The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1906-05-16
MUST LIMIT FORTUNES
Presidents Radical Proposal in
"Muck Rake" Speech.
BITTER AGAINST FALSIF|ERS

Proposes Levy on Wealth to Ere.
rent the Bequeathing of Great
Amounts-Curbing the Great Rich.
Washington, D. C.-The sensation Of
President RooSevelt's much advertised
Muck Rake" speech at the laying Of
the cornerstone of the new Office build
ing for the House Of Representatives,
was not the reference to the mud sling
ing scribblers, but the springing Of a
brand new idea, so bold and radical
that it fairly took away the breath
If the Senators and Representatives
who heard it. 1t was a proposition to
tax all fortunes and to limit the
amount Of money which may be be-
lueathed to an individual.
The speech was one Of the most re-
markable the President has delivered.
1t was comprehensive to an unusual
degree, embracing practically every
topic of the day and having some
thing in it in the nature of a moral
lesson For persons in every walk of
life. The President decried hysterical
Ind u%nthinking sensationalism, scored
The traducers of public men and Of the
nation, and lauded those who exercise
sanity and honesty in %uncovering and
furnishing fraud in low and high places.
There was a note of warning to those
ancient enemies, capital and labor,
and a %denunciation for the wealthy
trust officials who by technicalities es-
cape punishment for violations of law,
md for the "Sam Parks" of labor.
Then came the bombshell for which
few of those present were prepared
the advocacy of a graduated tax on
fortunes, and of a provision Of law that
will prevent millionaires from be-
aueathing more than a certain amount
Of their wealth. the balance to go to
the Government. This proposal COM
pletely dwarfed the "muck rake" fea-
ture and set the Senators to buzzing.
When the ceremonies were over it
was the only thing that was discussed.
It took Mr.. Roosevelt half an hour
to get through with what he had to
say about the muck rake sort of criti-
cism and critics. The salient para
graphs of this part Of his address are
as follows:
SIN Bunyan's Pilgrims Progress you
may recall the description of the Man
with the Muck Rake, the man who
could look no way but downward, with
the muck rake in his hand; who was
offered a celestial crown for his muck
rake, but who would neither look up
nor regard the crown be was offered,
but continued to rake to himself the
filth of the floor.
SIN Pilgrims Progress the man with
the muck rake is set forth as the ex-
ample Of him whose wisdom is fixed on
carnal instead of on spiritual things.
Yet he also typiies the man who in this
life consistently refuses to see aught
that is lofty, and fixes his eyes with
solemn intentness only on that which
is vile and debasing. Now, it is very
necessary that we should not finch
from seeing what is vile and debasing.
There is filth on the floor and it u
be scraped up with the muck 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 a help to society.
not an Indictment to good, but n Of
the more potent forces for evil.
"There are, in the body polite, eco
nomic and social, many and grave
a,,I, oDJ {,nra So f1rnonf nannccifu
for the sternest war upon them. There
should be relentless exposure Of and
attack upon every evil man, whether
politician or business man, every evil
practice, whether in politics, in bust
ness or in social life.
Il hail as q benefactor every writer
or 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 it is abso-
lutely truthful. The liar is no whit
better than the thief, and if his men,
dacity takes the form Of SANDER he
may be worse than most thieves.
zone of the chief counts against
those who make indiScriminate as
sauit upon men in business or men il
public life is that they invite a reac-
ton which is sure to tell powerfully
in favor of the INSCRIPTIONS scoundrel.
zone serious difficulty encountered
In getting the right type of men to
dig the Panama Canal is the certainty
that they will be exposed to utterly
reckless assaults on their character and
capacity.
1.-The men with the muck rake are
often indispensable to the well-being
Of society, but only when they know
when to stop rdking the muck.
"Hysterical sensationalism Is the
very poorest weapon with which to
fight for lasting righteousness.
1.-The men who, with stern sobriety
and truth, assail the many evils Of Il
time, whether in the public press or in
magazines or in books, are the leaders
and allies of all engaged in the work
for social and political betterment.
"The reform that counts is that
which comes through steady, continu-
Gus growth; violent e~motionalism leads
to exhaustion"
But it was not the muck rake feature
of the address that attracted attention.
1t was his new scheme for the progress
sive taxation of fortunes. On that
point the President observed: