The Ogden standard. [volume] (Ogden City, Utah) 1902-1910, 1909-06-05
GRAFT AND eRAFTERs.

We hear n great deal, these days
about graft and grafters; and, indeeu
II would require many volumes 10 tel
of even q 1.-THE of the graft that ls
being practiced these days, and
scroll almost as long as Mr. Harrt
mans railroads on which to print all
the names of all the grafters. There
have been grafters practicinG -Saft
In all ages of the world; and the cx-
tent to which they were able 10 go III
such practices, was largely due TO the
political conditions existing In their
respective countries. II set oil cor
rnpt men were successful In climb
ing into office, and were not ousted
too soon. we find the government be-
coming corrupt. and the longer they
were allowed to remain in office, the
more corrupt the government became
And so we find many nations have
arisen have flourished for time, but
have crumbled and fallen under the
weight Of their own political corruP-
ton. And the only instances where
utter destruction was avoided. was
when the people arose In their might.
and took the reins of government
into their own hands, and deposed
their unscrurulous and grating Oil"
cials.
There are but two ways in which
this may be accomplished: and those
are reformation or revolution; and
God pity the nation that has to re
sort to the latter method TO secure
the rights of the common people. We
want reformation. And as it is said
that "the pen is mightler than the
sword we may say also: that the
ballot is more destructive than the
cannon ball. More lestructlye2 Yes.
More destructive of the political life
OF corrupt men, than the cannon ball
is of the physical life of our enc.
mics provided, however, that the bal
lot Is used with the same common
sense aim as is the cannon. We know
that the time for reformation is at
hand, for no nation can long stand the
strain of the pace at which we have
been travelling for the last few years.
When 90 per cent OF the wealth OF
Rome came into the control of 81 per
cent of her people. Rome fell So at
the rate we are manufacturing mil
honaircs, 1t VII not be so many hun
Greds Of years before less than 81 per
cent OF our people will possess that
niuch of our wealth; and then the fate
Of Rome History repeats itself quite
frequently; go don't rest too securely
in on: greatness. for more unlocked
for things than that have happened.
But when conditions arise in any ma
tion by which the few are enriched at
the expense Of the many; there is
something wrong with the system or
with the administration of it In the
case OF Turkey, and such like coun-
tries, the system is wrong In our
own country, the system is all right,
but the administration of it is radically
wrong. We would not exchange our
republic for any monarchy or king
dom; but we would not mind trading
some of our good (?) professional po-
liticians for some straight. honest men
who would not hesitate to enact laws
that would make it impossible for
much OF the grating of the day. 1t is
true that no laws can be made which
Will absolutely prohibit men from do
Ing wrong; but proper punlshments
can be meeted out to such as do do
wrong. 1t is also true that our Off
cials are. making half,hearted and
srasmodic attempts to punish some of
the more fragrant wrong-doers; but il
is done In such 4 manner that the