The Fairmont West Virginian. (Fairmont, W. Va.) 1904-1914, 1907-05-30

n "a M = = . lssIf
y TbE e: Fa,'lslscNTss WEST yIsaINlAl
business De ahoyeboastl ! and ! open anl !!
There are 6fack Hers ii pablo Iifes
and the citizen Who - honest viii var
against the man who tries to black.
mail 9 railroad Or q BIZ corporation
With the same stern determination TO
punish him as against the man who
corruptly fayors such corporation. But
let the railroad man remember that
to purchase immunity In wrongdoing
or TO defeat blackmail by bribery is
the worst and most short.sightea OF
politics. Let the plain people insist
on the one hand on governing them.
selves and on the other hand on doing
exact Justice to the railways. Let the
big railroad nun scrllpnlously refrain
from any effort TO influence politics OIL
. q T. y b. :. ID
government save as 1t is the duty Of
every good citizen in legitimate ways
TO try to influence politics and govern.
meht; let the people as a whole. In
their turn, remember that II is their
duty to discriminate in the ssiarpes,
way between the railway man who
does we'll and the railway man who
does III; and. above all, to remember
that the irreparable moral harm done
TO the body polite by corruption Is
FIST S great, whether the corruption
takes the form Of Matchmaking a big
corporation or of corruptly doing lis
bidding. What We have to demand In
ourselves and in our public servants
Is honesty-honesty to all men; and
Il we condone dishonesty because we
think 1t Is exercised in the interests
OF the people, we may rest assured
that the man thus showing It lacks
only the opportunity to exercise It
against the interests Of the people.
The man who on occasion will cor.
ruptly do what is wrong in the inter.
ests OF a big corporation Is the very
man eager TO backmait that corpora.
ton as the opportunity arises. The
man who Is on occasion n corruption.
list, Is apt. when the gust Of popular
feeling blows hard against the cor.
poatlons he has corruptly served, to
be the loudest, most reckless, and
most violent among those who de.
nonnce them. HINT such man out
of public life. Hunt him out as re.
morsely II he Is a blackmaller' rs II
he stands corruptly for special prlvl-
lege. Demand honest-absolute lin:
llncbing honesty-iogetber with conr.
age and common sense, in public ser.
want and In business man alike. Make
i evident that you will not tolerate
In public life man who dlscrimin.
atcs for or against any other, save
ms justice and reason demand It; and
that in your attitude toward business
men, toward the men who are deal.
Ing with the great financial interests
OF the country, while you intend to
secure sharp reckoning for the
%Fongdoers, YOU also Intend heartily
to favor the men who in legitimate
ways are doing good work in the bus.
mess communicable railway presi.
dent, the traffic manager. or other
official, high or low, who is doing all
IN his power TO handle his share In a
vast and complicated business 10 the
profit alike Of the stakeholder and the
general public.
Let the man of great wealth remem.
her that, while using and enjoying
Il, he must nevertheless feel that he
Is In sense a trustee, and that con.
sIstent misuse, whether in acquiring
Or spending his wealth, is ominous Of
evil 10 himself, to others who have
wealth, and to the nation as a whole.
As for the rest Of It's. let us guard Our.
selves against envy as we ask that
others guard themselves against ar.
roen nee, and remember Lincolns
words OF kindly wisdom. "Let not
him who is houseless pull down tho
house Of another but let him work
diligently and build one for himself,
thus by example assuring that his
own shall be safe from violence when
built"
We have added a f',s} line OF F.