The weekly true Democrat. (Tallahassee, Fla.) 1905-1912, 1906-03-23
FOR PURITY
IN POLITICS.
An Impressive Appeal for Honesty in
OflCs-EVery Newspaper in Flor
ida ShOuld Publish Il.

AUA gMVaAN PUBLISH
Hon. ]. A. Bryan writes the follow
ing communication for the Tampa
Times, of March 10th. 1t is so full CT
pertinent matters of general interest,
we publish it for the benefit of our
readers.
Please allow me through your paper
to say few words for a common cause
in which we are all interested, stern
and aggressive integrity in the admin
istration of the affairs of our city,
county and State. There was never a
time in the history of our country when
there was such demand for stern ag-
gressive integrity. | do not believe
that the people of our country are any
more dishonest than they were a humid
red years ago, or worse than the aver
age people of other countries. We
should be the best people on earth, our
advantages and environment are the
best, our progress, civilization and
wealth are the greatest; our education
al facilities are equal to any on earth.
Our government if properly administer
ed is the best in my opinion. Under all
OF these circumstances we should pro-
duce the best people on earth. Why do
we read 80 much in every paper we pick
up about graft and dishonesty in high
places, from people who have no need
to be dishonest, except to satisfy their
greed for money and more money? |
attribute it to several reasons; first, the
great ambition of our people to excel
each other, we teach it in our schools,
our business houses associated with
greed for money in the minds of most
our business men fully occupies them to
such an extent that they have no time
to attend to matters of public interest
or to accept office, or even attend re-
ligious services. God help our coming
generation if our wives, mothers and
sisters did not urge the Christian spirit
and keep it alive in our homes. Mat
tiers of State and municipalities are too
often left to men who are failures as
business men and &C to politics for a
livelihood, many of whom are negative
ly honest men, but not aggressive, they
are content to attend to their Jobs and
not trouble about what others are do
ing. They are accommodating and try
not to offend as they want to be re-
elected and hold their jobs. Such men
are easy victims of the shrewd CRATER,
and to other influences that lead TO
fraud. Corporations find such men easy
TO get through such legislation as they !
want regardless of the right Of the gen !
eral public. A criminal uses such men
to escape punishment, and for this cause
we have a lax administration Of our |
laws, feeble resistance to aggressive |
grafters, Objectionable laws put on our
statute books for the benefit of private |
evasion Of the laws are dead
easy by strong and aggressive trust,
eli L.. II ,
Of the government in the hands Of the
negative honest man. | am speaking
OF course there are excep.
tons, and the exceptions are not rare.
We have drifted IN this direction until
the condition, to say the least, is de-
plorable If not alarming. The shrewd
CRATER who goes into politics finds it
easy to divert public funds and have
them distributed in such a manner as TO
give him an indirect benefit, If not di.
rect one. In many instances the object
for which money has been appropriated
a small per cent of the total
amount appropriated. We would not
have TO go far from home to find an in
stance Of that kind After all political
debts are paid, all friends taken care Of,
all rebates and commissions are paid,
The county or the city has but little left
What is everybody's business no one at
tends to, and we drift in the same d.
rection. The responsibility rests upon
every citizen; we must not only realize
that he who diverts penny from the
object 1t was appropriated for and be-
zones in any way a beneficiary, is a
thief. He that uses public Office to pro-
mote his private interest for future
office, or any way to his advantage to
The detriment Of the public for which
MS Office was intended, is a thief. He
hat holds out inducements to an official
10 evcde the law for his benefit is ju..
rs guilty. He that pays his political
lebts with public funds by appointing
Incompetent men to public Office as a