The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1907-1939, 1910-09-02
Kansas City. Sept. 2-There are GER

no need OF my opponents raising the
cry OF Turn the rascals outv' because
I would turn them out myself Just ~
soon a. By vigilant and Intelligent in.
dustry ] could discover them. The
present Senator Bristow, for instance,
was In the postoflcs department wher
Information reached mo which con-
WINGED me that there was extensive
rascality being practiced In the depart.
ment This information came to me
through the then hrst assistant post
master general. Mr.. wynne, an ad-
mirable man. whose honesty knew
to b beyond proof. The active work
Of the investigation was done By an
other postomce onlcial In whose hon
esty. courage and energy I had abso-
lutte conference.-the present Senator
Bristow. When be got through I
knew that all the rascals whose ras-
cality could be detected were out Of
once and that all Of them that had
committed acts which we could pro-
coed against as criminal were indicted
or imprisoned.
> Treated All Alike.
AZ we dealt with the crooked public
of1cial. 30 we dealt with the crooked
private citizen; with the rich swindler
In New York or Chicago as with the
horse thief In Indian Territory. We
never attacked q man because he was
Q man Of one political faith or another.
because he did or did not possess
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 also
wish you especially to remember that
We never hesitated to shield him and
stand up for him once We were con.
WINGED that he was improperly at
tackled.
There n no greater foe Of honesty
than the man who for any reason. in
any capacity. attacks or seeks to at
tack an honest man for crime which
be has not committed. Falsely accus-
ing an honest man Of dishonesty II an
act which stands on the same level Of
infamy with that of the dishonest man
himself. and 1t IL no higher duty to at
tack the dishonest man than it is to
exonerate the honest man falsely &C.
cused, and I should be ashamed to
hesitate the fraction Of q second long
o. In one case than In the other.
Remember that honesty cannot BE-
unilateral. Good citizens should cor.
daily distrust the man who can never
zee dishonesty excepting in men Of the
class he dislikes.
The reckless agitator who invariably
singles out men Of wealth ~ furnish
ing the only examples Of dishonesty
and the equally unscrupulous-but no
moro NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS. who
can ses dishonesty only in q black
mailing politician or . crooked labor
leader. both stand on the same plane
OF obnoH0usness.
Not All Are Dishonest.
lou win never get honesty from pol
itictans until you exact honesty from
business men. On the other hand. yod
brand yourselves ~ fools or N hypo-
critics II You say that the corporation
owner or the employer Il always the
dishonest man and the poor man never:
that It u only the wealthy man who
corsupts the politician and never the
politician who blackmails the corpora
ton.
Any man In his senses knows that
there are plenty Of corporations in this
country that prosper by bribing legis-
latures Just as they prosper by swim
ding the public. and any man in his
senses ought TO know. in addition. that
there are plenty Of corrupt men Of
small means who In legislative or 9TH
Or bodies try to blackman corporations
and try to blackmail other people as
well.
+ II they doubt this let them look at
the revelations VI corruption In my
own state-New York-and In yours.
my hearers-here In Missouri. Let
them look at what has occurred In Cali
fornia and what has occurred in I'LL
noiA In Illinois. for instance. one Of
the rascalities developed BY the recent
investigation was the existence Of q
combination Of Legislators who black
mailed fishermen along . certain river.
forcing them to pay to prevent legisla-
ton which would have interfered with
their business.
/ Evil Osns BY Honest Men.
Now. scoundrels who do this kind
of things are. Of course. the very men
who ON the one hand WIN blackmail {
corporation II they get q chance and
ON the other hand will cheerfully. 4
the chance occurs. cell themselves b
that corporation against the interest
Of the public. Their corruption - ~
more due 10 the action Of the corpora
lions than the corruption OF the eorpo
ratious II due to their action, and evil
and not good. IL done BY the homes
but misguided man who would Per
suade you that either fact u true.
Our duty u TO war with equal stern
ness against the corrupt man Of grea
wealth and the small man who make
Q trade Of corruption: our fight
against both the swindling corporat3o
and the blackmailing or bribe takin
politician
We cannot afford TO limit . cam
paign against corruption to those VII
happsn 10 have certain social status
We Ased laws which shall nut n