Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1908-02-01

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that have been guilty OF wrongdolng, IT IL
only rarely that the men responsinie lor
the wr3nsaosng themselves SPEAK t or VIM M
ding. or find others who Will do \. without
hire. From the railroad rate law to the
pure FOOD INV, every measure LOT h a,,eins,
the last six years nas been opposed by
these men on It's passage ana IN lts AZ
mnistratlon with every resource that ni.
ter and INSCRIPTIONS craft could suggest
and the command of almost unlimited
money secure But Tor the last year tne
attack has been made with most bitter Ter.
ness upon the actual ndminis,raai &c, Oh 'ns
Justice. but also through tne inters'ate
commerce commission and the bureau OF
corporations.
against us for enforcing the law,
and sometimes with certain cunning, for
not trying to enforce 1t in some other way
than that which shows to nr
Re latter class of nssailant Is to attack
the administration for not procuring the
imprisonment instead of the fine Of .f-
man making this assault is either n prom.
inent iawyer or an editor usually who takes
his policy from the financiers and his argu,
ments from their attorneys. If the for |
mer, he has defended and advised many
wealthy malcfactors, and he knows well
that thanks to the advice of lawyers like |
himself. n certain kind Of modern corpora
ton has been turned into an admirable in
strumemt by which to render it wrll-nigh
impossible to get at the head of the cor
poration, at the man wno is rcnlly most
gul,v When we are able, to put the real
wrongdoer in prison. mis- Is what we
Snn ~ w. arn. - ,itbW crmimals
who, moreover. Represented that most
baneful of all alliances the alliance be-
tween the corruption of organized poll
ties and the continuance of high finance.
This is what we have done in the Gaynor
and Greene case, In the case of the mis-
nppncation of funds in connection with
certain grea, banks In Chicago, in the land
! fraud cases where as in other cases like
wise. nc.er the highest political position
nor the possession of great wealth, has
awaited to save the offenders from prison
The federal government does scourge SIM
| II does bid sinners fear: for it has put be-
| hind the bars with impartial severity, the
powerful financier, ,-c powerful politician.
the r!cn land thief, the rich contractor
all, no matter how high their station,
against whom criminal msdceds can be
proved All their wealth and power can
not protect them But 1t often happens
ant is certain to be futile while 1t is
possible to fine him or to fine the
corporation of which he is head:
so tnat. In other words the only way of
furnishing the wrong Is = fning the cor
poration. unless we are content to proceed
personally against the minor agents. The
corporation lawyers to whom refer and
their employers are the men mainly re.
spenslr.e for this state of things. and
ter responsibility Is sanred with all who
ingeniously oppose the passing OF 1'lst ana
elective laws. or who fail to execute them
when .Aey have been put on the statute
books.
,IvNorrNr sTo, >uoIpERs"
iNNo' hNi slo' hfloi'phne'
....nch Is said, in these ATTACKS upon the
policy. Of the present administration, about
the rights Of innocent stockholders,
, That stockho er is not innocent who vol
unfairly purchases stock In corporation
| whose management
, to be corrupt; am, the stockholders arc
men t" or else arc estnnncd from COMPLAIN
ina about the proceedings the government
! finds necessary In order to compel thu
corporation to obey the law
The keynote of all these attacks upot
= and In politics is wei cXpresse IN brnzeI
protests against any effort for the mora
:. regeneration of the business WORM. on thu
!, ground that 1t is unnatural. nnwarrantet
= and injurious. and that business panic i
. the necessary penalty for such effort t.
!, secure business honesty. The morality Q
. made on behalf Of the men caught In
: gambling establishment when that gam
q q bling establishment is ra4ded by the pc
: lice. If such words mean anything the
: mean that those whose sentiments the
. represent stand against the effort to brin
: about moral regeneration of bushes
: which will prevent repetition of the in
=, surance, banking and street railroad scar
= dals in New York: repetition of the CHI
= cago and Alton deal; repetition of tn
y combination between certain professions
:. politicians certain professional labor lcaG
= ers, and certain big fnanciers. from tn
= disgrace of which San Francisco has jus
" been rescued: repetition of the success.
:. full effort by the Standard OIL people I
crush out every competitor to overnw
the common carriers. and to establish
monopoly which treats the public wit
T. contempt which the public deserves s
v long MS 1t permits men Of such principle
ID and such sentiments to avow and act o
# them with impunlty.
lie .ron ,,,,r .,,,,,r n,-r,>,,se.,
h. sioi VIE iiohl hooiNEHS'
SO The cutlery against stopping dishone!
ii practices among wrongdoers who hnppe
H. to be wealthy Is precisely similar TO II
'e outcry raised against every effort fl
cleanliness and decency In city govern
Id ment because. forsooth, 1t will Thu
e. business. The same outcry Is mac
e. against the department OF justice for pro
TX ecuting the heads OF colossal corporation
~ that have been made against the men WI
y In San Francisco have prosecuted wit
ne Impartial severity the Wrongdoers amor
y. business men, public officials, and lab
III lenders alike. The. principle Is the san
p In the two cases just as the blackmail
We and bribe giver' stand on the same e!
Ell eminence of infamy,. so the man wi
enormous