The Washington herald. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1906-1939, 1910-09-02
COLONEL ATTACKS "RASCALS"
IN KANSAS CITY ADDRESS


onel said:
There are certain matters which should
never be treated as party matters, and
foremost among these IS the great and
vital virtue OF honesty. Honesty should
10 treated as a prime necessity TO our
success as a nation.
Tho minute that a question OF hon
esty as against dishonesty Is involved
then we must all act together as Ameri-
cans. without the slightest regard 10
party affiliations. Honesty Is not party
matter. and the first man 10 attack a
scoundrel OF any party should be the
honest men OF that party. When IN Of
flee. l always proceeded upon the theory
that there will be no need Of my oppo-
nents raising the cry Of Turn the ras-
Gals out" because I would turn them
out myself Just as soon as by vlgilant
and intelligent industry I could discover
them.
AS We dealt with the crooked public
official whether in Kansas or Oklahoma.
so we dealt with the crooked private cit
izen; with the rich swindler in New York
or Chicago as with the horse thief or
homicide In Indian Territory.
We never attacked a man because he
p-as a man OF one political faith or an
other. because he did or did not possess
wealth: and we never shielded him be-
cause he was poor or rich; because he
belonged 10 any particular church. or 70
any particular party. But I also wish
you 70 especially remember that We never
hesita,ed 10 shield him and stand up FOR
him once we were convinced that he was
improperly attacked
Attacks WrongdoerS.
There is no greater fee Of honesty
than the man who, for any reason, in
any capacity. attacks or seeks 10 attack
an honest man for crime which he has
not committed. Falsely accusing an hon
est man Of dishonesty is an act which
stands on the same level OF infamy with
that Of the dishonest man himself and
it IS no higher duty to attack the dis
honest man than II IS 20 exonerate the
honest man falsely accused and / should
be ashamed 70 hesitate the fraction OF
second longer IN one case than in the
other.
Remember that honesty cannot be uni
lateral Good citizens should cordially
distrust the man who can never see dis
honesty excepting in men Of the class
he dislikes. The reckless agitator who in
variably singles out men Of wealth as
furnishing the only examples Of dlshou-
esty and the equally unscrupulous-but no
more unscrupulous-reactiO who can
see dishonesty only in a Matchmaking
politician or crooked labor leader both
stand on the same plane Of obnoxious
ness.
You Will never get honesty from poll
ticians until you exact honesty from bust
ness men; on the other hand you brand
yourselves as fools or as hypocrites II you
say that the corporation owner or the en-
ployer is always the dishonest man and
the poor man never; that It is only the
wealthy man who corrupts the politician
and never the politician who blackmans
the corporation.
snya Bride Giving Continues.
ANY man in his senses knows that there
are plenty OF corporations in this country
who prosper by bribing legislatures. just
as they prosper by swindling the public,
and any man in his senses ought TO know
in addition that there are plenty Of cor
rupt men Of small means who in legisla-
tive or other bodies try to blackmail cor
porations-and try 70 blackmail other peo-
pie as we'll II they doubt this let them
look at the revelations Of corruption in
my own State-New York-and in yours
my hearers-here In Missouri. Let them
look at what has occurred in California
and what has occurred IN Illinois. In ILL.,
nois, for instance, one OF the rascalities
developed by the recent investigation was
the existence Of a combination Of legisla-
tors who blackmailed fishermen along a
certain river. forcing them to pay to pre-
vent legislation which would have inter-
fered with their business.
Now scoundrels who do these kinds Of
things are. Of course, the very men who
on the one hand will blackmail a corpora
ton II they get a chance and on the other
hand will cheerfully II the chance occurs
sell themselves 10 that corporation against
the interests Of the public. Their corrup-
ton is no more cue to the action Of the
corporation 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