The Lake County times. [volume] (Hammond, Ind.) 1906-1933, 1907-10-23

"oppressors of wage workers" are a
few among a hundred similar denuncfa-
tions that have come from him like a
torrent.
Threats of the penitentiary" have
been flung right and left not only bv
the president. but by his department of
Justice The vocabulary Of scorn and
contempt and denunciation has been
practically exhausted by him-and for
what? To set forth his purpose of
Furnishing rich and poor criminals alike
as they were brought before the bar Of
justice. This is the statement made
for him, we believe, by those of his
friends who have approved the presf-
dents speeches in the last twelve
months.
As if the orderly processes of law
could be enforced only by inflammatory
and denunciatory appeals to the multi
tude.
As if the wheels of justice could not
be started by the United States attor-
ney general except the president first
appealed to the populace to condemn
in advance the men against whom the
evidence had not been even collected
for the prosecution!
As If it were necessary to stir the
deadliest passions of the human heart
before the president of the United
States and his department of Justice
could proceed under the statutes of the
United States to try in the federal
courts those men whom they believed
to be violating the federal laws!
But the president has denounced only
dishonest men, has been argued for
him by his friends. No honest man. no
honest business, need fear him No
man need lose confidence in a well con-
Quoted enterprise on account Of his de-
nunciations.
Foolish words! The president of the
United States is not dummy in a
vacuum. He is a powerful man in
practical world. His lightest words
weigh ten times more than the soberest
sense of any other man in the United
States.
When the president of the United
States takes it upon himself on a great
public occasions at Harrisburg. or
PrOvincetOwn. or St. Louis to mention
with only a passing word the honest
men who are at the fountains of indus
try and commerce and finance in this
country, and to devote the most force
impressive part of his speech to the de-
nunciation Of the 'maIefactors" and
the criminal" rich and the "swindlers''
in general who are in the marts of
trade, what is the conclusion to be
drawn by the average man who makes
up eighty -nine millions of the ninety
millions in our population?
When the president 70 the United
States. with all the circumstances and
dignity of his office, goes hundreds of
miles to denounce the "malefactors"
in American business and has but a
passing word for the honest men. what
conclusions are drawn and what i'm
pressions are made both in Europe and
in America regarding the men and
conditions in American industry? For
example:
Had the president OF this country re-
peatedly addressed a great audience
with denunciations of the "malefac-
tors" and the "criminals"in the labor
unions of this country, had he en-
phasized the need of putting in the
penitentiary" the union leaders who
had not been ever arrested, had he
advocated with all the force of his
the policy of bringing labor
unions under the supervision and ad-
OF the federal government
to stop their Grimes" how would his
attitude toward the labor men have
been regarded. not only by the labor
men themselves. but by all other men
who read his words? As hostile. as
bitterly and belligerently hostile. of
course. For illustration again:
If the president of the United States
had gone forth time after time to ad-
ddress a great audience regarding the
bankers of the United States: had he
the statement with all the
force which he possessed that there
were "rascals' in the banking business;
that there were 'malefactors" whom he
intended to punish. cost what 1t might;
that many bankers in the United States
ought to be in the penitentiary." what
would have been the effect on public
opinion and on the banking business
in this country?
Even though he had mentioned the
fact in passing that there were honest
bankers how many banks would have
withstood this onslaught? And would
his words have conveyed the impression
that he was friendly or hostile to the
NAAhin5 &AltESStS All tie 1AANSu states
Hostile. bitterly and belligerently hos
tile, of course. Let every one multiply
the illustrations for himself. The pos
sible number is inhnite. These two
suffice
They suffice to show why the securi-
ties Of American railroads were the
first TO yield TO the onslaught; why
fourteen billion dollars of railroad in
vestments shivered and broke beneath
the presidents repeated onslaughts;