The daily morning journal and courier., 1907-10-12
WASHING THE LINEN.

Those who congratulated them selves that the unhappy disclosures of corporate greed, duplicity or stupidity, whichever one cares to call it, were brought to an end with the adjourn ment of the New York committee charged with the investigation of the Insurance business have been rudely awakened. The diving bells are still busy and what is forthcoming only those know who are arrayed in the clothing of the divers. The daily rec ord keeps up its exposure of faithless- ness, the investor continues to absent himself from the market and money hides itself more timidly than before.
 It Is not so many years ago that the Lexow committee in the State of New York made it's descent upon the city government of New York city in order to locate the conspiracy which unques- tionably existed between the political powers in control of that city and the police department. That was an inves- tigation of political conditions and was directly interesting and confound- ing only to those who created it from partisan motives. It revealed neverthe- less much that was debasing and demoralizing, but it never materially improved things. To-day the city of New York has to contend with like political turpitude ana it requires all of the executive ability of the police commissioner to stem the current of evil-doing with those higher up" in the same old conspiracy, It was then and there proved, however, that the only force which could remedy the evils complained of was a higher and hvelier civic conscience. So much for the Investigation of conditions politi- cal, in which the partisan aspect dom mates. The insurance investigation followed and as thar struck at busi- ness habits of life and commercial standards of honor the division of public sentiment separated distinctly the sheep from the goats. The great majority were agreed that great wrongs had been perpetrated. The shining few wriggled out of their pre- dicament as best they could. They were favored neither by their politi- cal nor church affiliations. The inves- tigation being carried on now by the public utilities commission of New York rests upon the sane basis of an outraged public confidence.
 With these various disclosures be- Fore ones eyes and alive in ones mem Ory. the question is a natural one, What is to be the end of it all? Must we continue to experience revelation after revelation for an indefinite time |? Will values be seriously affected? Will a break come which will spread dis may and distress in every direction, etc., etc.? The best way to meet these inquiries is to hope that if there are unsuspected depths of commercial in- fanny to sound the task will be enter ed upon without hesitation. It will do no good now to stop in the search for the truth. The public appetite has been whetted for the whole truth and nothing but the truth. In that respect President Roosevelt is exactly right, there can be no compromise with evil doing. Evidently from what is being brought to light in the examination of the traction business in New York city the new batch of exposed sinners fattered themselves that the public got it's full at the insurance investiga. ton banquet; they played the same old hand once too often at the gamC when they obviously concluded that their turn had come following tho satisfaction which the restless and sus' picious public had derived from { belly full. This view, which can easily