Milford chronicle., 1906-04-20
THE MAN WITH
THE MUCK RAKE
President Roosevelt DsnOunces Crit
iOiEm Of Public Officials.
ADVOCATES INHERITANCE TAX

Washington. April is. - PresideI
Roosevelt in his speech at the layin
Of the cornerstone of the ONCE bull
ing for the house of representative
added another number to his prograI
Of reforms by advocating the impos
tion Of a federal inheritance tax o
swollen fortunes" He also denounce
the detractors of public men in tn
course Of his talk on the man wit
the muck-rake." The presidents ad
dress in part was as folIowsS
Over a century ago Wash ston lai,
ahe corner stone Of the capitol IN wha
was then little more than a tract Of
wooded wilderness here beside the Roto
mac. We now find Il necessary to pro-
vide by great additional buildings for
the business OF the government. The
material problems that face us today
are not such as they were in Washing
tons time. but the underlying facts OF
human nature are the same now as they
were then. Under altered external form
we war with the same tendencies toward
evil that were evident in Washingtons
dencies for good. It is about some of
these that I wish TO say a word.
In 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 a 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 filth Of the floor. There is |
NTH on the floor, and 1t must be scraped i
up with the muck-rake: and there are !
times and places where this service Is /
the most needed of all the services that |
can be performed. But the man who
never does anything else. who never
thinks or speaks or writes, save of his
feats with the muck-rake. speedily be-
comes. not help to society. not an in
element to good. but one OF the most
potent forces for evil.
Liar No Better Than Thief.
They are in the body polite. economic
and social many and grave evils, and
there is urgent necessity for the stern
est war upon them. There should be re-
lentless exposure of and attack upon
every evil man. whether politician or
business man, every evil practice, wheth-
er In politics. in business or in social
life. hail as a benefactor every writer
or speaker. every man who, on the plat |
form or in book, magazine or newspaper, {
With merciless severity, makes such at.
lack, provided always that be In his
iurn remembers that the attack is of use
1nly II It is absolutely truthful. The
lar Is no whit better than the thief, and Il
his mendacity takes the form of Sian.
Ter, he may be worse than most thieves.
{ puts a premium upon knavery un- 4
ruthfully to attack an honest man. OF Il
ven with hysterical exaggeration to as q
all bad man with untruth. An cpl. !,
emic Of indiscriminate assault upon II
haracter does no good, but very great G
arm. The soul OF every scoundrel is ri
whenever an honest man is as >,
allied, or even when a scoundrel is un. !.
assalled. L
Now, it is easy to twist out of shape
hat have just said easy to affect to ir
lisunderstand II, and If Il is slurred over | n
J repetition. not difficult really to misun- u
erstand It, Some persons are sincerely | OF
Icapable OF understanding that to de- "a
ounce mud singing does not mean the CT
dorsement of whitewashing; and both -
le interested individuals who need white OL
ashing, and those others who practice til
I'D singing. like to encourage such con- bl
sion Of ideas. One of the chief counts M
yainst those who make indiscriminate ~
sault upon men IN business or men in ~
lblic life Is that they invite a reaction &c
hich Is sure to tell powerfully in favor /.
the INSCRIPTIONS sc0undrel who really
ght TO be attacked, who ought to be
posed who ought, Il possible, to be
It in the penltentiary.
Any excess is almost sure to invite a mr.
action; and. unfortunately, the reaction.
stead Of taking the form OF punish ud
ant Of those guilty of the excess. is very W;
{ to take the form either of punish ne
INT Of the unoffending or of giving i'm -
inity, and even strength. to offenders ui'
le effort to make financial or political th'
oft out Of the destruction of character fro
h only result IN public calamity. Gross mn
d reckless assaults on character Gre -
, morbid and vicious public senti- uO
mt. and at the same time act as a lik
1found deterrent to able men Of nor. ths
u sensttiveness and tend to prevent -.
I'm from entering the public service at s'e
y price. As an instance in point ere
" mention that one serious difficulty see
in getting the right type 60,
men TO dig the Panama canal is the
tainty that they will be exposed both an
thout and, I am sorry to say, some the
les within, congress. to utterly reck. otl
assaults on their character and ca -
Hunt Down Criminals. uo' uo
Z the rlsk or repetition, let me say the
lin that my plea is, not for immunity -,
but for the most unsparing exposure ool
the politician who betrays his trust. wh
the big business men who makes or the
nds his fortune In illegitimate or cor ii
It ways. There should be resolute va
Irt to hunt every such man out of the VIII
ition he has disgraced. Expose the paI
ne and hunt down the criminal: but 10,
lember that even In the case of crime. -NA
[ is attacked in sensational, lurid and
ruthful fashion. the attack may do W
'e damage to the public mind than the Y
ne itseH, ~ Is because reel that res