Omaha daily bee. (Omaha [Neb.]) 187?-1922, 1906-04-15

fully to attack an honest man, or even
with hysterical eXaggeration to assail a
indiscriminate assault upon character
does no good, but very great harm. The
soul of every scoundrel is gladdened
whenever an honest man is assailed, or
even when scoundrel is untruthfully as
sailed.
Now, it is easy to twist out of shape
what l have just said, easy to affect TO
misunderstood it, and, II IL Is slurred over
in repetition, not difficult really to misun-
derstand IT. Some persons are sincerely M
capable of understanding that to denounce
mud-slinging does not mean the indorse-
ment OF whitewashing and both the inter-
ested individuals who need whitewashing
and those who practice mud-slinging like
to encourage such confusion of ideas. One
or the chief counts against those who make
or men in public life is that they invite
reaction which Is sure to tell powerfully In
favor Of the INSCRIPTIONS seoundrel who
really ought to be attacked, who ought to
be exposed, who ought, il possible, to be
put in the penitentiary. If Aristides is
praised overmuch as just, people get tired
OF hearing IL; and oVereensllre of the UNI
just finally and from similar reasons re-
suits in their favor"
Any excess is almost sure to invite a
reaction: and, unfortunately, the reaction,
instead OF taking the form of punishment
or those guilty of the excess, is very apt
10 take the form either of punishment of
the unoffending or OF giving Immunity. and
even strength, TO offenders. The effort to
make financial or political profit out Of the
destruction of character can only result
in public calamity. Gross and reckless
assaults on character, whether on the
create a NOR "a and vicious public senti-
ment, and at the same time act as pro-
found deterrent to able men of normal
sensitiVeness and tend to prevent them
from entering the public service at any
price. As an instance in point, | may
mention that one serious difficulty eucoun-
tered in getting the right type Of men 10
dig the Panama canal Is the certainty
that they will he exposed, both without,
congress- to utterly reckless assaults on
their character and capacity.
Offenders Must he Punished
At the risk of repetition let me say
again that my plea is, not for immunity
OF the politician who betrays his trust, Of
The big business men who makes or spends
his fortune In illegitimate or corrupt ways.
There should be a Eesolute effort TO hunt
every such man out of the position he
has disgraced. Expose the crime and hunt
even I'm the case OF crime. II It is attacked
in sensational lurid, and untruthful fash
the public mind than the crime itself IL
is because l feel that there should be no
rest In the endless war against the forces
Quoted with sanity as we'll as with resolu-
ton. The men with the muck rakes are
often indispensable to the well being of
stop raking the muck. and to look upward
TO the celestial crown above them, to the
beautiful things above aud round about
them, and II they gradually grow to feel
that the whole world Is nothing but muck.
their power of usefulness IS gone II the
whole picture is painted black there re-
mains no hue whereby TO single out the
rascals for distinction from their fellows.
Such painting finally induces kind OF
moral color blindness. and people affected
by II come TO the conclusion that no man
Is really black. and no man really white,
but they are all gray. In other words,
they neither believe in the. truth OF the
attack, nor I'm the honesty Of the man who
Is attacked, they grow as suspicious of
the accusation as OF the offense; II becomes
well night hopeless 70 stir them either TO
wrath against wrongdoing or 10 enthusiasm
for what is right; and such a mental at
titude in the public gives hope to every
knave. and is the despair Of honest men.
Dangers of Generalization.
To assail the great and admitted evils
Of our political and industrial life with
such crude and sweeping CONGRATULATIONS
as TO include decent men In the general
condemnation means the soaring Of the
public conscience. Here results a general
attitude OF cynical belief In and indiffer-
ence 20 public corruption. OF else Of dis
trustful inability 70 discriminate between
the good and the bad. Either attitude IL
fraught with untold damage TO the country
as a whole. The fool who has not sense
10 discriminate between what is good and