Morgan County republican. (Versailles, Mo.) 1906-1914, 1907-12-05

wealthy men. or men who pose ne such.
or are u~nsCrupulously or foolishly eager
TO become such. indulge in reckless spec
ulation-espsOially IL II is accompanied by
dish~onesty-they 1eopardize not only their
own future but the future Of all their In
nocent fellow-citizens. for they expos
the whole business community TO panic
Inc distress"
He advises against ans general tariff
legislation this session of congress. ana
says:
growth as ours II is probably well that
every dozen years or so the tariff laws
should be carefully scrutinized so as to
see that no excessive or improper bene-
FITS are conferred thereby. that proper
revenue is provided, and that our
foreign trade is ENCOURAGED, There
a tarifr which will not only al
low for the collection of an ample rev.
enue but which will Mt least make
good the difference In cost OF production
here and abroad; that is, the difference In
the labor cost here and abroad. for the
well-beinR OF the wage worker must ever
be n cardinal point Of American policy.
The question should be approached pure
ly from n business standpoint. both the
time and the manner of the change being
such as to arouse the minimum OF agi-
tation and disturbance in the business
world. and TO give the least play for
selfish and factionRl motives. The sole
consideration should be to see that the
sum total Of changes represent the pub
lie good, This means that the subject
cannot with wisdom he dealtNHith In the
year preceding n presidential election, be-
cause as a matter OF fact experience has
conclusively shown that at SUI" a time
IT is impossible TO get men to treat II from
the standpoint OF the public good. In my
judgment the wise time to deal with the
matter is Immediately after such cleo
! ton"
He asks for the repeal OF the tariff on
paper and wood pulp.
He reviews and enlarges upon his pre-
vious recommendations for the enact
ment Of federal inheritance and income
tax laws.
Attention is called to the prosecution Of
wealthy offenders against the national
laws, and in this connection he asks that
the laws under which these prosecutions
are brought be strengthened and made
more definite.
a few years ago there was loud com
plant that the law could not be invoked
against wealthy offend1s. There is no
such complaint now. The course OF the
department Of Justice during the last
few years has been such as to make II
evident that no man stands above the
law, that no corporation Is so wealthy
that IL cannot be held to account. The
department OF Justice has been as
prompt to proceed against the wealthiest
malcfactor whose crime was one of greed
and cunning MS to proceed against the
a~eitator who incltes to brutal violence.
Everything that can be done under the
existing law, and with the existing state
Of public opinion, which so profoundly
influences both the courts and juries, has
been done. But the laws themselves need
strengthening in more than one impor-
tan point: they should be made more
definite. so that no honest man can be
led unwittingly to break them. and so
that the real w~rongdoer can be readily
punished.
Moreover. there must be the public
opinion back Of the laws or the laws
themselves will be Of no avail At pres
ent, while the average juryman undouht-
edly wishes to see trusts broken up, and
is quite ready to fine the corporation
itself, he is very reluctant to ind the
facts proven beyond a reasonable doubt
when 1t comes to sending to Jail a mem
Der Of the business community for in
dulging in practices which are profound
ly unhealthy, but which, unfortunately,
the business community has grown to
recognize as well-nigh normal, Both the
present condition OF the law and the
present temper Of Juries render 1t a task
Of extreme difficulty to get at the real
~wrongdoer In any case. especially by i'm
prisonment. Yet II is from every stand
point far preferable TO punish the prime
offender by Imprisonment rather than to
fine the corporation. with the attendant
damage to stockholders.
The two great evils In the execution of
our criminal laws to-day are sentimen-
tally and technicality. For the latter
the remedy must come from the hands
Of the legislatures. the courts and the
lawyers. The other must depend for Its
cure upon the gradual growth Of a sound
public opinion which shall insist that re-
gard for the law and the demands of
reason shall control all other influences
and emotions in the jury box. Both of
these evils must be removed or public
discomfort with the criminal law will con
tinue.