The pioneer express. [volume] (Pembina, Dakota [N.D.]) 1883-1928, 1906-10-26

WORLD sgrTktyl sIsaA,s, iIs M. q
lEsa. ~ NJ ~ :. 20 M,
lsS
40 guest 81 honor az the fnonthlyl
mset ting of tho Merchants Club. q the
I1sew algonquin Club house, Ia Boston.
Hon. Carroll D. Wright, president Of
CLARK College, considered the subject
| Of Public Conscience" before the
members. The president Of the club.
Elwyn g. Preston, presided. ( s a..
81 President Wright said that he be-,
lieved the world is growing better,
rathe- han worse, as indicated BY sen
sational writer's, who. he said, found,
lxhat writing cold facts was not profit
able, hence they delivered the salable
articles OF strong sensational charges
against people IN high Office. He re-
Ffuted the charge Of William Allen
White. who said that more than ninety
eight per cant. Of the employees at
Washington are grafters. He pointed
to the "star route and whisky ring
scandals, which. he said. were gigan.
tic, compared with the regent postof-
flee exposures. Yet at the present time
the public conscience is 90 acute that
the latter were made to appear stu
Ipendous BY comparison. "The Gifflculty
is" said President Wright, 1--WE are
comparing. the presentSwith the past,
using perfect statistics Of today with
imperfect ones Of years ago." He took
to task the clergymen who preach
against supposed graft and use stats.
tics incorrectly interpreted to substsn.
tate their contention. 49,
He spoke Of the enormous financial
tranactions of the United States Gov
eminent involved when a transfer is
made from one United States treas
urer to another, transaction into
which billions of money enter and
which are fully and correctly accounted
for without error to the extent Of even
one cent. This he cited as a remark,
able illustration Of honesty and fidelity,
In the aggregate, Of men in high official
place and he further drew a lesson
from the absolutely Insignificant per-
centage Of loss to the country and the
Government through dishonesty on the
part of its officials and employees in any
branch Of it's service throughout the
+! United States.
! With a tabulated chart. Mr.. Wright
showed that crime had decreased with
the increase of population. He quoted
a well-known writer who said that
there were more people in Massachu-
sets State Prison than there were in
virginia's penetentiary; but the speak
er explained this condition by saying
that one particular crime is punished
by a State prison sentence in this
State, while in the other It only in
wolves $40 lne.
Speaking further regarding crime III
i Massachusetts, he added that the num-
Der of people arrested for mere drunk
enness is larger by far than in other
States, with proportionately larger
number Of imprisonments. This, how
ever, he stated does not necessarily
mean that in Massachusetts there is a
larger proportion of cases Of this one
offence, as compared with other States,
but rather emphasizes a stronger pub.
Tic feeling and a better awakened con-
science for treating it than Is found
elsewhere.
Civilization brings into recognition
any bad conditions he said, ''but does
mot create them. True citizenship lies
in the fact that every man, whether he
knows it or not, gets more out Of the
community than he can do for the
community. He is servant Of the
community, whether he recognizes his
service or not, for every man in some
degree helps along the work in sensi-
thing, like the photographers plate.
the public conscience which puts down
corruption, which would not be recog-
nized If the public conscience were not
sensitive
President Wright referred to what he
stated to be the "stupendous claim"
Of Robert Hunter that there are in the
United States ten millions Of people in
poverty. This statement the. speaker
refuted as having absolutely no real
basis of fac. and he added that Mr..
Hunters claim has been thoroughly ex-
ploded.
i .