Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1906-04-14
PRESIDENT HITS
THE MUCk.RAK[ MEN
Chief Executive Warns Against
Indiscriminate Attacks on
Public Men
SAYS DUE CARE MUST BE TAKEN
Magazine and Newspaper Writers Who
Attack Men in High Position Liken-
ed to Muck-Rake Man in Pilgrims
Prosress-Laying of Corner Stone
Of Magnificent New Congressional
Office Building.

Office Building.
Washington, April 14.-In the pres
ence of distinguished assemblaga,
with the president of the United States;
taking a prominent part, with the SUI
preme court and senate, house of rep-:
resentatives and diplomatic corps, as
course of people, the corner stone Of
the office building for the house OF
representatives was laid with impress y
sive ceremonies under the auspices OF
the Masonic fraternity this afternoon.
The address Of the day was made by
President Roosevelt, on ''The Man
With the Muck Rake" Other speak
ers included Walter Brown, Grand
Master of Masons; Congressman JOS
eph G. Cannon William P. Hepburn.
Former Congressman J. D. Richard
son, of Tennessee, grand commander OF
the Supreme Council Of the Scottish
Rite Masons.
A hundred years ago President.
Washington, assisting the acting grand
master Of Masons Of Virginia and
nations capitol. Fifty-eight years la
ter, President Fillmore laid the corr
ner- stone Of the extension to the cap-
itol, also assisting the Masonic frater-S
nifty in their solemn rites of consecrat-
ing the building, "To holy purposes and
lofty IDEAS" Today with even more
impressive ceremonies, the corner
stone Of the largest office building,
solely devoted to the primary purposes
Of the legislation and comforts OF its
legislators in the world was
laid with the Masonic Fraternity active
participants, assisted by President
Roosevelt, who like Presidents WASH
ington and Fillmore, Is Mason. Pre-
vious to the ceremonies, a copper box
two and one-half feet long and eigfl-
teen inches wide, was placed In the
stone, in the presence of the grand
treasurer of the grand lodge The box
contains many rare and unusual ar
ticles, together with coins Of the Unit
ed States and the series. Of postage
stamps now in use.
The building dedicated today will DO
classic in design. Architecturally the
front Is divided into two parts, the
lower, corresponding to the first story
Of the building, constituting a RUS
ticated" base on which extending thru
the second and third stories is a coll
onade surmounted by it's entablature
and balustrade. Some idea of its size.
is given in the following frontages: On
B. street, 476 feet; on New Jersey av-
enue, 47O feet ION First street, 452
feet; on c street, 348 feet, making a
total frontage of 1,74o feet, or approx
imately ne-third Of mile. The build
bers. together with multiplicity OF
caucus rooms, audience rooms, postof-
flee, restaurant and other features, OF
a modern office building.
President Roosevelt said in part:
s'In Bunyan's Pilgrims 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.
"In Pilgrims Progress the Man with
the Muck rake Is set forth as the ex-
ample for him whose vision is fixed on
carnal instead of en- spiritual things.
Yet he also typifies the man who in
this life consistently refuses to see
aught that is lofty, and fixes his eyes
with solemn intentness only on that
which is vile and debasing. Now 1t IS
very necessary that we should not
finch from seeing what is vile and
debasing. There is filth on the floor,
and it must be scraped up with the
muck-rake; and there are times and
,laces where this service is the most
naeded Of all the services that can be
nerformed. But the man who never
does anything else, who never tnlnAs
or speaks or writes, save OF ms Ieats
with the muck-rake, speedfly pecoMess
not a help to society, not an inclte-
ment to good, but one OF the most po-
tent forces for evil.
"There are, in the body polite. eco
non1ic and social. many ana sfaVe
evils and there is urgent necessity Tor
the sternest war upon them. Inere
should be relentless exposure Oh ah.. :.
attack upon every evil man, every evil
practice, whether in politics, In nusi-
ness, or in social life. hall as a pene-
factor every writer or speaker every
man who, on the platform, or IN pooh'
magazine, or newspaper, with merci-
less severity makes such attack' pro-
v,ded always that he in his turn re-
.sters that the attack is OF use
only IL it is absolutely trutnlul. ..ne 10
TO- ,s mo whit better than the THIEF,
ana 70 his meudacity takes the form OF
s,ander he may be worse than most
thieves, It puts a premium upon
tnaverv untruthfully to attack an hon.
est man. or even with hysterical ex-
apperation to assail a bad man with
untruth. An epidemic Of indiscrimin-
ate assault upon character does nos
L 49,