The San Francisco call., 1905-06-29
GRAF TIERS ARE
ROUADLY SCORED
James B. Dill Says Race for
Gold Has Caused Spread
of Corruption in America
PREDICTS BETTER ERA
Believes That Honesty and
Right Will Soon Drive
Out the Spirit of Grab

OBERLIN, O., June 2S.-James B. Dill
of New York. in the course Of an ad-
dress 10 the graduating class of Oberlin
College, to-day delivered a scathing re-
buke to men who misuse positions of
honor and trust for purposes of per-
sonal gain. In urging his hearers to
''go back TO beginnings" Dill contended
that grating, which was foreign to
the true American character, had been
developed by the mad rush for wealth
and the recognition of false standards
by educated men in the competitive
struggle for business power and social
prominence. Said he:
large part of our modern prosperity is to
a peril0usly large extent bottomed upon an
OverproduCtion OF fraud and sham The crisis
is acute. feeling of distrust is growing
financial business have been in one way or
another taken possession of by the unscrupu-
lous for the purpose OF deceiving the unwary
Trust companies have been made the mediums
OF the Notation OF specious and fraudulent pro-
motions. Some companies in the field OF life
insurance the highest and in a sense sacred
form OF investment. are, as we all know now,
conducted through a system by which the saw
ings of policy holders are diverted into specu-
lative operations.
Credit and good faith not money are the
basis of business. Good or bad. our modern
prosperity is founded public confidence
Take that away and the whole fabric falls.
The fact is that the unprecedented material
growth Of the country the resulting creation OF
immense private fortunes, the massing OF
great aggregations of corporate capital lndus-
trial commissions and railroad mergers, all
have tended to concentrate the attention OF
the people upon great financial achievements
and to establish in the highest place In the
popular estimation the captains of industry
and the powerful fnanciers little regard being
paid. in making up the judgment. TO the finan-
cial virtues OF private individual life.
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, OF all the rest. We have to
learn to recognize graft and the grafters
however respectable their DISCUSSES. mad pun
ish them, not alone by Imprisonment and fine
but with al 1.-THE might OF the terrible scorn of
society. We have TO recognize that the seeds
Of socialism, revolution and anarchy sown
by the OF our own class and kind who
pretends 10 be what he is not; these seeds are
cultivated by the grating bank officer. insur-
ance officer, man in power In financial organi-
zations-in short. every CRATER who. in his
dealings with the public. departs openly or Sc
cretly from old-fashioned ten-commandment
honesty.
This indictment of our business life is not
based upon an Inherent incurable defect in our
American character, but. the contrary,
these evils are outgrowth OF our American
strenuosfty in the riotous for the dollar
genuine men and women of our country there
is an appreciation OF the importane of char
acter; the rank and file Of the American people
not only believe in but also stand for right
living and a conscience undimmed and unfet-
tered by business environments.
Therefore. right and honesty Will triumph;
a saturnalia Of graft and an era Of grab Will
find itself short-lived. speedily to be ended
by the uplifting influence of educated men and
women Of character.