The Farmington times. (Farmington, St. Francois County, Mo.) 1905-1926, 1908-02-07
Business" Hurt by Movement
for Honesty Should Be Crushed

1t Is meet and ut 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 II
is hypncritical basrncss to speak of
girl who works In "A factory where the
dangerous machinery is unprotected as
having the right" freely to contract
to expose herself to dangers to life ana
limb. She has no alternative but to
suffer want or else tn expose herself to
such dangers. and when she loses n
hand or Is otherwise manned or diSng-
urcd for life. II is II moral wrong that
the whole burden of the risk necessarily
incidental to the business should be
placed with crushing weight upon her
weak shoulders. and all who prolt by
her work escape sc0t-frce. TVS Is
what opponents of "A just employers
liability law advocate; and II IL con-
sistent that they should usually also
advocate immunity for those most dan
serous members OF the criminal class
the criminals OF great wealth
our opponents have recently been
bitterly criticlsing the two Judges re.
fcrrcd to in the accompanying Commu-
nicatlOns from the Standard OH Com
pany and the Stata Fc railroad for hav-
Ing Imposed heavy fines on these two
corporations. and yet these same crit
les Of these two Judges exhaust them
selves in denouncng the most re-
spcCtful and cautious discussion OF
the ofnclal action Of Judge which re-
suits in immunity to wealth and power
full wrongdoers or which renders nuga-
tory temperate effort to better the
conditions Of life and work among
those OF our fellow cOuntrymen whose
need IL greutcst. Most certainly II be-
hoovcs 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
the judges: and. ms whole. 1t is true
now MS In the past. that the Judges
stand In character and service above
all other men among their fellow
servants of the public. There is all
the greater need that the fUw who fail
in this great office who fan below this
high standard of integrity. OF wisdom
OF sympathetic understanding and OF
courage, should have their eyes opened
TO the needs OF their cOuntrymon.
Judge who on the bench either trurklcs
to the mob and shrinks from stcrnIy
REFRESHING violence and disorder. or
bows down before corporation: who
fails to stand up Valiantly for the
rights OF property on the one hand or
on tho other by misuse OF the process
Of Injunction or by his attitude toward
all measures for the bcttcrmrnt OF the
conditions OF labor. makes the wage
worker feel with bitterness that Ia,
courts are hnstil" to him, or who fails
to realize that all public servants In
their several stations must strive to
stop tho abuses OF the criminal rich
such a man performs an oven worse
service to the body polite than the
legislator or executive who goca wrong
The Judge who does his fun duty wen
stands higher. and renders a better
service to tho people. than any other
public servant: he is entitled to great
err respect; ana II he In trnc servant
of the people, N he is upright. wise and
fearless. he Will unhcsitatingly disrc-
gard even the wishes OF the people If
they conflict with tho eternal princi-
~ p HlaN 4t.uaHN
must serve the people. but he must
serve his own conscience nrst. All
honor to such n Judge.
The opponents OF the measures we
champion single out now one and now
another measure for especial attack, and
speak as " the movement In which we
are engaged was purely economic. II has
Il large economic side. ut II liz funda-
mentally an ethical movement II Is not
n movement to be completed in one year
or two or three years; II Is n movement
which must be presevcred In until the
spirit which lies behind II sinks deep
into tho heart and the conscience OF the
whole people. 1t Is always important
purpose. but II Is even more important
to keep this purpose clearly before us
and this purpose Ia 10 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 engaged In the other
combinations OF which have spoken