The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1907-05-31
Railroads Should Keep Out {
Politics.

Finally, friends let us never forget that
this is not merely a matter of business
but also a matter of morals. The success
of our whole system of government de-
ponds upon our discriminating between
men, not with reference to whether they
are rich or, poor. whether they follow one
occupation or another, but with reference
solely to whether they act as honest and
upright citizens should act. Let the local
attorneys of the big roads keep out of
politics: and when they have to appear
before the national or any state legisla-
ture let their names be put on a special
register, and let their business be above
board and open. There are blackmailers
in public life, and the citizen who is hon.
est will war against the man who tries to
backmail railroad or big corporation
with the same stern determination to pun
iSh him as against the man who cOrruptly
favors such corporation. But let the rail-
road man remember that to purchase i'm
munity in wrongdoing or to defeat black
mali by bribery is the worst and most
shOrtsighted of policies Let the plain Deo-
pie insist on the one hand on governing
themselves and on the other hand on do
ing exact justice to the railways. Let the
big railroad man Scrupulously refrain from
any effort to influence politics or govern
ment save as it is the duty of every good
citizen in legitimate ways to try to in
f1uence politics and government; let the
people as a whole in their turn, remem-
Der that it is their duty to discriminate in
the SnaTDeSI way DeIWeSn railway
man who does we'll and the railway man
who does ILL., and, above all. to remember
that the irreparable moral harm done TO
the body polite by corruption is Just as
great, whether the corruption takes the
form of matchmaking a big corporation
or of corruptly doing its bidding What
we have to demand in ourselves and in
our public servants is honesty-honesty to
all men; and if we condone dishonesty be-
cause we think it is exercised in the in
terests of the people. we may rest as
sured that the man thus showing It lacks
only the opportunity toNexercise II against
the interests of the people The man who
on occasion will corruptly do what is
wrong in the interests of a big CORPORATION
is the very man eager to biackmaiI that
corporation as the opportunity arises.
Corrupt Men Turn Performers
The man who is on occasion. a corrup-
ZIONIST, is apt, when the gust of popular
feeling blows hard against the corpora
tons he has corruDtiy served. to be the
lOudest. most reckless. and most violent
among those who denounce them Hunt
such man out of public life Hunt him
out as remorselessy as IL he is a black
mailer. as If he stands corruDtIv for spec-
| iai privilege. Demand honesty-absoiute
unflinching hOnesty-tOgether with coiir-
| age and common sense, In public servant
| and in business man alike Make il evil
| dent that you will not tolerate in public
| life a man who discriminates for OF
against any other, save as Justice and
reason demand it: and that i'm your atti-
/ tude toward business men. toward the
men who are dealing with the great finan-
cial interests of the country. while YOU
| intend to secure a sharp reckoning for the
4 wrongdoers, you also intend heartily tc
favor the men who in legitimate ways are
doing good work In The business commun-
| ity-the railway president. the ira ffic
manager, or other official. high or low
who is doing all in his power TO handle his
share in vast and complicated business