The Washington times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1902-1939, 1908-01-31
FIGHT FOR HONESTY,
ASSAILED BY CORRUPT RICHES

ranted, and injurious, and that bust.
ness panic is the necessary penalty
for such effort to secure business
honesty.
The morality Of such a plea is pre-
clsely as great as IL made on behalf of
the men caught in a gambling eTtab-
hshment when that gambling estao. ish-
ment is raided by the police
II such words mean anything they
| mean that those whose sentiments they
| represent stand against the effort 10
orlng about a moral regeneration Of
, business which viii prevent q repetition
OF me insurance, banking. and street
| railroad scandals In New York; repe-
utlOn OF the Chicago and Alton deal;
a repetition Of the combination between
certain professional politicians. certain
J professional labor leaders. and certain
/ Dig hnanciers, from the disgrace Of
which San Francisco has just been res
cued' repetition of the successful ef-
| Tort by the Standard OIL people 10 crush
out every competitor, 10 OVerawe the
| common carriers. and TO establish a
monopoly which treats th6~public with
d contempt which the public deserves so
long as II permits men Of such princi-
| pies and such sentiments 10 aVoW and
/ act on them with impuRiUy
/ me cutcry against stopping dishonest
/ pTdcJlces among WrOngdOers who hap
] pen 70 be wealthy is precisely similar
/ 70 the outcry raised against every ef-
Tort ioF cleanliness and decency in city
| government, because, fOrsOOth T. VIII
/ huTt business The same OutCry is
made against the Department Jf Jus
! llCe for prosecuting the heads Of CO.
| lossai corporations that has been made
| against the men who in San Francisco
/ rave prosecuted with impartial sever
Eas a..
men, public officials, and labor leaders
alike The principle Is the same in the
two cases Just as the blackmaiIer and
! bT1be giVer stand on the same evil EN-
makes an enormous fortune by corrupt
ing legislatures and municipalities and
I Heeclns hls stockholders and the pub
he, stands en- the same moral level
/ with the creature who fattens on the
blood money OF the gambling house
and the saloon.
| Moreover. in the last analysis. both
Kinds Of corruption are far more in
J!mately connected than would at first
SlEHL appear inc WrOnWd0-ng is at hot
tom the same. Corrupt business and
! corrupt politics act and react vita ever
/ increasing debdscment, one % the
other the corrupt head Of a corporation
ana the corrupt labor leader are both
IN the same degree the enemies Of hon
4 est corporations and honest labor
/ unions. the rebate raEcT. the franchise
/ tr-tfhckeT. the manipulation Of securities.
the pIFEeygr and protector OF vice the
Matchmaking ward boss. the ballot box
s-UTcr, the Ccma EDEue, the mob leader.
/ the hired bully. and maukiiler-aIl alike
/ work AT the same web OF corruption.
! and all alike should be abh0rred by
: honest men.
The business" which is hurt by the
movement for honesty is the kind of
business which. in the long run, IT pays
the country 10 have hurt. II Is the
kind of business which has tended 20
. make the very name high finance q
! term of scandal 10 which all honest
3 American men OF business should point
! in putting an end.
The special pIeaders for busi-
ness dishonesty, in denOUneing the
present Administration for eniOrc-
ing the Law against the hinge and
corrupt corporations which have de-
fed the law, also den0unce it for
endeayOring 10 secure sadly needed
labor legislation, such as a far
reaching law making employers
liable for injuries to their en-
plOyes.
1t is meet and fit that the apoIogists
/ for corrupt wealth should oppose every
} effort To relieve weak and helpless
{ people from crushing misfortune
brought upon them by injury in the
. business from which they gain a bare
livelihood The burden should be dis
{ tributed. II is hypocritical baseness to
sneak of girl who works in d factory
T where che dangerous machinery is un-
1 protected as having the right freely
. TO contract TO expose herself 20 dan
/ gers TO life and limb. She has no al
I Tentative but TO suffer want or else 20
: ezpose herself TO such dangers, and
I when she loses q hand or IS otherwise
/ manned or disfEured Tor life, IL IS
/ moral wrong that the whole burden
/ of the risk necessarily incidental 10 the
I business should be placed with crush
ing weight upon her weak shoulders,
I a~1 AN who profit by her work escape
e-of-f~ap This is what opponents Of
. a lust employers liability law advO-
{ cate. and IL IS consistent that they
3 should usually also advocate immunity
3 Tor those most dangerous members Of
( mo criminal class-the criminals or
4 great wealth.