Perth Amboy evening news., 1906-04-16
MUCK RAKE
MAN SPEECH.
President Condemns Rash libels
on Public Mentor War on
Grafters.

presence of both houses OF congress,
members of the diplomatic corps and
a great concourse of people the presi-
dent delivered his already famous
speech on The Man With the Muck
Rake" The presidents address. which
was enthusiastically received, was de-
livered at the end OF the Masonic cere-
monies attending the laying of the COR
nerstone of the office building for the
use OF members VI the house of repre-
sentatives. The gavel used during the
ceremonies and afterward handled for
a few moments by the president was
the same one used by President Wash
ington at the laying of the cornerstone
Of the capitol itself in 1888.
The president came unattended by
military or naval aids and took his
place OH the platform, quietly awaiting
the conclusion of the Masonic ceremO-
MES.
He was introduced by Speaker Can
non. and after a joking appeal to the
speaker to stand by him lie said in
part:
over a century ago Washington laid
the cornerstone of the capitol in what
was then little more than a tract OF
| wooded wilderness here beside the Po-
tomac. We now find it necessary to
provide by great additional buildings
for the business OF the government.
This growth in the need for the hOus-
ing of the government is but a proof
and example of the way in which the
nation has grown.
I'm Bunyan's Pilgrim Progress you
may recall the description of the man
with the muck rake, the man who
could look no way but downward, with
the muck rake in his hand, who was
offered II celestial crown for his muck
rake, but who would neither look up
nor regard the crown he was offered.
but continued to rake to himself the
nth of the floor.
in Pilgrims Progress" the presi-
dent continued, the man with the
muck rake is set forth as the exam
pie of him whose vision is fixed ON
carnal instead Of on spiritual things.
Yet he also typifies the man who in
this life consistently refuses to see
aught that is lofty and fixes his eyes
with solemn %intentness only on that
which is vile and debasing. Now, 1t is
very necessary that we should not
finch from seeing what is vile and de-
basing. There is filth on the floor, and
it must be scraped up with the muck
rake, and there are times aud places
where this service is the most needed
Of all the services that can be per-
formed. But the man who never does
anything else. who never thinks or
speaks or writes save of his feats with
the muck rake. speedily becomes not
a help to society, not an Indictment to
good. but one of the most potent forces
for evil.
There are i'm the body polite, eco
homie aud social many and grave
evils. and there is urgent necessity for
the s%ternest war upon them. There
should be relentless exposure OF and
attack upon every evil man, whether
politician or business man, every evil
practice, whether in politics, in bust
ness or in social life. i hail as a ben
efactor every writer or speaker, every
man who on the platform or in book,
magazine or newspaper with merciless
severity makes such attack, provided
always thas he in his turn remembers
that the attack is of use only if it is
absolutely truthful.
1.-The liar Is no whit better than the
thief, and If his mendacity takes the
form Of Islander he may be worse than
most thieves. 1t puts a premium upon
knavery untruthfully to attack an hon
est man or even with hystericai exag-
geration to assail u bad man with I'M
truth. An epidemic of indiscriminate
assault upon character does not good,
but very great harm. The soul of ev-
cry sc0undrel is giaddened whenever
an honest man is assailed or even
when IL scoundrel is untruthfully as
sailed.
1T is important to this people to
grapple with the problems connected
with the amassing Of for
tunes aud the use of those fortunes,
both corporate and individual. We
should discriminate in the sharpest
way between fortunes well won INT
fortunes i'll won. We shall ultimately
have to consider the adoption of some
such scheme rs that of IL progressive
tax on all fortunes beyond a certain
amount either given in life or bequeatll-
ed upon death to any i~ndividual-a tax
so framed as to put it out of the power
of the owner of one of these enormous
fortunes to hand on more than a GER
tain amount to any one individual"