The Montana plaindealer. [volume] (Helena, Mont.) 1906-1911, 1906-04-20

coed thew would find that they had
sown the wind and would surely reap
the whirlwind for they would ultimate
Iv nrovoEe the violent excuses Whlcl
accompanv a reform coming by con-
vulsion instead of by steady ana nat
ural growth. On the other hand the
wild preachers Of unrest and dlscoh-
rent the wild agitators against the
entire existing order, the men VINO act
crookedly. whether because Of sinister
design or from mere puzzleheadeGness'
the men who preach destruction Win
out proposing any substitute for Whal
they intend TO destroy, or VINO pro
nose a substitute which would be Tar
worse than the existing evils-all
these men are the most dangerous op-
poncnts Of real reform. If they get
their way. they will lead the people
into a deeper pit than any into which
they fall under the present system
If they fail to get their way they Will
still do ~incalculable damage by pro
voking the kind of reaction which IN
its revolt against the senseless eVh
of their teachings would enthrone
more securely than ever every EVIL
which their misguided followers be-
lieve they are attacking.
More important than aught else is
the development of the broadcast sym
pathv of man for man. The welfare
Of the waEcworkcr, the welfare OF the
tiller of the soil, upon these depend
the welfare OF the entire country;
their good is not to be sought in pull
ing down others, but their good must
be the prime object of all of Il states
manship. Materially we must strive
to secure a broader economic opportu-
nifty for all men. so that each shall
have a better chance TO show the stuff
Of which he is made; spiritually, and
officially. we must strive 10 bring
about clean living and right thinking.
We appreciate that the things of the
body are important; but we appreciate
also that the things of the soul are
immeasurably more important. The
foundation stone of national life is, and
ever must be, the high individual char
acter of the average citizen"
Again, the national government
must in some form exercise supervi-
sion W. corporations engaged in i'll
terstate business-and all large cor
porations are engaged in interstate
business-whether by license or other
wise. so as TO permit us to deal with
the ~faT-reaching evils of o~vercapital-
ization. This year we are making a
beginning in the direction of serious
effort to settle some of these ecOnom-
les BY the railway rate legislation.
Such legislation. if so framed, as | am
sure il will be. as % secure definite
and tangible results. will amount to
something of itself; and it will amount
to a great deal more in so far as it is
taken as a first step in the direction
of a policy of superintendent and con
troll over corporate wealth. engaged in
interstate commerce. This superin-
tendence and control ought not TO be
exercised in a spirit of malevolence to.
NuAh Al hANh ~ AaNN NlNdlCQ llC
wealth, but with the firm purpose both
to do justice to them and to see that
they in their turn do justice to the
public at large. The first requisite in
the public servants who are to deal
in this shape with corporations. wheth,
er as legislators + executives. is hon.
esty. This honesty a be no respect.
er of persons. There can be no such
thing as %unilateral honesty. The dan.
ger is not really from corrupt corpo.
rations; it springs from the corruption
itself, whether exercised for or against
corporations.
No good whatever will come from
that warped and mock morality which
denOunces the misdeeds of men OF
wealth and forgets the misdeeds prac.
ticed at their expense; which denoun.
ces bribery. but blinds itself to black.
mail; which foams with rage if a cor.
poration Il favors by improper
methods and merely leers with hide.
GUS mirth if the corporation is itself
wronged.
The only public servant who can
be trusted honestly to protect the
rights of the public against the mis-.
deeds of a corporation is that public
man who will just as surely protect
the corporation itself from wrongful
aggression
WHAIHnn