The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1906-04-15
One AS Bad AS Other

&. We can no more anu no i8SS tSIlOIu ~
condone evil in the man Of capital than
evil In the man Of no capital. The wealthy
man who exuts because there is no fall
ure OF Justice In the effort to bring somo
trust lnagnate to an account for his mis-
deeds is as bad as and no worse than the
30 called labor leader who clamorously
strives to excite n foul class feeling on
behalf Of some other labor leader VINO is
Implicated In murder Ono attitude is ms
bad as the other, and no worse; in each
case the accused is entitled to exact JUS
tlce; and In neither case Is there need
Of action by others which can be construed
into an expression OF sympathy for crime.
the first requisite IN the public servants
who are TO deal In this shape with cor
ecutives is honesty. This honesty can be
no respecter OF persons. There can be no
such thing as unilaternl honesty. The
danger Is not really from corrupt corpora
tions 1t springs from the corruption itself,
whether exercised for or against corpora
the eighth commandment reads:
.rhou shalt not steal" It docs
not read; "Thou shalt not stenl
from tho rich man. It does rot
read: 'Thou shalt not steal from the
poor man. It reads Simply and plainly
'Thou shalt not steal No good what
ever viii come from that warped ana
mock morality which denounces tho mis-
deeds Of men of wealth and forgets the
misdeeds prncticed at their expense; which
dcnounces bribery, but blinds itself TO
hackmail; which foams with rage II q
corporations secures favors by i'm
proper methods, and merely leers
with hideous mirth II the cor
poraton ia itself wronged. tho
honestly to protect the rights Of the pub
lie against the misdeed Of corporation
is that public man who will Just as surely
protect tho corporation Itself from wrong
full aggression. If aHpublic man Is Will
ing to yield to propular camor ana 40
wrong to the men Of wealth or to rich cor
porations, It may BIO set down us certain
that If the opportunity comes he will So
cretly and furtively do wrong to the pup
lie in tho Interest OF a corporation.
Opponents Of Real Reform.
The Wild preachers Of unrest and dis
content, tho wild agitntors against the
entire existing order, the men who act
orookedly, whether because Of Sinister de-
sign or from more zzle-headedness, tne
men who preach destruction without pro
posing any substitute for what they n
tend to destroy, or who propose a supsu-
tute which would be far worse tnhn tne
existing evlla--all these mon are the most
dangerous opponents OF real reform. y
thew ret their way they Will lead the
neople into deeper pit than any into
which they could fall under the present
system IL they fall to get their way
they will stl do incnlculable harm ny
provoking tho kind Of reaction whlei,
in It's revolt against the senseless evil OF
their teaching, would enthrone more So
curely than ever the very evils which thell
misguided followers believe they are at
lacking, a..
development of the broadest sympathy OF
man for man. Tho welfore Of the wage
worker tho welfare Of tho tiller OF tile
soil upon these depend the welfare OF inc
entire country: their good Is not 20 pe
sought In pulling down others; but the,l
good must be tho prime object OF al our
statesmanship .
Materially we must strive to secure q
broader economic opportunity for al men
so that each shall have better chance
to show the stuff of which he IS made,
Spiritually and ethically we must strive
to bring about clean living and right thln *
Ing. we appreciate that the things or the
body are Important; but we appreciate
also that the things Of the soul are I'M
measurably more important The foun-
dalton stone Of national life Is, and ever
must be- the high individual character OF
the average citizen. e