The Chanute times. [volume] (Chanute, Kan.) 1897-1913, 1908-03-06
A new ERA DAWAS
Gov. Folk Tells New Workers of tho
New Epoch in Process of
Development.
PUBLIC CONSCIENCE AWAKE
If Furnishing Crooks Hurts Business
the Crooks Should be Censured,
Not Those Who Prose-
cute Them.

New York, Feb. 27.-Attacking race
track gambling as prolific breeder OF
crime and supporting the efforts be-
ing made to end this form of gaming
in this state, Governor Joseph w. Folk
of Missouri aroused the Civic Forum
at Carnegie hall Tuesday night.
| Governor Folks subject was "The
Era Of Conscience" He declared that
within a short time the legalized vice
of race-track gambling would be
thing of the past from one end of the
country to the other. The speaker
expressed the belief that the ethical
awakening which the country was I'M
dergoing would prove permanent. In
the era of conscience, now beginning
he said, stock and grain gambling
must go. Applause greeted the de-
| claration that corporations had been
| too often used as masks to conceal
the crimes of individuals and that the
| elimination of watered stocks and in
aated values was not an unreasoning
( demand of the public conscience.
Gov. Folk said, in part:
| IL udS 'Oceu yOul SOOu III IuHC "
witness the birth of a new epoch in
our national life, which is now in pro-
| cess of development There have been
| great movements along moral lines in
| days gone by, but they were merely
local, brought on by local conditions,
| which died away with the causes that
| gave them birth. The vampires of
"a l. Ii, IN,
| for a season, and then return after the
| storms of public indignation had spent
| their fury. To-day presents stu
| alton of brighter promise to the vision
| The ethical awakening shows signs of
becoming universal and lasting, in
stead of local and transitory.
Some financiers and many profess
sional politicians do not understand it
even now, and with strange blindness
fail to perceive the strength of moral
idea What a remarkable change has
come over the American people during
the last six years. Things are not
tolerated for moment now that a
half dozen years ago were submitted
to in silence. Then bribery was the
common and accepted thing all over
the land not that all men gave brides,
or that a majority of officials took
brides. but it was generally regarded
either with Indifference or despair.
Then came. the revelations, and the
people awoke to a realization of the
fact that no government can long exist
where official acts can be bought and
sold like merchandise.
There are some who object to the
exposure of wrong-doing on the
ground that 1t hurts the city or state,
or injuries business. Civic disease can
no more be cured by hiding it than
physical disease. There is no secret
remedy known for it. No state can
be hurt by the enforcement of law
no honest business can be injured by
eradicating its evil. The man who
says that the depression in the indus
trial world is caused by furnishing
crooks argues there can be no such
thing as honest prosperity, and that
the prosperity we had was that of the
burglar and pickpocket. 1t would be
more accurate to charge depression
to the crooks rather than to their
prosecution. The prosperity that
rests on wrong-doing is not the right
kind of prosperity. If the country had
to choose between great prosperity
coupled with crookedness, and less
prosperity and more honesty, 1t would
undoubtedly take the latter.
90 Fou, ono 0HioioI, o,,or
states where the act carried heavy
penalty, made no concealment of &C.
cepting free railroad passes. They
had no more moral right to accept a
free pass for favors past or prospec-
tive than to take the equivalent in
money. Their conduct was repugnant
to moral sense, but they did not real
ize it. To-day no state official can be
found who will admit that he accepts
such favors. They have been touched |
with a live coal from OFF the altar of |
public conscience.
Look at the subject of gambling,
one of the greatest of vices. 1t has |
only been a few years since race-track |
gambling, and wrong. The public con-
science began to realize the fact that |
race-track gambling is a prolific breed |
err of crime, and a corrupter of youth. |
The public conscience has ended this
form of gambling in our state, and is
assailing it here in New York, and in |
all the other states where 1t is now
permitted. In a short time this legal
lied vice will be a thing of the past
from one end of the country to the
other.
Except where the officials whose
duty 1t is to enforce the law are cor
rupted, to give the privilege of law
lessness to this class. the open gam
ing house, so common in nearly all
the larger cities a few years ago, has
under the assaults of the
moral sense of the people. Stock and
grain gambling are under the ban OF
this era Of conscience. That this form
Of gambling is injurious to public
morals all must admit; that the peni-
tentiaries reap an annual harvest OF
from II no one can deny
The tranconffone that ouaoruf tr |