Tulsa daily world. [volume] (Tulsa, Indian Territory [Okla.]) 1905-1919, 1906-04-14

speaker, every man who, ON the
platform, or in book, magazine, or
newspaper, with merciless severity
makes such attack, provided always
that he in his turn remembers that
the attack is of use only if II Is abb
solutely truthful. The liar is no whit
better than the thief, aud If hiS men
dacity takes the form Of slander, he
NAV be worse than most thieves. II
puts premium upon knavery I'M
truthfuly to attack an honest man,
or even with hysterical exaggeratlon
TO assail a bad man with untruth.
An epidemic Of indiscriminate as
sault upon character does not good,
but very great harm. The soul OF
every scoundrel is gladdened when
ever an honest man is assailed, or
even when scoundrel is untruth-
fully assailed.
Now il is easy to twist ont of
shape what | have just said, easy to
effect to misunderstood it, and, If
! it is slurred over in repetition, not
difficult really to misunderstood 1t.
Some persons are sincerely incapable
of understanding that to denounce
mud singing does not mean the en-
dorsement of whitewashing; and both
the interested individuals who need
whitewashing. and those Others who
practice mud singing, like to en-
COURAGE such confusion of ideas.
One of the chief counts against
those who make indiscriminate as
sault upon men in business or men
in public life, is that they invite a
reaction which is sure to tell power
fully in favor of the INSCRIPTIONS
scoundrel who really ought to be eX-
posed. who ought, if possible, to be
put in the penitentiary. If Aris-
tides is praised overmuch as just,
people get tired Of hearing it, and
overcensure Of the unjust finally and
from similar reasons results in their
favor.
ANY excess is almost sure to invite
reaction; and, unfortunately, the
reaction. instead of taking the form
of punishment of those guilty of the
excess, is very apt to take the form
either of punishment of the unof-
Tending or of giving immunity, and
even strength, to offenders. The
effort to make financial or political
profit out of the destruction of char
acter can only result in public ca
lamity. Gross and reckless assaults
On character, whether on the stump
or in newspaper, magazine, or book
create a morbid and vicious public
sentiment, and at the same time act
as a profound deterrent to able mer
of normal sensitiveness and tend tt
prevent them from entering the pub
lie service at any price. AS an III
= stance in point, may mention tina
: one serious difficulty encountered il
r getting the right type of men to dig
the Panama canal is the certaint.
that they will be exposed, both with
+, out, and, | am sorry to say, some
: times within Congress, to utterl,
t reckless assaults on their characte
and capacity.
L At the risk of repetition let m,
e say again that my plea is, not fo
\ immunity to but for the most un
: sparing exposure of the politician
S who betrays his trust, of the bi;
j business man who makes or spend
o his fortune in illegitimate or corrup
e ways. There should be a resout
= effort to hunt every such man out o
+ the position he has disgraced. FIX
pose the crime, and hunt down tn
n criminal; but remember that even il
$ the case of crime, if it is attacke,
5 in sensational, lurid, and untruthfu
: fashion, the attack may do NOR
e damage to the public mind than tn
y crime itself. II is because ] fec
:. that there should be no rest in tn
: endless war against the forces o
d evil that / ask that the war be con
y ducted with sanity as well as wit
: resolution. The men with the muck
e rakes are often indispensable to tn
e well-being of society; but only If the
d know when to stop raking the muck
IS and to look upward to the celestia
e crown above them. to the crown q
II worthy endeavor. There are beauti
? ful things above and round abou
n them; and if they gradually grow {
e feel that the whole world is nothin
a but muck, their power of usefulnes
o is gone. If the whole picture
1t painted black there remains no bu