The morning Astorian. [volume] (Astoria, Oregon) 1899-1930, 1907-05-26
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GRAFT

There is a world Of meaning in this
modern and convenient term.
1t is synonymous Of hundred
crimes and misiemeanors and very
eomplexity OF reproaeh, the ehiefest OF
which it il exceedingly hard to deter.
mine.
Primarily, Of course, it stands fot
theft, deliberate, skilful, well.glozed
theft; theft artistic, scientific; refined,
delicate, tender-handed yet full handed,
theft; theft bold, coarse, inconsiderate
and Of amazing audacity, but theft
always
Concurrently the cult embraces all the
nasty eone0nlmitants Of deceit, fraud,
false -pretense, lying bribery, forgery,
record-tampering, every trick sanction
ed by dishonor and prompted by SELF
security. 1t is without limit Of any
sort whatever as to leaguery personnel,
means, objective, achievement, and re-
source of action. 1t never distinguishes
the poor mans money from that of the
rich man; money, Gods, Mans AND
the Devils, is the one, simple purpose
II graft and the CRATER spurns every
thing on the hither side of it with a
thods, and all things too clean for sub
in its fagrant uniformity.
Organization is its cardinal principle,
with sacred silence as its close fellow:
its ramifications are endless, safety be-
ing the only line Of demacation; its
active doctrine is the removal of impe-
diments, such as people, motives, me-
thods, and all things too clean fir sub.
stantial safety and constant contact; it
has no peculiar habitat, it enters every
field where money circulates and -four
ishes where the circulation is the
greatest; it scruples at nothing but
scruples and halts only at the bar of
the law, but not until it has exhausted
itself in trying to leap even that; it
operates on no especial lines, and moth
ing is too sanctifed for its invasion nor
too tender for its despoiling touch; the
courts are its playground and legal
processes its relaxation; false swearing
is the acme Of its arts, and subornation
Of perjury the chiefest of its graces; it
victimizes the living, the dying and the
very dead and no known thing in human
compass between the cradle and the
grave is free from it's polluted try
out; it Is no local evil; it is stata-
wide, national, universal, and the Bit
terest, most dangerous, feature Of it all
is the common, unrealizing, temporizing,
cowardly acceptation OF it, everywhere
For supreme audacity, openness,
adroitness and scope of graft, this coun.
try is conceded to be in the lead, and
the proof piles up hourly and every
where In support Of the questionable
distinction. There is no fiction in the
premise; 1t is adamantine fact, without
a saving shadow of ambiguity Or plau-
sible doubt. We are 1T. The fabric Of
our governmental political, business
life is honeycombed to the core; and we
stand self-exploited, and apparently, un-
ashamed. Nor are we but sacrificing com
mercial honor and lowering every stand
ard that was once our boast; we are
yielding, all too readily, our anchorhold
of patritism, than which we can do no
more utter thing nor one more fearftlly
charged with danger 10 the land and
the peope thereof.
The damnable truth of this crops out
on all sides, stares us out of counten-
ance, compels our thought and arouses
our anxiety; but few, if any, attempts
are made to create popular and ag-
gressive sentiment against the dreadfM
conditions, deepening, growing, looming
by the sheer indifference Of every
agency that might contribute to its
elimination. We have become 50 used
to the name and game that we actually