The Stark County Democrat. [volume] (Canton, Ohio) 1833-1912, 1906-06-01
A PUBLIC AWAKENING.

The recent developments in regar'
to the conditions existing in the Chi
cago packing houses, together with th'
result of the official investigation in
to the affairs of the Standard Oil ani
Pennsylvania company has caused
the great mass of the people to stoI
and think For years it has been the
custom of the benefciaries of the theft
and graft and Tascality to cry dowr
any attempt to bring to light the act,
ual condition of affairs and it is only
when the matter receives the official
sanction of the government itself that
the public is forced to view the con.
dition Of affairs in a different light
than they have heretofore.
Coming nearer home the people ol
this vicinity have in the past year
discovered that many of those in
whom they have had the highest OF
confidence have lent themselves to
companies that have fleeced thousands
of dollars from the poor of this vicin-
ity. They have also found that some
of our citizens, or more properly
speaking, former citizens, have been
parties to a combination that divid-
ed $2.50O,000 of loot robbed from the
taxpayers through illegal means. For
years they have been taught that
some of these people were the pink
Of business perfection and models that
the young should look to as an exam
pie of business acumen worthy of en-
ulation. While the exposures that
have brought this about have caused
many heart burnings yet 1t is doing
good and the day may not be far
distant when it will not afford man
any honor to be the possessor of much
money, if his conduct in procuring it
places him, morally at least, with
those who steal
Another result of the exposures now
being brought to light will be the
stopping of that time worn and
threadbare defense that exposures are
the result of not submitting to black
mail. For years the members of the
bridge trust were busy circulating the
rumor that Monnett wanted forty
thousand dollars to let the trust alone.
This story, because of the standing of
those that gave it publicity, was be-
lieved by many until the result OF
Monnett's work has shown that the
only foundation tor the report was
probably the hope that he would be
willing to stop the Investigations for
such an amount. 1t is to be hoped
that the public will hereafter view
with suspicion any party who is the
beneficiary of grating who begins to
yell blackmail when some honest cit
iZen begins to apply the probe.
Another point that should not he
overlooked and that is to pay atten-
ton to that class of citizens parading
under the banner of the goddess of
justice who for a consideration will
point out the way to the beneficiaries
of graft and theft the way to secure
the spoils and evade the penalty of
the law. In a moral sense these par
ties are no better than the abbetor OF
a thief. So far as they merit the
good opinion of the people the thief
has the advantage for he at least
runs the risk of punishment, while
his better posted professional breth-
rem have not even that risk to guard
against
After the storm is over the people
will revise their ideas in regards
to many public men and it is to be
hoped that the lessons now learned
by many individuals will do good. 1t
is the duty of every one to see to
IT that his conduct in the business
world is such that the future need
not bring terror to his guilty soul.
The thousands of dollars reaped by
the grafters, large or small, will not
remove the stigma Of dishonesty that
the public will! place upon the guilty,
and an awful price will be paid by this
dishonest element and their posterity
as a result of their business crook
edness and their associates.