The Bon Homme County independent. [volume] (Tabor, S.D.) 1904-1913, 1905-11-02

Editor Of Meclure's Magazine Says "
Grating Was Called Stealing
Much Good Would Result.

Kansas City. Nov. t-"n boodlers
were called simply thieves and graft
ing was called stealing much good
would result" said =. s. Mcclure OF
McCiure's magazine. Mr.. Mcclure was
IN Kansas City to join A. T.. Stillwells
party TO Mexico.
Through the ages the meaning OF the
words thief and steal have never
been furnished" Mr.. Mcclure contin-
ued. The popular meaning OF many
words change, but n thief n always
been a man who stole. And the hood
lers and grafters are simply thieves and
they merely steal. The machine I'm
Philadelphia which combined with the
gas company and set out TO steal n
hundred million dollars from that city
were simply thieves n what they did
was plain stealing. II the words Doodle
and graft were put out OF business and
the words thief and stealing brought
back ~ would be n great gain.
What q Briber 10.
Some years ago a Missouri Judge
said that bribery was a conventional.
crime. and I think hat people do not
realize the terrible nature OF bribery
even yet. The briber is n man who de-
grades another mans soul. who de-
stroys another mans conscience for the
sake OF robbing n third party. That In.
for the sake OF making some money
out OF town n man will bride IN OH
cial. He destroys this mans moral
nature: he degrades the man so that
he may rob from the third party. which
II the town. Jesus said once hat it
were better for n man to have n mill
stone hanged to his neck and be cast
into the sea than To offend n OF His
little ones. Every briber does the
thing which Jesus said were better for
him to have n milestone hanged TO his
neck n he be cast into the sea than TO
dc. He causes some human being 20
sin merely for the sake OF making some
money.
Two Terrible Methods.
There arc two methods OF making mon.
ey that arc equally horrible. one IL by that
which results In the degradation OF tho
souls OF both men and women. and tho
other Is by bribery. A burglar who breaks
into a bank and robs the bank commits n
lesser crime than n man who enters into n
conspiracy with officials and robs. because
In u n conspiracy he dcgradcs the souls
OF the officials. There are two fields In
which bribery IN employed where the re-
suits are the most serious. one II whom
public officials or city or state officials
enter into conspiracy FOR the purpose OF
robblng the city or state. and the reason
why bribery IL 30 terrible here Is that NOT
only does the bribC destroy these mems
conscience. but destroys conscicnccs OF
men whose duty IL Il to make laws. there's
by corrupting the very fountains OF jus
tlcc. :
1T can easily be- seen that the Chimes OF
such men produce more terrible results
than men who bride the officials Of a baniS
TO rob the oank.
The Bribery OF Rebates.
"Agai.t. the other most terrible method IA
where men bride or by other means COM
pei the officials OF railroads to grant
special privileges 10 them and because
these special privileges result In enabling
n very few people 10 m~onopolizc whole In
dusiries. Any man with special privileges
with the railroads can get the property OF
all his competitors who have not these
privileges. Nearly thirty years ago there,
were twenty-six oil renn-rics In Cleveland
o. one man got special privileges and
within six weeks they nearly all went out
OF existence. The other either became.
bankrupt or sold out nj n very small price
or became partners In ihicvery In other
parts OF the United States.
Yet we are told that this was merely
business. Some go so far as to say IL was
grating. Hut suppose that everyone spoke
OF IL as plain stealing and OF tn" men
who did II as plain thieves! Don't you
think that would have a deterrent effect" :"