The Detroit times. [volume] (Detroit, Mich.) 1903-1920, 1910-09-02
PEOPLE MUST Be
FAIR TO COMBINES
Col. Roosevelt Says Citizens Will Get
Justice Only II They Do Justice
To Corporations.

In his speech in Kansas City, which
was delivered before one of the most
enthusiastic audiences he has ever
addressed oil. Roosevelt urged an hon
est course In dealing with all ques-
tons. He insisted that neither class,
party nor poverty should be a bar
rier to right.
Col. Roosevelt spoke as follows:
There are certain matters which
should never be treated as party mat
ters: and foremost among these Is the
great and vital virtue of honesty. Hon
esty should be- treated as a prime ne
cessity 10 our success as nation. The
minute that question OF honesty as
against dishonesty is involved. when
without the slightest regard TO party
affiliations. Honesty In not party
matter; and the first man to attack "a
scoundrel of any party should be the
honest men OF that party. When In
office, ! always proceeded upon the
theory that there would be no need or
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 Industry, 1
could discover them. The present Sem
ator Bristow. for instance, was in the
postoffce department when informa-
ton reached me which convinced me
that there was extensive rascality be-
ing practiced in the department. This
information came to me through the
then first assistant postmaster-gen-
Cral. Mr. Wynne--an admirable man
whose honesty l knew to be beyond
proof. The active work or the inves-
tigation was done by another post
office official In whose honesty, cour-
age, and energy / had absolute con-
fdence-the present Senator Bristow.
When he got through 1 knew that all
the rascals whose rascality could be
detected were out OF office. and that all
of them that had committed acts which
we could proceed against as criminal
were indicted or Imprisoned As 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 Territory.
We never attacked man because he
was IA man Of one political faith or an
other. because he did or did not pos
sess wealth; and we never shielded him
because he was poor or rich. because
he belonged to any particular church
or to any particular party. But L also
we never hesitated to shield him and
stand up for him once we were con.
WINGED that he was improperly attack
ed. There is no greater foe or honesty
than the man who. for any reason, in
any capacity. attacks or seeks to at
tack, an honest man for q crime which
he has not committed. Falsely accus-
ing an honest man OF dishonesty Is an
act which stands on the same level o.
himself; and II lis no higher duty to at
tack the dishonest man than II Is to
exonerate the honest man falsely &C
cused; and ] should be ashamed TO
hesitate the fraction OF second long
er in one case than In the other.
Remember that honesty cannot be
unilateral Good citizens should cor
see dishonesty excepting In men OF the
class he dislikes. The reckless agi-
tator who invariably singles out men
OF wealth as furnishing the only eX-
amples OF dishonesty; and the equally
unscrupulous-but no more unscrupu-
lous-reactionary who can see dishon
esty only in a black mailing politician
or a crooked labor leader: both stand
on the same plane OF Consciousness.
You will never get honesty from poll
ticians until you exact honesty from
business mon: on the other hand, you
brand yourselves az fools or as hypo-
critics II you say that the corporation
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 cor
poration.
Any man in his senses knows that
there are plenty OF corporations in this
country who prosper by bribing legis-
ling the public; and any man I'm his
senses ought 20 know, In addition. that
there are plenty OF corrupt men OF
small means who In Legislative or
other bodies. try to blackmail corpora
tions--and try TO blackmail other peo-
pie as well. II they doubt this. lei
them look at the revelations of cor
ruption In my own state--New York
souri,; let them look Mt what has oc-
Cured In California and what has oc-
CURED In Illinois. In Illinois. for In.
stance. one OF the rascalities developed
by the recent Investigation was the
existence OF combination OF leRisla.
tors who blackmailed fishermen along
prevent legislation which would have
interfered with their business.
Now, scoundrels who do these kinds
of things are. OF course. the very men
who. on the other hand, will blackmail
a corporation. II they get a chance
and. on the other hand. will cheerfully
II the chance occurs. sell themselves "a
that corporation against the Interests
OF the public. Their corruption liz nc
more due TO the action OF the corpora
tions than the corruption OF the cor
porations is due 10 their action; and
evil. and no good. Is done by the hon
est but misguided man who would per-
suade you that either fact In true Our
duty Is To war with equal sternness
against the corrupt man OF great
wealth and the small man who makes
trade OF corruption our fight Is
against both the swindling corporation
and the blackmailing or bribe-taking
DOlltlCldn.
We cannot afford to limit a cam
paign against corruption to those who
happen to have certain social status
We need laws which shall put the cor
poration out Of business. so far as con-
Germs corrupting the servants OF the
public and betraying the rights OF the
public I believe that the great issue
now before the people II the doing
away with special privileges In oil Its
forms: doing away with the power Of
the big corporations to control legisla-
tion I'm it's interests and to interfere In
politics In order to secure privileges
to which IL IL not entitled. But 7 re-
gard the essential factor In this cam
paign as being an aroused civic con-
science which will unsparingly con-
denim dishonesty In every form. and In
every man. high or low. The reckless
would-bc reformer. who. in speaking OF
writing seeks to persuade We that we
need pay heed to corruption only when
II shows itself In the rich man. Is DO.
ing as great "A moral wrong a. the
rich man whose low moral standard
tends 20 lower the moral standard OF
the whole community. The people OF
this country VIII get Justice from the
corporations only III they both do JUS
tIce TO them and rigidly expect II from
them. Unless they do Justice to rich
men. they pat a premium upon injus-
tice and dishonesty among rich men
Let ms hold them to the strictest ac.
countability fyor any wrong-doing: but
Let us insist Ipon honesty IN our own
ranks no less than theirs: iet~us war
on crook edness OF every kind In the
man of small means as well ashth man
OF airge means. Let ne Judge each
man by his conduct. and not by his So
cial or financial condition.
Eat your sunday dinner I'm Bchemi.
lat the Fairfax. Music. Fish and
NhtoEan EO0 Y Eol0