The Hartford herald. [volume] (Hartford, Ky.) 1875-1926, 1908-02-05
WORDS THAT SCORCH
In President RoOseveIt's
Latest Message.
CHOKE THE MONEY MONSTERS!
"CertainWealthy Men of This
Stamp Whose Conduct
Is .Abhorrent."

Is ,ApnOTIenI.
Just as the blackmailer and bribe-
giver stand on the same evil eminence
of infamy, so the man who makes an
enormous fortune by corrupting Leg
islatures and municipalities and fleece
ing his stockholders and the public,
stands Oh the same moral level with
the creatures who fatten on the blood
Nmoney of the gambling house and the
saloon
Corrupt business and corrupt poll
tics act and react with ever-increas-
ing debasement one on the other
The corrupt head of a corporation
and the corrupt labor leader are both
in the same degree the enemies of
B honest corporations and honest labor
unions. The rebate taker, the fran
efise trafficker, the manipulaotr OF
securities. the purveyor and protec-
{, tor of vice. the Matchmaking ward
boss, the ballot-box suffer- the dema-
gogue, the mob leader, the hired
bully and man killer-all alike work
at the same web of corruption and all
alike should be abhored by honest
men,
The keynote Of all attacks upon
Sthe efforts to secure honesty in bust
ness and in politics is we'll expressed
in brazen protests against any eff
fort 70: the moral regeneration of
the business world"
''rhe laws must in the future be
administered as they are now being
Administered, SO that the Department
of Justice may continue to be what it
is-the Department Of Justice, where,
SO far as our ability permits, justice
is metered out with an even hand to
great and small, rich and poor, weak
and strong"
1T i especially necessary to Sc
cure to the representatives of the
Federal Government full power to
deal with the great corporations en-
gagged in interstate commerce, and,
above all, with great interstate car
rlers."
y Three courses are suggested by the
President as correctives of ills re-
sulting from dishonest corporations
abandon all effort to oversee and
conrol their actions in the interest of
the general public and permit a re-
turn to the utter lack of control which
would obtain If they were left to s
the common law. The people would {
then rise en- masse, demanding JUS
tice. The second and third courses [
are to have the regulation undertake {
en- either by the nation or by the I
Astates. 60 es As4W t
81 do not for moment believe that |
the actions of the Administration hav c
brought on business distress SO |
far as this Is due to local and not 1
worldwide causes, and to the actions 4
of any particular individuals, it is
due to the speculative folly and fla
grant dishonesty of a few men of
great wealth, who seeks to shield q
themselves from the effects of their {
own wrong-doing by ascribing its re- (
suits to the actions of those who I
have sought to put a stop to that +
wrongdoing." ett.a ~. '
Certain wealthy men of this stamp,
whose conduct should be abhorrent to
every man of ordinary decent con-
science, and who commit the hideous
wrong Of teaching our young men that
phenomenal business success must
ordinarily be based on dishonesty,
y have during the last few months made
it apparent that they have banded to-
gether to work for reaction. Their
endeavor is to overthrow and discred- q
it all who honestly administer the a
law"
"The Federal Government should I
forbid the use of the mails, telegraph a
and telephone wires for mere gamb- d
ling in stocks and futures, just as 1t h
does in lottery transactions" In
+ = lh
ut Is difficult to suggest any leg-i +
isIation that would give greater con- h
fidence to the public and investors d
than wise public utilities bill The I
time has come for the strict superyis- d