Northern Wisconsin advertiser. [volume] (Wabeno, Wis.) 1898-1925, 1910-09-02

parade from the station to the Hotel
Baltimore, luncheon and dinner,
former President Roosevelt spent
busy afternoon and evening here to-
day. In return he gave the people
of Kansas City a chance to hear one
of his lively speeches, in which he
scored dishonesty and corruption.
The Commercial club was Col. Roose-
velt's host and his fellow guests at
luncheon included Governors Hadley
and Stubs, the senators from Mis-
souri, and Kansas and General Funs-
ton.
MIR. RooseveIt's Speech.
Mr. Roosevelt's address was as
follows:
There are certain matters which
should never be treated party mat
tiers; and foremost among these is the
great and vital virtue of honesty. Hon
esty should be treated as a prime ne
cessity to our success a $ nation. The
minute that question OF honesty as
against dishonesty is involved. then we
must all act together as Americans,
without the slightest regard to party
Affiliations. Honesty is not a party
matter; and the first man to attack
scoundrel of any party should be the
honest men of that party. When in
Office, l always proceeded upon the
theory that there would be no need
Of my opponents raising the cry Of
Turn the rascals out" because I
would turn them out myself just as
soon as by vigilant and intelligent in
dustry. I could discover them. The
present Senator Bristow. for instance
was in the Post-Ofice Department
when information reached me which
convinced me that there was extensive
rascality being practiced in the depart
ment. This information came to me
through the then First Assistant Post
master General. Mr.. Wynne-an admir-
able man whose honesty | knew to be
beyond proof The active work OF the
investigation was done by another
post-offce official in whose honesty
courage and energy l had absolute
conference.-the present Senator Bris-
tow. When he got through l knew
that all the rascals whose rasCality
could be detected were out of office and
that all of them that had committed
8 which we could proceed against as
ninal were indicted or imprisoned
we dealt with the crooked public
official. so we dealt with the crooked
private citizen; with the rich swindler
in New York or Chicago as with the
horse-thief or homicide in Indian Ter
ritory We never attacked a man be-
cause he was a man OF one political
faith or another, because he did or did
not possess wealth; and we never
shielded him because he was poor
rich. because he belonged to any par
tiCular church or to any particular
party. But | also wish YOU especially
to remember that we never hesit2ted
to shield him and stand up for him
once we were convinced that he was
improperly attacked There is no
greater foe of honesty than the man
who. for any reason. in any capacity.
attacks. or seeks to attack. an honest
man for a crime which he has not com
mtted. Falsely accusing an honest
man of dishonesty is an act which
stands on the same level of infamy
with that OF the dishonest man him
self; and it is no higher duty 70 attack
the dishonest man than il is TO eXoner-
ate the honest man falsely accused;
and 1 should be ashamed to hesitate
the fraction OF a second longer in one
case than in the other.
Honesty Is Not UniIateral.
Remember that honesty cannot be
unilateral. Good citizens should cor
daily distrust the man who can never
see dishonesty excepting in men of the
class he dislikes. The reckless agi-
tator who invariably singles out men
OF wealth az furnishing the only ex-
amples OF dishonesty; End the equally
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS no more unsCrupu-
lous-reactiorary who can see dishon-
esty only in q blackmailng politician
or a crooked labor leader; both stand
on the same plane of ObnoXiousness.
You will never get honesty from poll
ticians until you exact honesty from
business men; on the other hand. you
brand yourselves as fools or as hypo-
% n
owner. or the employer. is always the
dishonest man. and the poor man
never. that il is only the wealthy
man who Corrupts 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 brihing legis-
latures just as they prosper by swim
ding the public: and any man in his
senses ought 90 know. in addition. that
there are plenty OF corrupt meT. of
small means who. in legislative or
other bodies try TO blaclImail corpora
ttons-and try TO blackrlail other peo-
pie as we'll If they doubt this. let
them look at the revelations OF cor
ruption 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
stance. one Of the rasCalities Developed
bv the recent investiga cation was the
existence of a combination OF legisla-
tors who blackmailed fishermen along
a certain river forcing them 10 pay to
prevent legislation which would have
interfered with their business.
No Distinction of Class.
Now. scoundrels who do these kinds
Of things are OF course. the very men
who on the one hand will blackmail
a CORPORATION. IL they get chance.
and. on the other hand. will cheerfully.
II the chance occurs. sell themselves 10
that corporation against the interests
Of the public. Their corruption is no
more due 20 the action OF the corpora
tons than the corruption OF the cor
porations is due to their action; and
evil. and not good. is done by the hon
est but misguided man who would per
suade YOU that either fact is true. our
duty is to war with equal Siernaess
against the corrupt man of great
wealth and the small man who makes
= trade of corruption; our nSht is
against both the swiudIing corporation
and the blackmailtng or brioe-t2kins
politician.
we cannot afford TO limit campaign
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