Omaha daily bee. (Omaha [Neb.]) 187?-1922, 1905-11-23

deadliest enemy The annual destruction Of
property In the United states by this red
demon reaches the stupendous figure Of
fl5O.W0,O0O 20 say nothing OF scores OF lives
he claims IN sacrifice to his rapacity. Ne
braska's share 81 that waste for 1904 was
approximately S2sO.O0G This enormous ere
waste and the surprising immunity enjoyed
by those dastsrds who apply the torch
and know some in this state who should
/ be In the penltentlary-mak Il proper to
advise you that In number Of states there
have been enacted what II known as the
hre marshal law. which requires an Of
Are - ''O' ''''o '''' ''''ss Vi every
Suppress the Lobby.
Public service corporations arc reputed TO
De active In shaping legislation to serve
thelr interests And Il is common knowl-
edge mat they are powerful factors In cleo
uons But the opposing forces often APP
peal TO all that Is base and mean In men
70 prejudice, fear personal animoslty, ieal-
ousy, revenge, and the like. so that issues
In which these corpora lions and others are
concerned, are seldom settled by the eN-
esdb OF fair and honest public opinion
bilis for the purpose Of Matchmaking some
interest whose supporters VIII pay money
, ra.her man TO witness the passage OF OBJ
The use Of legislative machinery to ad-
vance private interests, the envy. back
biting. treachery and Islander so frequently
appearing in political contests in this sta te
exhibit a low standard OF political ethics
The repeated refusal Of the voters Of Me-
hibition against the honest and fair COM
pensation of our Judges shows a discredit-
able public indifference to law and its et-
ttcient administration. and a contemptuous
disregard for that department of the state
government which should receive the full
est measure Of public respect
Every lawyer who brings suits against
corporations knows. and every lawyer who
has corporation clientage knows, that dis
puted questions Of fact are generally
promptly decided against a corporation.
and especially a foreign corporation. with
out regard to the weight OF the evidence;
and that corporate litigants are not ac-
corded by the turies Of this state the same
consideration that is shown to Individual
litigants-except In the federal courts where
jurors average higher In character and in
telllgence than In the state courts
All these things grow out OF that lack Of
moral principle to which President Butler
OF Columbia university recently so sharply
called attention. The truth is we are
money-mad and thirsty for the power that
money buys; and to get money and power,
or power without money. we have spurned
the principles on which our social fabric
Is butlded. The yard stick in current use
Is the criminal code, but the commercial
dishonesty is not all in New York; there
than St. Louis and Minneapolis. We have
witnessed so much corruption in business
and politics that the public conscience is
dull and inactive; but commercial, social.
political ana moral disaster one or the
other or all OF them, surely comes some day
to him who substitutes the penal code for
the moral law as the standard of conduct.
IL is humiiating that such c additions pre-
vail In young and prosperous common
wealth whose people are cultured and who
In their hearts fear God. If the selfishness
and aVariCe which bred them are I'M
checked IL conscience does not assert it
self-God help the succeeding generations!
1t is the duty and the privilege of our
profession to declare the distinction be-
tween right and wrong and to that this
distinction is maintained In spite OF the
prevalent greed for gain and power. !
charge you to begin crusade in favor Of
public righteousness that shall result in
elevating the standards of official duty:
that shall abolish corrupt lobby in our
state and municipal legislatures; that shall
convince the people OF this state that their
highest interest lies in keeping the judi
ciary free from political influence and in
it's elevation to that honorable estimate by
which all civilized people safeguard their
courts. These things may be accomplished
by the united efforts of the able fearless
and honest lawyers of this state.