Omaha daily bee., 1910-09-02
151s-152O FARNAM STREET

~
ana It is no higher duty to attack the dis
honest man than IT Is to exonerate the
honest man falsely accused; and / should be
ashamed TO hesitate the fraction OF a Sec
ond longer in one case than in the other
Honesty Must he General.
Remember that honesty cannot be uni
lateral. Good citizens should cordially dis
trust the man who can never see dishon-
esty excepting in men OF the class he dis
likes. The reckless agitatcf who invariably
singles out men OF wealth as furnishing
the only examples OF dishonesty; and the
EQUALLY unscrnpu1ous--but 40 more un-
ssty excepting in men OF the class he dis
honesty only IN blackmaiing politician or
. crooked labor leader; both stand on the
same plane of obnoxlonslfess. You never
will get honesty from politicians until you
exact honesty from business men; on the
other hand you brand yourselves as fools
or as hgpocrftes II you say that the cor
poration. owner, or the employer, is always
the dishonest man. and the poor man never,
that 1t is only the wealthy man who cor
rupts the politician and never the politician
who blackmails the corporation.
ANY man in his senses knows that there
are plenty of corporations in this country
who prosper by bribing legislatures just as
InCy prosper Dy puOliCs
any man in his senses ought to know, in
addition, that there are plenty Of corrupt
men OF small means who. IN legislative or
other bodies. try to blackmail corporations
land try to 'blaekmail other people as well.
II they doubt this, let them look at the
revelations of corruption In my own state
New YorR-and in yours, my hearers-here
in Missouri let them look at what has oc-
CURED in California and what has occurred
in Illinois, In Illinois, for instance, one Of
the rascallties developed by the recent in
vestigaton was The ekistence of a cornbina-
ton Of legislators, who Jblackmailed fisher
men along a certain Iivers Yaorclng them to
pay to prevent legislation which would
have interferred with their business.
Now, scoundrels who do these kinds Of
things are, Of course, the very men who,
on the one hand. will blackmail corpora
ton, II they get chance, and, on the other
hand. viii cheerfulV ifstlfe schance occurs.
sell themselves to thar Corporation against
the interests Of the public, Their corrup-
ton is no more due to the action of the
corporations than the corruption OF the
corporations is due to their action; and
evil and not good. is done by the honest
but misguided man who would persuade
you that either fact is true. Our duty is to
war with equal sternness against the cor
rupt man OF great wealth and the small
man who makes a trade OF corruption; our
fight is against both the swindIing corpora
tion and the bIaekmailing or Undertaking
politician. Nefts ty
Special Privilege Must Go.
We cannot afford to limit a campaign
against corruption TO those who happen to
have a certain social status. We need laws
which shall put the corporation out OF bust
ness, 80 far as concerns corrupting the ser
vants Of the public and betraying the rights
OF the public. 4 believe that the great issue
now before the people Is the doing away
with special privileges In all it's forms; doing
away with the power OF the big corporation
TO control legislation In its interests and tc
interfere in politics in order to secure
privileges to which 1t is not entitled But
regard the essential factor in this cam
paign as being aroused civic conscience
which win unsparingly condemn dishonesty
In every form, and in every man, high oil
low. The reckless, wpuld-be reformer. who
in speaking or writing, seeks to persuade
us that we need pay heed to corruption only
when It shows itself In the ricf
man, is doing as great mora
wrong as the rich man whose Low
moral standard tends to lower tn,
moral standard Of the whole community
The people of this country win get justIc,
from the corporations only IL they both d.
justice to them and, rightly exact 1t from
them Unless they do justice to rich men
they put a premium upon injustice ant
dishonesty among rich men. Let us hol,
them to the stTictest accountability for an,
wrong-doing; but let us insist upon hon
esty In our own ranks. no less than theirs
let us war on4crookedness OF every kind Il
the man OF small means as we'll as tn
man Of large means. Let us judg
each man by his, conduct, and not by hi
social or financial condition.
TaIIa 10 working Men. -
Speaking to an audience composed chief
OF workingman IN this city. Colonel Theo
dore Roosevelt today heartily endorsed tn
passage of 4 federal workingmen's com
psnsation act This is one OF the chic
pianks OF the Kansas state platform re
Gently adopted.
Speaking without notes in Auditorium
here. Colonel Roosevelt was frequently
cheered to the echo He was Introduce
BY ex-Mayor Guyer. a progressive repubIi
can. who has been regarded as one OF tn
strongest supporters of Colonel Roosevelt
In Kansas. In presenting Colonel Roose
Welt he characterized him as one OF IN
foremost men OF all the world"
More than once we have had 10 In
vestig&te conditions in such businesses 4
those you have In this city" said Colon.
Roosevelt, In beginning his address. "a
ways when We have done So the employs
has explained to the wage worker that
the government was successful In It's 81
ercise for the control. Il would result in III
cutting down Of wages. That Is not so. A
we struggled to do was to secure belts
conditions OF employment and OF livin
among the men actually employed in IL
dustries.
Compensation for InJuties.
'sxake such questions as what is calle
the employers liability I do not like thS
expression because think the term shoul
be the compensation OF employees for II
jurles' fed vert strongly that In ever
Industry whore there is the slightest ris
OF life or limb. whether on railways {
In any other industry. that Ia the ever
OF loss Of life or Injury. we should nj
leave Il TO lawsuits 10 determine whl
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