The Birmingham age-herald., 1909-03-25
GOVERNOR FOLK ON
 ERA IF CONSCIENCE Great Statesman Delivers a
 Notable Address WORLD GROWING BETTER How Governments Have Wrought Ref ormation In Gambling and Vicious
 Dealing In Intoxcants-The
 Speaker In Fine Form.

lyceum course at the Birmingham High school auditorium last night to very appreciative audience. The auditorium was well filled and those who had the pleasure of hearing the speaker were highly entertained by his trend of thought and polished oratory.
 Governor Folks subject was "rhe Era of Conscience.' He began by saying that a new epoch has come about in our na- tional life, and that today presents a vision of brighter promise than ever be- fore. He said that the ethical awaken ing which has seen brought about shows signs of becoming universal and lasting instead of local and transitory. Exempll- flying his thought, Governor Folk dwelled interestingly upon the past corruption of public officials, the gambling evil, public service corporations, the liquor traffic, and other topics. His words were ring ins upon each topic and the speech was delivered with great oratorical effect.
 World Grows Better.
 The keynote of the address was the thought that under the influence of this era of conscience, the world is becoming better every day. and dwelling in detail upon this prime thought Governor Folk said:
 Conscience is the faculty in man whereby he distinguishes right from wrong, and which imperatvely commands and obligates him to do the right and abstain from. the wrong. When that faculty is lacking the man is said to be constituencies. A conscience is needed for the public, as well as for the indi- yidual, wherebyAthe right Is approved and the wrong condemned. Conscience in the sense we speak of it now is the moral sense or the public-it is educated public opinion Up to a few years ago the pub lie was considered as a stupid, ignorant creature, void of understanding and in- capable of protecting itself That the pubic has eyes that can see, and ears that can hear, and a conscience that can tell right from wrong, Is a thought of comparatively recent origin. Some fnan- ciers and many professional politicians do not understand it even now, and with strange blindness fail to perceive the strength of moral idea. What a re- markable change has come over the American people during the last six years, Things are not tolerated for a moment row that a half dozen years ago were submitted to in silence Then bribery was the common and accepted thing all over the land; not that all men gave bribes, or that majority of the officials took bribes. but it was generally regarded either with indifference or despair. Men gave bribes and thought nothing of 1t; men accepted brlbes and boasted of the fact; legislative halls were made dens Of thieves while the conscience of the people was asleep. Then came the revelations and the people awoke to a realization of the fact that no government can long exist where official acts can be bought and sold like merchandise. They realized that a government by corruption was not a government representative of the people, but was government by the few with wealth enough to purchase official favors. From one end of the land to the other there has been civic awakening, and a stern demand to stamp out the offense that strikes at the heart of free govern ment. Six years ago men would give and take bribes and still pride themselves on their honesty. They have learned better than that now. The public conscience has taught them better. It has not been long since men high up in the commercial world deemed it entirely proper to ac- cept rebates from railroads contrary to law. They seemed unconscious of any wrong. It was right, according to their lights, they said, but these lights, as we believe, have now been forever extn- guished, and In their stead blaze the white lights of conscience. Some of the insur- ance officials were found to be using trust funds for their own gain. They were ob- livious to the immoral character of their conduct. But they, too. have now learned the great lesson.
 "A few years ago officials even in states where the act carried heavy penalty, made no concealment of accept ing free railroad passes. They had no more moral right to accept free pass for favors past or prospective than to take the equivalent in money. Their conduct was repugnant to moral sense, but they did not realize it. Today no state official can be found who will admit that he accepts such favors. They have been touched with live coal from off the altar of public conscience.
 Vice of Gambling.
 Look at the subject of gambling, one of the greatest of vices. It has only been a few years since race track gam bling and gambling of other kinds were not considered as involving moral wrong. The public conscience began to realize the fact that race track gambling is a prolific breeder of crime. and a corrupter of youth. When I was prosecuting at torney of St. Louis I saw a constant stream of young men passing through the criminal courts on their way to the penitentiary made embezzlers and thieves by the alluring- gambling of the race track. The state was in partnership with this gambling, and licensed it. the pro- ceeds going to the state fair One of the first things I did when I became governor was to recommend that the state sup port it's fair by proper appropriation; that the law licensing this form of gambling be repealed and in its place a law be enacted making the registration of a bet on a horse race a felony. After hard fight this law was enacted, and it has been enforced since it became law three years ago. The results have been so sat isfactory that no one would dare attempt to bring back the days of the state race track gambling rake-off. It was said when this law was recommended that it's passage would destroy the breeding of fine horses in the state. Those who fa- vored it's passage urged that the breeding of horses did not depend upon gambling That they were correct has been dem- onstrated by the fact that there have been more fine horses raised in our state with out gambling than when gambling on horse racing was licensed. However that may be, it is more important to breed men than horses. and all the blooded horses in the world are not worth the ruined life of one young man. The public conscience has ended this form of gam bling in our state, and is assailing it in New York, and in all other states where if Is now permitted. In a short time this legalized vice will be thing of the past from one end of the country to the other.
 "Except where the officials, whose duty If is to enforce the law, are corrupted to give the privilege of lawlessness to this class. the open gaming house, so com mon in nearly all the larger o>.ies a