The San Juan islander. [volume] (Friday Harbor, Wash.) 1898-1914, 1906-04-21
ROOSEVELT sPfAks|DIVORCE DECISION
PRESIDENT TAKES TOPIC or NAN
WITH nUCK-RAKE.

Win uUtk.kAkf.
Laying Of Concessions Of House
Office Building the Occasion.
Control Of Corporations and
legislation Against Huge For
tunes Also Dealt With.
Washington, April le.-At the lay
ing OF the cornerstone Of the new
ONCE building of the house of repre-
sentatives, Saturday afternoon, Presi-
dent Roosevelt, the principal speaker.
delivered his promised speech on
uok-Rakers." In the course of his
address the president attacked the SEN
sationai newspaper and magazine writ
ers who Unfortunately assail men In
of1cs. Recognizing the existence of
evils, he urged warfare. but deplored
the actions Of the muck Rakers'' in
pursuing q course that can only react
in favor Of interruptions men.
He regarded as menace to public
welfare the huge fortunes which are
being amassed in this country. He
urged q progressive tax by which
these fortunes might be curtailed and
limited to certain amount. He
warned rich men Of the danger Of at
tempting to prevent the regulation and
control of their business in the inter-
est q the public. He declared that q
liar b no bit better than thief, and
III his mendacity takes the form of
SANDER he may be worse than most
thieves. "Hysterical sensationalism
is the poorest weapon wherewith to
fight for lasting righteousness, he
said.
The president was in splendid voice,
and throughout the address hearty
and long-continued applause greeted
his words. He said in part:
President On Man With Muck-Rake.
TN Pilgrims Progress the man
with the muck-rake is set forth as the
example of him whose vision is fixed
on sarnal instead of on spiritual
things Yet he also typifies the man
who in this life constantly refuses to
see aught that iyis 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 that which is vile
and debasing. There is filth on the
floor, and it must 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 be-
comes not a help to society, not an
incitement to good, but one Of the
most potent forces for evil.
There are in the body polite, eco
homie and social, many and grave
evils, and there is urgent necessity 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 business or in So
cial life. hail as 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 as it is abso-
I.lutely truthful. The liar is no whit
better than the thief. and, II his men,
dacity takes the form of SANDER, be
may be worse than most thieves. It
puts premium upon knavery untruth-
fully to attack an honest man, or even
with hysterical exaggeration to assail
bad man with untruth.
Injury Of Character Assassins.
IAN epidemic Of indiscriminate as
sault upon character does no good,
| but very great harm. The soul Of ev-
cry scoundrel is gladdened whenever
an honest man is assailed, or even
when q scoundrel is untruthfuliy as
sailed. To assail great and admitted
evils Of our political and industrial
| life with such crude and sweeping
consultations as to include decent
men in the general condemnation
means the soaring Of the public con-
science. There results general atti-
tude either Of cynical belief in and In
difference to public corruption or else
q distrustful inability to discriminate
between the good and the bad.
..Either attitude is fraught with I'M
told damage to the country as whole.
The fool who has not the sense to dis
criminate between what is good and
what is bad is wellnigh az dangerous
q the man who does discriminate and
vet chooses the bad. There is nothing
moro distressing to every good patriot,
| to every good American, than the hard
scofIlng spirit, which treats the ALE
| cations Of dishonesty In > public man
g cause for langhtee. Such laugh
| ter Il worse than the 'crackling Of
| thorna under the pot. for il denotes
!, NOT merely the vacant mind, but the
heart in which high emotions have
been choked before they could grow to
fruition. !"
unIIcC DleeEC pHT