The Denison review. [volume] (Denison, Iowa) 1867-current, 1908-02-05
Cuisines" Hurt by Movement
for Honesty Should Be Crushed


for Honesty Should Be Crushed
1t is meet and fit that the apologists
for corrupt wealth should oppose every
effort to relieve weak and helpless peo-
pie from crushing misfortune brought
upon them by injury in the business
from which they gain bare livelihood
The burden should be distributed 1t
is hypocritical baseness to speak of "a
girl who works in a factory where the
dangerous machinery is unprotected a :
having the right freely to contract
to expose herself to dangers to life and
limb. She has no alternative but to
such dangers, and when She loses
hand or is otherwise manned or disfig-
t ured for life. il is moral wrong that
incidental to the business should be
placed with crushing weight upon her
weak shoulders. and all who profit by
nef work escape Scot-free This is
what opponents of just employers
liability law advocate: and it is con-
siStent that they should usually also
the criminals of great wealth
Our opponents have recently been
bitterly criticisins the two judges re-
ferred to in the accompanying commu-
nirahons from the Standard Oil Com
pany and the Stata Fe railroad for hay-
ing imposed heavy fines on these two
corporations: and vet these same crit
les OF these two judges exhaust them
selves in denouncng the most re-
spectfml and cautious discussion of
the official action of a Judge which re-
suits in immunity to wealth and power.
ful Wrongdoers. or which renders nllga
tory temperate effort to better the
conditions of life and work among
those of our fellow countrymen whose
need is greatest. Most certainly it be-
hooNes us all to treat with the utmost
respect the high office of judge: and
our judges. as whole. are brave and
upright men. Respect for the law
must go hand in hand with respect for
N I,.1.
now as in the past. that the judges
stand in character and service above
a Other the ~ men NJ among their fellow
the greater need that the few who fail
in this great office. who fan below this
nigh standard q! of integrity. of wisdom
courage. should have their eyes opened
to the needs of their countrymen. A
Judge who on the bench either truckles
to the mob and shrinks from sternly
depressing violence and disorder. or
bows down before a corporations: who
fails ais. II to - stand up valiantly for the
on the other by misuse of the process
OF, injunction or by his attitude toward
an measures me. for the betterment of the
worker feel with bitterness that the
courts are hostile to him; or who fails
TO realize that all public servants in
stop the abuses of the criminal rich
such man performs am even worse
service to the body polite than the
legislator or executive who goes wrong
The judge who does his full duty we'll
STANDS higher. and renders "a better
service to the people. than any other
publlc servant; he is entitled to great
er respect; and if he is IL true servant
of the people. If he is upright wise ana
IearieSs, he Will unhesitatingly disre-
gard even the wishes of the people il
lney coniiict with the eternal princi-
pres OF right as against wrong He
must serve the people: but he must
serve ms own conscience first All
honof 10 such n Judge.
Ine opponents of the measures we
champion single out now one and now
another measure for especial attack aud
speak as if the movement in which we we
are engaged was purely economic II has
large economic side, but it is flnda
mentally AN ethical movement Ii is moi
a movement to be completed in one year
or two or three wears: it is Il movement
which must be presevered in until the
spirit which lies behind it sinks deep
into the heart and the conscience of tha
whole people. 1T is always impo,tant
to choose the right means to achieve orr
purpose but it is even more important
to keep this purpose clearly before us:
and this purpose is to secure national
honesty in business and in politics. We
do not subscribe to the cynical belief that
dishonesty and unfair dealing are essen
tial to business success. and are to be
cOndOned when the success is moderate
and applauded when the success is great
The methods by which the Standard Oil
people and those aged in the other
combinations of which | have spoken