The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1910-03-21

~ "a sorry one. by Wnal TlEnl doe
! any man, no matter what llts5talent
/. or Ills abilities, parade In type I'll.
!, weaknesscs or the failings sofS tire
women. whose greatest fault was prob
Z ably an admiration Of him. Even til
I records or a divorce court do not Civ
All actor the right to tell such storie
TO the public. Even society which
sanctions easy marriage and connive!
at easy divorce cannot be benefited b,
such bnrcfaced piece of impudence.
Nat will got his reward. The thro,
former wives will have their inning
ana they will doubtless answer all the
1 questions Which arise In the public
mind as to what they thought and thinl,
OF Nat. He will be sorry before his
first edition is sold.
1 ti5ss ~. 3--=--=-------------=------ M syg
\ TIE FIRE INSURANCE SCANDAL.
Nothing that develops in the New
York fire insurance scandal will be SUR
prising. Corruption of the worst sort
illegal lobbying. graft. fraud, pecula-
ton and deceit may all be below the
crust which Insurance Commissioners
t1loetchktss has cut. The people know
the story. They arc familiar with, the
methods OF previous Hobbies in Albany.
They are familiar with the general
workings Of the New York Legislature.
Tile fire insurance companies will
certainly be found guilty OF attempts
70 defeat legislation and of securing
the support OF professional politicians
In the Republican ring. The companies
are IN business for money, and they
are willing to protect their business
with money. They have learned that
where fair means will not suffice, foul
means often will. They are stocls con-
Germs, with large resources and with
every reason to cut off dangerous leg
islation.
The fire insurance companies-at
least those of them which are OF
the New York lobby-aro to blame
for this. but they are no moro to blame
than the Legislature which made pos
sible the corruption. 1t always takes
two to make a bargain. 1t always
takes a bad lobbyist or legislator, as
we'll as a bad insurance company or
q bad corporation OF any kind, to de-
feat the will OF the people. II there
We're not men In New York politics
who could be bribed, bought or in
tluenced. there would be no attempt
to spend money on them and no effort
to influence them in the discharge Of
their duty.
It Will never be possible to get all
bad men out Of any Legislature, espe-
cially the New York Legislature, and
consequently 1t will never be possible.
to put an end to corrupt practices such
as are being disclosed at Albany. The
world has to deal with men as they
are. and not as they ought to be. It's
only hope of Improving conditions Is
to take The corporations, great and.
small. out of politics, and to punish
every man whose corruption can be
proved.
Here in Virginia we have tried to
do both. We put tho corporations, or
most Of them, out of the Legislature,
and tried to frame Constitution which
would keep them out Of the LegisIa-
ture. The people did not succeed in
either case, but they went a long way
towards success and greatly lesscned
the temptations both to politicians and
to corporations. BY the laws Of the
state. the people have tried to brand
every bribe-taker and every bribe-
silver, and have not hesitated when
cases could be proved. either In the
state or in the city, to bring the Of
tenders to Justice. Here. again, we
have not had complete success, but vel
have the assurance that the law and
the people are doing all that they can.
New York needs oil this pro-
lection. 1t needs laws which Will
keep the corporations from Albany. It
needs Corporation Commission which
shall be above rcproach and admins
trative boards which cannot DO indu-
enccd in any way by any man. It
needs. too. to make few Shining cS-
amplcs and to put few politicians
behind the bars for the general well
fare Of the community,
In this particular case Governor
Hughes may be expected to do his duty.
Ie is not afraid. He is not grinding
any political axe. Then, too no has
! particular fondness for Investigate
ng, and his hobby is to look into In
surance companies. When he and
Commissioner Hotchkiss have finished
heir work we predict that some poll
iclans will remember 1t,
t - |
TOO GOOD TO DE TRUE.
Some traveller has dubbed the Pan-
INA Canal the eighth wonder Of the
world. and is journeying about with a
antern and slides telling the people
III about It. The man doubtless thinks
le IS right. The canal is or will be
tremendous work. It crosses a rough|
country and pierces steep hills. It +
laS already cost the American nuh1ic,|