The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1906-01-21
BOSTON HEARS FOLK.
He Tells His Audience That Honesty
Is the Best Politics.

Boston, Jan. 20.=GovernOr Folk of
Missouri was one of the speakers at
the banquet of the Merchants asso-
citation tonight. He said in part:
Civic regeneration is going on all
over the country. The hope of the
perpetuation of government by the
people was never brighter. Unless
this idea Of civic right dies out we
will pass from the age of sordid COM
mercialism to the age of high ideals.
Even now wealth is not worshiped
with the same devotion it used to be-
A new standard has been established
just honesty.
There is nothing a corrupt man or
those who make a business of violat-
ing laws fear more than publicity
and aroused public conscience. The
prisons might be filed with grafters
yet If the people were Indifferent
grating would go on just the same.
Political parties are beginning to
learn that honesty is, after all, the
best politics The people will no long
er respond to the empty sound Of
mere party names, but a party must
stand for something and mean some
thing. The moral ideal in politics has
come to stay. This does not near. the
destruction of political parties but the
putting Of political parties on a high
er plane. There has been much talk
since the recent elections of doing
away with the old political parties. or
forming new one. The first viii be
impossible and the second is entirely
unnecessary. The easy notification of
laws by executive officials is one of
the greatest evils OF the day. Too
many officials feel themselves more
bound by what they think is public
sentiment than the law
Laws for All Alike
The corporation magnate should be
compelled TO respect the law that regu-
lates the Conduct of the corporation as
he asks Others to respect the law that
p1 elects the property Of .he corpora ii IN.
The anarchy of capital breeding law
lessness should not more be Tolerated
than the ana; chy of labor breeding riot
and disorder.
"The people a. ret oppose wealth:
wealth in Itself is q blessing out Trey
Go object to the sE<.se Of wealth. Graft
can not be eXt5rniuated fully until
special privileges are done away with
a@d tie doctrine OF equal rights isrcCcS-
nize5. il matters not whether tails
special privilege be in the form of a
. tariff so arranged as to foster n-onoQo.y
or a com binatiCn to control the prices
of necessities, or rebates to favored ship
pers. Some special interest is at the
bottom Of every graft.
Corporations are laa chief cOrruptors
of our public life. TIE honestly con
Quoted corporations would have moth
ing to fear from the publication oi
their nditures-repoIting to the
Stste JAl5li tA ptiiolt0fSS Win lQ2 proper
vouchers. 1t would then be difficult to
conceal the use of corporation moneys
for corrupt purposes.
In securing report from the govern
mert the influences CT special influences
must be curtailed The free railroad
pass is a prolific breeder of corruption.
True to the principles of Republican
government we shall be the NEST pow
erful of all nations Of the earth. For
saking these with a government of and
by special interests national and pri-
vate, and prosperity can only be tenn
porary and we must finally go as ma
tons have gone during the fight OF
time through the ages