The Mitchell capital. (Mitchell, Dakota [S.D.]) 1879-1918, 1908-02-07

But IT often happens tina the effort to
imprison a gwen defendant. is certain to
be ~ FUTILE lie. while It is possible to fine him
head: 80 that. in other words. the only
way OF Furnishing the wrong is by fning
the corporation, unless We are content to
agents. Ihe corporation lawyers to whom
l refer and their employers are the men
ma ! .y.Te esponslble for this state Of things.
who tngeniously oppose the passing Of just
and effective laws. or who fail to execute
them when they have been put on the
"lnnocent Stockholders"
Much is said. in these attacks upon the
policy OF the present administration, about
the rights of innocent stockholders"
I NJ, s toe is not innocent who
voluntarily purchases stock in a corpora
ton whose methods and management he
knows to be corrupt; and stockholders are
bound to try to secure honest manage
meh., or else are estopped from complain
Ing about the proceedings the government
mas necessary In order to compel the
eorporatlon to obey the law. There has
neen IN me past grave wrong done limo
nipulaaon. III Tits ss woe haHe Sought St0 to pra-
vent ven, arst, by exposing The thing done and
law had been violated; second, by recon-
menoing the passage OF laws which would
m futl,ee unt 7Sa similar practices for the
49, IN PdDllC lIloH, llWNCIS. anu
editors. who loudly proclaim their sym
pathy for the %"innocent s%tockholders''
when a great law-defying corporation is
frantic %vehemence against all efforts by
law to put a stop to the practices which
are ahe real and ultimate sources of the
oa1nage alike to the stockholders and the
PuDnc. The apologists of successful dis
honesty always declaim against any ef-
Eroun ID th Ran any z 1c e effor5 wlll t. au Gn the
business 1t Is they who by their acts
have unsettled business: and the very
thousands of dollars sin in %s aee1irhess by ~
speech. editorial. book. or pamphlet. the
defense by mis-statements of what they
correct their mis-statements by telling
the truth they declaim against them for
a reak s. silence, lest values be depreci-
men, honest workingmen, honest farm
ers: and now they clamor against the
the effort to secure honesty in business
and In politics is we'll expressed in brazen
R rseeaerat aisa'n st e thy f bnsine for M shs %0r 3n
the ground that it is unnatural, unwar-
ranted, and Injurious, and that business
effort to secure business honesty. The
morality Of such a plea is precisely as
great as If made on behalf Of the men
that gambling establishment is raided by
the police. # such words mean anything
they represent stand against the effort to
bring about a moral regeneration of bust
ness which will prevent a repetition Of
the insurance. banking. and Street rail-
road scandals in New York; a repetition
of the Chicago and Alton deal; a repe-
tition Of the combination between certain
professional politicians, certain profess
sinai labor leaders,, and certain big finan-
ciers, from the disgrace Of which San
Francisco has just been rescued a repe-
tition of the successful effort by the
Standard OIL people to crush out every
riers. and to establish a monopoly which
treats the public with contempt which the
public deserves so long as 1t permits men
of such principles and such sentiments to
avow and act on them with impunity.