
sense of civic obligation, practices a
form of graft which is dangerous to
the community. The public is awak-
ened now to the danger of this man.
We know him; we understand him.
Some day, and none too soon, we shall
refuse to vote for him, and then he
will pass away.
Conversely, is it not true that the
public official is oft-times made the
object of attack by grafters? The de-
mands on men in public life to bear
expenses-"Campaign," so-called, and
otherwise make contributions to
every possible and often impossible
object, come close to the line of
graft"
l say it is true that the unreason-
able demands upon the finances of
public officials, coupled, it may be,
with lack of moral courage on the
part of them to say "No' to requests
for money which, even if they are
legitimate, are beyond their means,
lead many of them to seek to get
money in ways which are questionable.
Many man in public life, otherwise
honest, has been made dishonest, has
been forced into graft, and by grafters,
because of his inability to say "No,"
because of his lack of moral courage.
The man in public life knows that
graft has its objective as we'll as sub
jective sides.
Another form of graft is that of the
bank official, the officer in a financial
institution who is Influenced in the
use of the funds of the institution by
any reason other than the good of the
Institution: Such a man is dangerous
to the community-as dangerous as
the political grafter-but we do not
always recognize him. His position is
so high and his form of graft is so
insidious that its existence ofttimes is
not suspected until the explosion re-
sultlng from his grating has injured
the community and made the man and
his practices notorious; but too late.
The director of a corporation who
directs the affairs of company from
the viewpoint of his own pocket rather
than from the standpoint Of the stock
holders interest, although he may not
be indicted by grand jury, is none
the less social highwayman.
And this crime is common. 1t is an
everyday occurrence. It is an or
binary form of graft.
There is ground for the assertion
that because the men who do these
things are too high up, because they
have too much money and too much
influence back of them, their acts are
designated Operations" rather than
Grimes; and as such they are ap-
plauded, not punished.
The dummy director of a great COM
pany who dummyizes himself for pay
whether by the yea. or by the job, who
uses his position to control the use and
disposition of other peoples money
for personal gain is in no position to
criticise the clerk who falsifies his &C
counts, or the employee who embez-
zles. Yet we hear of instances where
men who have stolen millions have
sent to Jail employees who took only
hundreds or thousands of dollars.
Now whose fault is this? 1t is ours
1t is the fault of public opinion, and
public opinion is our opinion, yours
and mine,-yours of me, mine of you,
ours of all the rest. We have to learn
to recognize graft and the CRATER,
however respectable their Disguise
and to punish them, not alone by i'm
prisonment and fine, but with all the
might of the terrible scorn of society.
We have to recognize that the seeds
of socialism, anarchy and revolution
are sown by the man of our own class
and kind who pretends to be what he
is not; they are cultivated by the bank
and the insurance officer nv the man