The Denison review. [volume] (Denison, Iowa) 1867-current, 1908-02-05

does wrong. we oppose ii as firmly as
we oppose corporation which does
wrong; and we stand equally StoutlN for
the rights of the man of wealth and for
the rights of the wase-worler. We seek
to protect the property of every man who
acts honestly. of every corporation that
represents wealth honestly accumulated
and honestly used. We seek to stop
wrongdoing. and we desire to punish the
wrong doerS only far is necessary
to achieve this end.
Campaign of Lawbreakers
Against Governments Policy
There are ample material rewards for
those who serve with fidelity the mann
mon OF unrighteo,sn,ess: but they are
nit their representatives. whether in pub
lie life. in the press. or in the colleges
where their young men. are taught. to
preach and to practice that there is one
law for the rich and another for the poor.
The amount of money the representatives
of certain great moneyed interests are
willing to spend can be gagged by their
recent publication broadcast throughout
the papers of this country, from the At
lantic to the Pacific; of huge advertise
ness the administrations, policy of
warning against successful dishonesty.
and by their circulation of pamphlets and
books prepared With the same object;
while they likewise push the circulation
of the writings and speeches of men who.
whether because they are misled. or be-
ing to sin against the light. serve these
their masters of great wealth to the cost
Of the plain people The books and md
speeches by public or private men to
which ] refer. usually and especially
in the interest of the Standard Oil Trust
binations. but they also defend other in
dividuals and corporations of great
wealth that have been guilty of wrong
doing. 1t is only rarely that the men. re-
sponsible for the wrongdoing themselves
speak or write. Normally they hire 9TH
erss to do their bidding. or find others who
road-rate law to the pure-food law, every
measure for honesty in business that has
been passed during the last six years has
been opposed by these men on its pas
sage and in its administration with every
resource that bitter and INSCRIPTIONS
craft could suggest and the command of
the last wear the attack has been made
with most bitterness upon the actual adj
ninstration OF the lazy, especially
also through the Interstate Commerce
Commission and the bureau of corpora
lions The extraordinary violence of the
assaults upon our policy contained in
these speeches. editorials. articles, adj
vertisenients. and pamphlets and the
enormous sums of money. spent in these
various WAYS. give a fairly accurate
measure OF the anger and terror which
our public actions have caused the cor
rupt men of vast wealth to feel in the
is sometimes made openly against us for
enforcing the law and sometimes with
certain cunning. for not trying to en-
force il III some other way than that
which experience shows to be practical.
One of the favorite methods of the lat
ter class of assailant is to attack tho adj
prisonment instead of the fine of Offend
ers under these antitrust laws. The man
making this assault is usually either a
prominent lawyer or an editor who takes
his policy from the financiers and his
arguments from their attorneys. If the
former. he has defended and advised
many wealthy nlalefactors. and he knows
Well that. thanks to the advice of lawyers
like himself: certain kind of modern
corporation has been turned into an adj
nlirable instrument by which to render it
well-nieh impossible to get at the head
of the corporation. at the man who is
really most guilty. When we are able
is what strive tn do: this is what we
have actually done with some very
wealthy criminals. who, moreover. repre-
sented that most baneful Of all alliances.
the alliance between the corruption of
organized politics and the corruption of
high finance. This is what we have done
in the Gaynor and Greene case. in the
case OF the misapp!ication of funds in
connection with certain great banks in
Chicago, in the nd-fraud cases. where.
as in other likewise. neither the
highest political position nor the posses
sion of great wealth, has awaited to save
The offenders from prison. The federal
sinners fear: for ii has put behind the
bars with impartial severity. the powerful
tinancer, the powerful politician, the rich
land thief. the rich contractor-all, no
matter how high their station, against
whom criminal misdeeds can be proved.
All their wealth and power can not pro-
effort to imprson given defendant. Is
certain to be futile. while it is possible
to fine him or to fine the corporation of
whicl,he is head; so that in other words,
the only way of Furnishing the wrong is
by filming the corporation, unless we are
content to proceed personally against the
to whom i refer and their. employers are
the men mainly responsible for this
state of things. and their responsibility is
shared with all who ingenionsly oppose
the passing OF just and effective, laws. or
who fail to execute them when they have
been pun on the statute books.
the policy of the present administra-
tion;, about the rights of innocent
not innocent who voluntarily purchases
stock in a corporation whose methods
and management he knows to be cor
rlpt; and Stockholders are bound to
try to secure honest mana cement. or
else are est"pped from complaining
about the proceedings the government
finds necessary in order TO compel the
corporation 10 obey the law. There has
nocent stockholders by overcapitaliza-
ton. stock watering. stock jobing
stock manipulation. rms we have
sought to prevent, first. by exposing the
thing done and Furnishing the offender
when any existing law had been vio-
lated; second, by recommending the pas
sage of laws which would make unlaw-
fui similar practices for the future.
The public men. lawyers and editors
who loudly proclaim their sympathy for
the innocent stockholders" when
great law defying corporation is pun
ished. are the first to protest with fran
tic vehemtnre against all efforts by
n mn tnJ n ,rti
re the real and ultima tie sources of the
damage alike to the stockholders and
the public. The apologists of success
full dishonesty always declaim against
any effort to punish or prevent it, on
the ground that any such effort will
'.unsettle business. 1t is they who
by. their acts have unsettled business;
and the very men raising this cry spend
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