Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1908-02-01

against the Department of Justice for
prosecuting the heads of colossal cor
porations that has been made against
the men who in San Francisco have
prosecuted with impartial severity the
wrongdoers among business men, public
officials, and labor leaders alike. The
principle is the same in the two cases.
Just as the blackmailer and bride giver
stand on the same evil cminence of in
fanny. so the man who makes an enor-
| nous fortune by corrupting legislatures
and municipalities and fleeing his
stockholders and the public stands on
the same moral level with the creature
who fattens on the blood money of the
| gambling house and the saloon More
| over. in the last analysis. both Kinds of
corruption are far more intimately con-
| nected than would at first appear; the
wrongdoing is at bottom the same Cor
rupt business and corrupt politics act
and react with ever increasing debaSe-
| ment, one on the other; the corrupt head
| Of corporation and the corrupt labor
| leader are both in the same degree the
| enemies of honest corporations and hon
est labor unions; the rebate taker. the
1
securities. the purveyor and protector
| of vice, the Matchmaking ward boss. the
| ballot-box suffer, the demagogue, the
| mob leader. the hired bully, and man
killer-all alike work at the same web
of corruption, and all alike should he
abhorred 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. 1t is the kind
of business which has tended to make
the very name high finance" IA term of
scandal to which all honest American
men of business should join in putting
! an end. The special pleaders for busi-
ness dishonesty, in denouncing the
present Administration for enforcing
the law against the huge and corrupt
| corporations which have defied the law
also denounce 1t for endeavoring to Sc
cure sadly needed labor legislation. such
as a far-reaching law making employers
liable for injuries to their employees.
1t is meet and fit that the apologists for
corrupt wealth should oppose every eff
fort to relieve weak and helpless people
from crushing misfortune brought upon
them by injury in the business from
which they gain q bare livelihood. The
burden should be distributed. 1t is
hypocritical baseness to speak of girl
who works in a factory where the dam
gerous machinery is unprotected as hav-
ing the right" freely to contract to
contract to expose herself to dangers to
life and limb. She has no alternative
but to suffer want or else to expose her
self to such dangers. and when she
loses hand or Is otherwise manned or
diSfgured for life, il is a moral wrong
that the whole burden of the risk ne
cessarily incidental to the business
should be placed with crushing weight
upon her weak shoulders. and all who
profit by her work escape scot-free. This
is what opponents of just employers
liability law advocate; and it is con-
sistent that they should usually also
advocate immunity for those most dan
gcrous members of the criminal class
the criminals of great wealth.
Orr opponents have recently been bit
terry criticisng the two judges referred
to i'll the accompanying communication:
from the Standard Oil Company and the
Santa Fe Railroad fer having imposed
heavy fines on these two corporations
| and yet these same critics of these two
Judges exhaust themselves in denourcinG
| the most r'sDectful ami cautious dis
cussion OF the official action of a judge
which results in immunity TO wealthy and
powt rful "ronSdocrs, or which renders
nucatory a temperate effort to better the
conditions of life and work among these
of our fellow countrymen whose need Is
greatest. Most certainly 1t behcoveS us
al! to treat with the utmost respect thu
,tsvI nff nf iit1tr nd ii a
!. whole, are brave and upright men. Re,
spect for the law must 80 hand in hanc
with respect for the judges: and
as "a whole it it IS true in,, now a. a;
lin character and service at "y', al
other men, among their t',low-
servants of the public There is AZ thT
i'll this great office. who fall below this
. high standard of integrity. of wisdom. OF
sympathetic understanding and OF cour'
lacc, should have their eyes opened to the
needs of their countrymcn. y judge who
on the bench either truckles to the mot
and Shrinks from SteInly REFRESHING VIC
lence and disorder or bows down befor,
Ia corporation: who fails TO stand UP vail
antly for the rights of property on ths
one hand. or on the other by misuse OF
the process of injunction or by his atti
tube toward all measures for the better
fnent of the conditions of labor. make.
1.-The wageworleer feel with bitterness tha
the courts are hostile to him: or whl
f:illS TO reallZe mat All puDllC Scrflnt
in their several stations must strive Il
stop the abuses Of the criminal rich
such i man performs an even worse SER
vice to the body, polite than the legis
ilGtor or executive who goes wrong. Th'
Judge who does his full duty stands high
er, and renders Il better serli ice tn th'
people than any other public servant. II,
is entitled to greater respect: and il H.
Is 4 true servant of the people. if h" Il
upright wise and fearless, he will un
lhesitatingly disregard even the wishes o
the people ii they conflict with the eter
nal principles of right az against wrong
He must serve the Lcople; but ne mus
serve his owr conscience first. All hono'
to such a judge; and all honor car no
be rendered him If it is rendered equally
to his brethren who fall UNNECESSARILY
below the high ideals for which he stands
Untruthful criticism Is wicked at al
times. and whoever may be the object
but it is peculiarly fragrant iniquity
when judge is the object. No mar
should lightly criticise a judge: no mar
should. even in his own mind. condemn
IA Judge unless he Is sure OF tho FACTS
If n judge Is assailed for standing against
popular folly, and above all for standine
against mob violence. all honorable mer
should rally instantly to his support
Nevertheless If he clearly falls 10 90 MS
duty by the public in dealing with Jaw