The Montgomery tribune. (Montgomery City, Mo.) 1892-1910, 1908-02-07

curing. by speech, editorial, book. or
pamphlet, the d%efehse ~ misstate.
g @ent When en- w public 's seIva hase co Greet tR Rsq
advertisements be telling the truth they
declaim against them for breaking
They have hurt honest business men.
honest WORKING men. honest farmers;
and now, they clanor against the truth
being told.
The keynote of. all these atta X
upon the effort 10 secure honesty, In
business. and in politics Is wen ex-
erort for the moral regeneration Of the
business world, on the ground that it Is
unnatural. nnwhrrantetd and Injurious.
sary penalty for such effort to secure
business honesty. The morality Of
such a plea Is precisely az great as ~
made on behalf OF the men caught In
a gambling establishment when that
gambling esta blishment is raided by
the police. II such words mean any
thing'they mean that those whose SEN
.tlments they represent stand against
the effort to bring about a moral re-
generation of business, which VIII pre-
banking and street railroad scandals in
New York a repetition, of the Chicago
& Alton deal; a repetition OF the cotn,
politicians, certain professional labor
leaders, ana certain big, ~ananeiers.
from the disgrace of which. San Fran
cisco has just been rescued; a repeti-
standard Oil people to crush out every
competitor. to overawe the common
carriers. aud to establish a monopoly
which treats the public with a con-
tempt which the public deserves so
long as 1t permits men OF such prin..
| cipIes and sentiments to avow and act
on them with impunity. The outcry
against stopping dishonest practices
among w~rOngdoers who happen 10 ns
| cry raised against every effort Tor
cleanliness and decency In city. GOV,
ernment, because, f%orsooth' " VIII
hurt business" The same outcry IS
| made against the department OF JUS
| tice for prosecuting the heads of coios-
sal corporations that has been made
have prosecuted with Impartial sever.
ity the wrongdOers among business
men. public officials and labor leaders
alike. The principle is the same IN
the two cases. Just as the
er and bride giver stand on the same
evil eminence of infamy. 50 the man
who makes an enormous fortune Dy
corrupting legislatures and municipal,
tiles 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. Moreover. in the last
analysis. both kinds of ~orruptio are
far more intimately connected thar
would at first sight appear; the wrong
/, 'siness n corrupt b6iities act dAa
ren. one on the other; the corrup
meTs- a corporation and the corrup
head ~ Ter are both in the same de
labor tea. amies Of honest corpora
| fiona sn,St,loneb Eel
bate takcN h ffiiichise iramas,-
veyor and L'gotectsr OF vice. ia BACK
mailing ware boss. tne baiiot-ba. stun
err. the demag, 'gue. the mob lesda =. tn,
hired bully. I'd man.kiI,er-an like
and all alike SHOULD be abhorred h
honest Uep =,
The "business', which Is buft bv .be
movement for HONESTY is the kind Of
business which: in the long run. It
the kin Of 61sinss5 yhieh has tended
TO make the very nana Thigh finance" a
term of scandal to which all honest
In putting an end. The special plead
! ers for business dishonesty, in denounc-
ing the present ADMINISTRATION for en-
forcing the law against the huge and
corrupt corporations which have defed
the law also denounce 1t for ~endeavor-
ing to secure sadly needed labor legis-
iation. such as a far.reaching law maxi
ing. employers liable for injuries to
their employees.