Bonners Ferry herald. [volume] (Bonners Ferry, Idaho) 1904-current, 1906-04-21

pose a substitute which would be far
worse than the existing evils-all
these men are the most dangerous OPP
their way. they will lead the people
into a deeper pit than any into which
they fall under the present system.
II they fail to get their way they will
still do incalculable damage by pro-
voking the kind Of reaction which In
its revolt against the senseless evil
OF their teachings would enthrone
more securely than ever every evil
which their misguided followers be-
lieve they are attacking.
more important than aught else is
the development Of the broadcast sym
patty of man for man. The welfare
Of the wageworker, the welfare of the
tiller Of the soil upon these depend
the welfare OF the entire country;
their good is not to be sought in pull
ing down others, but their good must
be the prime object of all of our states
manship. Materially we must strive
to secure a broader economic opportu-
nifty for all men, so that each shall
have a better chance to show the stuff
of which he is made; spiritually, and
ethically, we must strive to bring
about clean living and right thinking.
We appreciate that the things of the
body are important but we appreciate
also that the things of the soul are
UNNECESSARILY more important. The
foundation stone of national life is, and
ever must be, the high individual char
acter of the average citizen"
Again, the national government
must in some form exercise supervi-
sion over corporations engaged in i'll
terstate business-and all large cor
porations are engaged in interstate
business-whether by license or other
wise, so as to permit us to deal with
the far-reaching evils of overcapital-
ization. This year we are making a
beginning in the direction of serious
effort to settle some Of these econom-
les by the railway rate legislation.
Such legislation, if so framed, as l am
sure it will be. as to secure definite
and tangible results, will amount to
something of itself; and it will amount
to a great deal more in so far as it is
| taken as a first step in the direction
of policy of superintendent and con-
| troll over corporate wealth, engaged in
| interstate commerce. This superin-
tendence and control ought not to be
exercised in a spirit of malevolence to-
ward the men who have created the
wealth, but with the firm purpose both
to do justice to them and to see that
they in their turn do justice to the
public at large. The first requisite in
| the public servants who are to deal
in this shape with corporations, wheth-
er as Legislators or executives. is hon
esty. This honesty can be no respect
er of persons. There can be no such
thing as unilateral honesty. The dan
ger is not really from corrupt corpo-
rations; it springs from the corruption
itself, whether exercised for or against
corporations.
mo good whatever will come from
that warped and mock morality which
denounces the misdeeds of men of
wealth and forgets the misdeeds prac-
ticed at their expense; which denoun-
ces bribery. but blinds itself to black
mail; which foams with rage if a cor
poration secures favors by improper
methods and merely leers with hide
Gus mirth if the corporation is Itself
wrOnged.
"The only public servant who car
be trusted honestly to protect the
rights of the public against the mis-
deeds of a corporation is that public
man who will just as surely protect
the corporation itself from wrongful
aggression"