Los Angeles herald., 1910-06-04
TAFT HITS LAWYERS AND
MUCKRAKE NEWSPAPERS
President Talks Sharply When
Addressing Students on
Present Problems

ADA, o., June 3.-President Taft, in
an address to the graduating class of
the Ohio Northern university here to-
day, gave advice to the young men and
women and discussed at length the op-
portunities and limits of the various
professions and business pursuits.
The law, the ministry, medicine,
teaching, journalism, farming and
modern Industrial conditions all came
in for a share of treatment in Mr..
Taft's remarks.
Mr.. Taft said in part:
1.-The conduct of the defense of GRIM
inals in this country and the extremes
to which counsel deem themselves JUS
titled in going to save their clients
from the just judgment of law have
much to do with the disgraceful condi-
tion in which we find it's administra-
tion. The awakened moral conscience
of the country could find no better OBJ
ject for its influence than in making
lawyers understand that their obliga-
tion to their clients is only to see that
their clients legal rights are protected
and that they need not and ought not
to lose their own identity as officers of
the law in the cause of their clients
and recl1lessly resort to every eXpedient
to win the cause.
Il regret to say that during the last
generation too small proportion of the
strongest young men seem to have been
attracted to the ministry. The made
quacy of the compensation, the change
from the commanding influence that
the ministers had in the early part OF
this century to that which they now
occupy has Influenced men who in early
days would have taken to the ministry.
Nevertheless the influence of the church
in every community is still deep-seated
and religion forms the inspiration of
the great body of our people.
MUCKRAKERS SCORED
"Of the profession of Journalism
there is much to say. The increase in
the intelligence and discrimination of
the people has in one way largely modi-
fled the power of the press. The edi-
torial writer's have by no means such
influence upon popular view as they
had in days gone by. u.
Certainly journalism is a profession
in which men of discriminating intelli-
gence, of high courage, of accurate
judgment. OF a love Of truth and real
patriotism can find a sphere of useful
ness unexcelled in any other, and such
men are needed; for If the standards
set by some of the most successful of
the newspapers in lack of truth, in
coarseness and unfairness of criticism
does not improve i'm the next generation
it will vindicate the pessimists of today.
"I refer to q class of newspapers and
magazines that are properly criticised
as 'muckrakers.' This undertaking is
an outgrowth and probably the un-
avoidable aftermath of laudable and
necessary attack on abuses which have
shown themselves in a form of cor
porate greed and control of politics.
but this undertaking episode will
pass Indeed l hope it is passing, and
for the best reasons-because the people
are beginning to see what it really is,
refusing to be influenced, and thus are
not making the contributions to the
pockets of the muckrakers which is
their only motive for continuing bust
ness.
should you conclude to go into
farming you would have selected an
occupation in which there is likely to
be greater progress in the next genera
ton than in any other. You will be-
come members of the sturdiest class in
the community and that which is the
strongest pillar of our political fabric.
1.-THE development of modern indus
trialism, the concentration of capital
and it's abuses, the tendency toward
monopoly and the suppression of com=
petition may all justify a regulation
and a greater restriction upon the use
of private property than has been
necessary heretofore, and it is in that
direction that the needed reforms in
my judgment lie."