New-York tribune., 1906-04-15
RAPS MUCK RAKE MAN
PRESIDENT FOR JUSTICE.
addresses LARGE CrO7cd at Laying
of COrnfrstOne.
frr-m Tho Tribune Bureayl

o;,-aa VAS delivered at the end of the Masonic
ceremonies attending the laying of the corner
stone Of the Office building for the use Of MEM
hers of the House Of Representatives. The
qaye used during the ceremonies and after
1ard handed for few moments by the Presi-
dent was the same one used by President Wash
ingtor ar the iaying Of the cornerstone of the
CAPITOL itself in lI"a
The President came unattended by military
nv naval aids and took his place on the plat
forn. ouieuy awaiting the conclusion of the
Masonic ceremonies
THE PRESIDENTS SPEECH.
ua was irtrrcuced by Speaker Cannon. and
after joking appeal to the Speaker to stand by
him he said:
o..,,., century, ago Washington laid the cor
,-,rs-ora of The C.plro' I'm what was then nttie
more than a tract of Wooded wilderness mere "e-
SIDE the PoIomac. We now find il necessary 70
provide 10y great additional buildings lot l.e @
business IF the zale1nnent- This growth IN
ne need for me housing Of the government - =
Glt a proof and example of the way in Whi'h
ne marion has grown and the sphere of acu'h
- ~ ,arional government has grown We now
administer the affairs Of nation III Wh'h INC @lile
extraordinary gr with Of population mas neet
.lirstripred By the growth Of wealth ana lil@
c~,z-rb IN carnr,leN interests The mateIls't
problems that face rs today are noi Nu'i a
Thev were in WashinEtoG's time. but the under
-
as they were then Under altered external loIl.' "a
We war with the same tendenctes toward t'l.
that vere evident in NaSHlnst"hs tlile' am
are b,iued hv the same tendencies for good. II
IS about some OF these that wish 10 say a ""' u
TODAY.
IN 8unyan's Pilgrims Progress you may re
call the description 2f The Man with Mu'h-
Rake the man who could look no wa! buI
downward with the muCk-rake IN mis- haho, W no
was offered a celestial crown Tor MS lhu' =
rake hut who would neither look up nor regard
r-ga Il "a
10 himself the iilth Of the floor.
In Pilgrims Progress the Man with the
Muck Rake is set forth as the example OF MN I'M
whose vision is fixed on carldl instead oI on
spiritual things. Yet he also typiueS the man
who in this life consistently refuses 20 see auBht
that is lofty, and fixes his eyes with solemn IN
tentness only on that which is vile and dehasing-
Now il is very necessary that We should not
finch from seeing what Is vile and deDaslng.
There Is filth on the floor. and Il must be scraped
up with the lnGck-rake; and there are times and
places where this service is the most needed OF
all the services that can be performed But the
man who never does anything else. who never
thinks or speaks or writes save Of his feats
with the muCk-rake speedily becomes, not 4
help TO society. not an inCitement TO good. nut
one of the most potent forces 70! evil
There are in the body polite. economic and
social. many and grave evils. and there Is urgent
necessity for the sternasr War upon them. There
should be relentless exposure Of and attack
upon every evil man. whether politician or bust
ness man, every evil practice whether in poll
tics. in business or IN social life. ! hail as q
henefSCtOr every writer or speaker. every man
who on the platform or IN look magazine or
newspaper, with megcflsrE ssSc,its0 s3slSa8 F'sch
attack provided always that he in his turn re-
members that the attack Is II only II = IS
than the thief and If MS mendacity takes the
form % SANDER he may be worse than most
thieves. II puts a premium upon knaTery
Unrruthfully 10 attack an honest man. or even
with hvsterical eXaEEeratiOn 10 assail "A had man
with untruth. An IideInic Of indiscrimnate as
SaulL upon character does not good but very
gladdened whenever an honest man is assailed.
or even when a scoundrel is untTuthfully as
sailed.
Now. it IS easy 10 twist OUT Of shape what I
have just said. easy 70 affect TO misunderstood
g. and. II i is sUrred over in repetition, not
difficult really 10 misunderstood II. Some per-
sons are sincerely incapable OF understanding
that 20 denouUce mudslinsing does not mean the
Endorsement Of Whitewashing; and both the in
terested individuals VINO need embarrassing
and those others who practise mudsngng like
10 encourage such confusion Of ideas one of
the chief counts against those who make indiS-
crlmiilate assault upon men In business or men
in public life Is that they invite 4 reaction
which Is sure 70 tell powerfully in favor of the
INSCRIPTIONS sCoundrel who really ought TO be
attacked, who ought 70 he exposed. who ought.
i possible 70 be put in the penitentiary. II
ATistides Is praised Overmuch as just. people get
tired Of hearing IL; and oyercensure Of the un-
Just finally and from similar reasons result in
their favor.
ANY EXCESS INVITES REACTION.
ANY excess is almost sure 10 invite a reaction.
snc, unfortunately the reaction, instead Of TAX
lne The form Of punishment Of those guilty Of
the excess. is very apt 10 take the form cit her
of punishment OF the uupffendiug or of giving
immunity. and even strength Io offenders The
effort Z" make financial ar political profit out Of
the destruction OF character can only result in
public calamity. Gross and reckless assaults On
CnaraC Cter-Whether on the stump OF in newspa-
fei. magazine or book-create morbid and
VICIOUS pubic sentiment. and al the same time
act as a profound deterrent to able men OF nor
MAJ seus!tiveness and tend to prevent them
Iom entering the publ, service ~ any price
As an instance in point, ] may mention that
one serious difficulty encountered in getting the
!iGht type Of men to dig the Panama Canal is
ne certainty mat they TiN be exposed both
without. and. an sorry 10 say, sometimes
within. Congress. 40 utterly reckless assaults on
their character and O. pacifv
Al me risk oi repetition let me say again that
my plea Is. not for immunity to. but for the
most uhsparing exposure Of. the politician who
btli4yS ms trust Of the big business man who
makes or spends his fortune in illegitimate or
t'IFapt ways Theie should be TesOlute effort
% hunt every such ont Of the position he
mas nisSIa''ed- Expose tho crime and hunt
u""n the criminal; but remember that even in
the case Of crime. if II is attacked i'm sensa-
u"hSl, lur1d and untruthful fashion. the attack
may 40 more damage 10 the public mind than
-, me i tselL II is because feel that there
s' no rest in the euG!egs against the
si.'F o1 evn that ! ask that the war be con
"a WIN sanity as well With resolution.
-' iiit WIN the mucl<-ra lrs arc Oft an indfs-
80 '.,l"Ie 10 me we'lbeing of society. but only
tneY KNOW when To stop raking the muck
..iiV 10 iocN upward 10 the celestial crown above
t-"''i: 20 me crown Of worthy endeavor There
-" oeau'iIul things above and round about
.''", Aiiu u 'heF gradually grow to feel that
-. Mioie World is nothing but muck their
P"N'i - usefulness Is gone. If the whole pict-
ure i painted black there remains no fue
whereby 20 single out the rasc'. fo. distinctio,,
from their fellows. Such painting Nnauv in
1uces kind OF moral co.or blindness. and neo-
Ole affected by II come to the concllIsion tba,
no man is really black and no man really white
bG; they are all gray. In other words thev
neither believe in the ruth Of the attack nor
IN the honesty e: the man Who is attacked. thov
grow "a suspicious Of The accusation -. Of the