Lewiston evening teller. [volume] (Lewiston, Idaho) 1903-1911, 1906-02-09
GROWING Better. Not Worse.

c. c. Goodwin. in Salt Lake Telegram
Frauds among insurance chiefs, de-
faulting administra tors of estates, run
away bank cashiers, petty and grand
larceny thieves, burglars that break
into houses in low life and get pun
ished; burglars that break into banks
in high life and get beyond extradi-
ton; officers betraying trusts, trusts
robbing the people. what was it that
Kipling said
Who shall doubt the secret hid
Under Cheops pyraDid
Was, that the contractor did
Cheops out of several mllionso
Or that Josephs sudden rise
To Controller Of Supplies
Was a fraud Of monstrous size
On King Pharoah's swart civilians?"
Has it always been so? Is it worse
or better than in the old days? Prob
ably better for there was not so much
to steal. Probably better, for then in
the old days men only dreamed of
hundreds or thousands, now they
dream of millions
| Their dispositions were Just as good
then, only their private estimates were
F! less. A pair of boots did them then.
now they want a shoe store But then
If they made little killing they could
get out OF the county and begin opera
tons anew; now almost before they
get started the telegraph has set every
officer in every direction on the watch
| for them. hence when they make a
killing they have to make it big enough
so that they can rent a room and stay
right in town until the storm blows
over. 1t is the same way with the big
thieves. If they vote themselves SAL
aries equal to the incomes from the
crown lands of an empire they must
/ live so well and give entertainments
so gorgeous that all their guests will
come up and testify that the salaries
are not too high, because-they need
| the money.
| Human nature is always the same.
Bring one twin up in the slums, teach
him neither reading nor writing. keep
him so poor that to steal is almost
necessity. what wonderi if he becomes
comfort and luxury, fine education.
the run of the best society and a for
tune to start with. does that change his
nature?: Not much. Hunt him up at
| 40 years of age and everybody will
tell you how respectable he is. how
on last Christmas he gave 81 900 to the
poor and 800 toward a new altar in
br nh, r,h h,,t th< fp hat
on the next day he voted himself an
increase of $4,000 a year on his own
salary because he needed the money.
| It would be discouraging if we did
not stop to think. The telegraph brings
us the news daily and the numbers Of
the bad seem great. until we stop to
think that behind those few there are
more than eighty millions OF the good:
that, this morning ten million of moth
| ers in the land have kissed their babies
and offered a silent prayer that they
may grow up to be true men. The
good overbalances the bad. the masses
of the people high as we'll as low. want
the right things done. The masses are
/ like that rock which one can see be-
| iuS pouieu Iite tfc great iuTIidCcS Ill
| the valley. A steady stream pours
in. a steady stream of Stag pours out.
| but IL we continue to watch, 10, we
! find the crucihles are filling with some
thing that the fire cannot consume.
I but which under the fiery trial only
becomes more pure and carries more
pronounced luster 1t is so with most
| Gil
lead some copper. but they are all
alike and under fire the good in them
shines out. The world in the aggre-
| gate is growing better.