The Leavenworth echo. [volume] (Leavenworth, Wash.) 1904-current, 1909-01-01
IS MONEY THE SOLE END OfLIfR
The Evil Effect of CommerciaIism Discussed
by William Allen White

NAAN SAeA~ ~ OAo OAoOA
Mr.. White writes inspiringly of the
moral awakening of the American peo-
pie, and sees the dawn Of better things
in our national life. In the following
extract he tells Of that which many Of
us knew but few had the moral courage
to speak:
Now here is what may be called a
secondary stage of the disesae that was
creeping upon the people. From 1884
to 1894 there were clean cities and
clean states; on the whole there was
a clean federal government, and GER
tainly the great mass of business tran
sactions were clean. Evils were spo-
radio, local and not of first importance.
Then came Hanna. He made the
kings evil Of business in politics chronic
in the politics OF the nation. He or
ganized the public service business OF
the country and the public service pol
itics Of the country, brought them to-
gether, and became the dictator Of the
superficial government of the United
States. But for the strength of Nc
Kinley, Hanna would have become an
autocrat over all politics and more bust
ness than he controlled. But Nc Kin
ley was stronger than Hanna, and if
Mckinley had lived, he too would have
turned upon the pretenders, and would
have driven them from the White
House, at least as Stevenson says Of
the good child, as far as he is able"
For putting America thoroughly upon
a business basis, the country owes to
Hanna whatever gratitude is due man
who brings out the rash, makes the
impurities plain and aids diagnosis.
Those were the good old times of
business cheer in the reign Of Hanna.
The knighthood of commercial license
was in flower then. Hanna gathered
tribute from certain great business con-
Germs desiring protection and privi-
leges in the government, and sent the
money from the national central COM
mittee of his party to the various state
central committees of his party, and
they in turn sent it to the county com
mittees and district committees and
city committees of his party. In
cidentally the local committees kept on
levying upon such persons and cor
porations as seemed to be fair prey.
But local levies and assessments were
insignificant. The fountain Of all pub
lie corruption came from above. The
National committees of both great
parties organized the sale of commercial
indulgences into fine art. One was
as bad as the other, save that the Re-
publicans offered much the better
market.
So certain insurance trustees used
the money Of their trusts for personal
gain: certain railroad officials shared
in the profits of favored concerns; re
bates were granted to shippers and
special rates to localities; import tariffs
were made to build up private bust
ness; the stocks and bonds OF railroads
and other public service corporations
were increased illegitimately and the
people were taxed to pay interest on
fictitious capitalization; corporations
were formed under the protection OF
the state and the sole business of these
corporations was to levy tribute from
the people who protected them; morals
in high finance became archaic in GER
tain attitudes, and the success OF sue
cess in a few restricted areas OF bust
ness became its moral and its legal
justification.
1t should not be necessary, yet 1t is
only Just to say that the area OF dis
honesty in business and even in poll
tics was not wide-though it was i'm
portant. The great bulk Of business
was honestly conducted, and the vast
majority Of men in politics were above
reproach. And even those who oia
wrong for the most part did 1t I'M
willingly. The sin of Hanna was not
a specific intentional debasement oil
our politics, and corruption OF our ousl-
ness. He did what he did by his ex-
ample, by his influence, by his point
of view. With him in all sincerity and
in all candor business was the most I'M
... consideration and prosperity t0l