Ladysmith news. [volume] (Ladysmith, Wis.) 1906-1907, 1906-10-27
WORLD BETTER THAN IT WAS.
IN. Carroll -. Wright Takes Issue Will
the Exposure" Sensationalists.

WORLD BETTER THAN 1T WAS
On. Carroll -. Wright Takes Issue With
the Exposure" sensationalists.
AS guest of honor at the monthly
Getting of tre Merchants Club, at the
aw Algonquin Club house, in Boston,
on. Carroll D. Wright, president Of
lark College, considered the subject
Public Conscience" before the
.embers. The president of the club,
lwyn c.. Preston, presided.
President Wright said that he be-
eyed the world is growing better,
,the- chan worse, as indicated by SEN
ltional writer's. who, he said, found
lat writing cold facts was not profit
ole, hence they delivered the salable
rticles of strong sensational charges
gainst people in high Office. He re-
uted the charge Of William Allen
White, who said that more than ninety
light per cent. of the employees at
Washington are grafters. He pointed
the 'star route" and whisky ring"
candals, which, he said, were gigan-
ic, compared with the recent postof-
ice exposures. Yet at the present time
he public conscience is SO acute that
he latter were made to appear stu
9endous by comparison. ''The difficulty
s." said President Wright, I'VE are
comparing the present with tie past,
using perfect statistics Of to-day with
imperfect ones of years ago" He took
70 task the clergymen who preach.
against supposed graft and use stats.
ties incorrectly interpreted to substsn-
fate their contention.
He spoke of the enormous financial
tranactions of the United States Gov
eminent involved when a transfer is
made from one United States treas
urer to another, transaction into
which billions Of money enter and
which are fully and correctly accounted
for without error to the extent OF even
one cent. This he cited as a remark
able Illustration of honesty and fidelity,
in the aggregate, of men in high official
place and he further drew lesson
from the absolutely insignificant per-
centage Of loss to the country and the
Government through dishonesty on the
part of it's officials and employee in any
branch of it's service throughout the
United States.
With a tabulated chart Mr.. Wright
showed that crime had decreased with
the increase of population. He quoted
q Well-knoWn writer who said that
there were more people in Massachu-
setts State Prison than there were in
Virginia's penetentiary; but the speak
er explained this condition by saying
that one particular crime is punished
by a State prison sentence in this
State, while in the other it only in
wolves a $40 fine.
Speaking further regarding crime in
Massachusetts,, he added that the num-
Der Of people arrested for mere drunk
enness is larger by far than in other
States, with proportionately larger
number of imprisonments. This, how
ever, he stated does not necessarily
mean that in Massachusetts there is a
larger proportion of cases of this one
offence. as compared with other States,
but rather emphasizes a stronger pub
hic feeling and a better awakened con-
seienee fors treating it than is found
elsewhere.
! "Civilization brings into recognition
any bad conditions" he said, ''but does
not create them. True citizenship lies
In the fact that every man, whether he
knows it or not, gets more out OF the
community than he can do for the
community. He is a servant Of the
community, whether he recognizes his
service or not, for every man in some
degree helps along the work in sensi-
tizing. like the photographer plate,
the public conscience which puts down
corruption, which would not be recog-
nized if the public conscience were not
sensitive"
President Wright referred to what he
stated to be the "stupendous claim"
of Robert Hunter that there are in the
United States ten millions of people in
poverty. This statement the speaker
aefuted as having absolutely no real
basis of fac, and he added that Mr..
Hunters claim has been thoroughly ex'
ploded.