The Intermountain Catholic. (Salt Lake City [Utah] ;) 1899-1920, 1905-12-16
REFORM WAVE.
gentlemen.

The reform wave which is sweeping over the
country from coast to coast at the present time IS
different from any of the great reform waves OF
the past Every generation has or more, and
while no two are exactly alike, yet they usually
have the same basis viz, great moral principle.
The slogan of the present reform is simply stop
Thief. We do not hear the orator thrilling his
hearers with high sounding phrases about the
rights of man. as in the revolutionary or slavery
days or in uphoding the rights Of the "downstrod-
den laborer' against the ''iron-heeled plutocrat,
the burning words of the temperance orator are
at a discount the 'American-for-A Americans pa
triot must work for his meal tickets and the evan
gelst with new ism attracts no more attention
than the patent medicine man. There IS Simply
no disputed moral principle involvel. 1t IS SIMPLY
an awakening of the people to the tact that they
have been robbed, and they all agreed that the
thieves should be punished.
The reform started in ST. Louis few years ago.
resulting i'll the conviction for bribery of many OF
the most prominent politicians of Missouri. 1t
spread westward and eastward leaving in its wake
the wrecked names of many of the highest IN the
land. United States senators and congressman
have been convicted and sentenced like common
criminals; political rings have been broken up,
and the leaders sent to prison or out of the
try fugitives, millionares who have been posing
as models for young men have been branded as
thieves, and amount of political influence or
money seems to have been able to stop it.
The people of the country are amazed that such
practices could have continued for many years
as is shown, without having been exposed. Heads
g foll with nj
most GOODNESS of transactions which nothing
less than robbery, and they justify themselves on
the ground that such methods have been followed
for so many years that they have become the Gus
tom"
Notwithstanding that the basis of this reform IS
money, it is sure to result in good The storm
which has been aroused shows healthy state of
public opinion on questions of honesty, so far as
the mass of the people are concerned and the fear
lessness with which the offenders have been exposed
and prosecuted speaks we'll for those in public of
fee. In shows that corruption in Office is the
ception rather than the rule. The exposes will
serve as a warming that dishonesty in high places
will be followed by disgrace, if not by prison
stripes. The pitiable spectacle of United States
senator at the end of long public life, apparent
ly above reprbach, dying while under prison SEN
tence, and his fellow senators not so much as men-
tioning the fact of his death in the senate, nor
showing him any of the customary honors, is one
that might well deter every one in the country
from dishonesty in public or private life.
1t is fortunate for the business interests of the
country that this unheaval comes at time of
general prosperity. Such an exposure of rotten
ness would, in shaky times be very apt to brighten
people into panic which would have very disas-
trous results. The time to remove an abcess is
when the patient is healthy and the business of
the country is in healthier condition now than
ever before, this is the time to expose and remedy
the evils The more of these evils that are removed
now the more permanent will be the prosperity Of
the country.