The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1910-08-25
KNOWS NO PARTY
, Col. Roosevelt Says When He's
Running Down Grafters
All Political Organizations LOOK
Alike to Him.
HE STOPS In BUFFALO
And Is Entertained at Break
fast by the Elliott Club.
Leaves for Chicago After a Stop
of an Hour.
HE STOPS IN BUFFALO

Roosevelt pledged himself to the men
of Buffalo today to help them ana al
sincere citizens to fight crookeuhe9S
wherever it was found.
"I'I help you just as l did in the
past" he said, speaking to the
Elliott club, whose guest he was al
breakfast an hour after sunrise. ne
made a plea for the punishment OF
crooked and grating officials ana the
election of honest ones in their places
a process of gradually but permanent
" raising the morale of political and
business life, and he said ne thoughI
1t a duty to hunt out crooks ana es-
Decially crooks in his own party.
Il believe in party government, he
said sfbut the moment a question OF
honesty is involved, l recognize no
party distinctions, or if do make any
it is that it is little more my bust
ness to put the CRATER and crook out
of public life if he belongs to my party
than if to another This attitude de-
mands that ones attention be fixed not
on financial or social status but on
conduct
Nearly 400 members of the Elliott
club and other citizens representing
leading professional ami business inter
ests and a wide variety of political az
filiations awaited Mr.. Roosevelt's COM
ing from the New York Central sta
1ion. where he had arrived from Utica
at $50 in his private car Republic, at
tached to regular train.
AS the ex-president entered he was
cheered and America" was sung with
the accompaniment of a regimental
band Breakfast was expeditiously
served as there was less than an hour
before the time for Mr.. Roosevelts de-
parture to Chicago. Among those who
Mr. Roosevelt was TONY" Gavin.
Buffalo policeman, formerly a rough
rider The colonel shook his hand
across the table and said some pleas
ant things in which the words bully
glad to see you" recurred.
Mr. Roosevelt made good use of the
Is minutes available for his remarks.
The men who heard him, who noted his
earuestneSs in dealing with the subject
Of crookedness and grating and who
finally broke in with sharp applause
had in mind his expressions within the
last few days that they will have ali
the fight they want"
Mr. Roosevelt first dwelt on a sub
ject of particular local interest-the
necessity of preserving unpolluted ''the
wonderful fresh water supply of the
Great Lakes"
I'VE claim to be a civilized people, -
he said. LAS such we ought to be able
TO dispose of our sewage without put
ting it into our drinking water" He
said:
state and nation must combine in
preventing further contamination and
in making the purity of lake water as
absolute as possible. That is so as
we'll in the field of morals, public and
domestic he continued.
There must be no pollution at the
sources" This led naturally to his
grimly earnest expression of intention
to seek out and bring to accounting
erafters, big and little "Dstrust.
however" he said. "financiers who can
only see crookedness in grating,
small politicians and grating leaders;
distrust also those who can see it only
in the financiers. You must attack a
man because he's crooked. If poor
and crooked attack him. If rich and
crooked attack him. In fact, attack
the rich crook a trif1e stronger. Yes,
will put it-attack him very
strongly"
"In order to do that you must keep
your eyes fixed not on the social and
financial status of the man. but on the
mans conduct, good or bad. Distrust
above all other men the man who will
inveigh against crookedness, only if he
finds it connected with somebody not
connected with his own party.
"Distrust the financier who can not
see crookedness among financiers but
only among the labor leaders and dis
trust the labor leader. who can see
crookedness only when it is by the big
financier. Attack a man because he is
crooked. If he is a poor man and
crooked. attack him; if he is a rich
man and crooked. attack him.
PERSONALLY I would attack the rich
man who is crooked just little strong
er, because crookedness is just a trifle
more infamous in him. But 1 would at
tack the other man very strongly.
There is no royal road to learning.
Something can be done by good laws
or by a strict administration of law.
but in the last resort you must have
the average citizen with a live con-
science or you can not expect the pub
lie servants of that private citizen to
do their duty honestly and well
"Often you will find that men have
betrayed the interests of the people by
doing what is improper for some big
corporation. In that case try to get at
them and try to get at the big corpora
tion and all those responsible for its
management and I will help you in
every way that I can. 1 have done it
in the past. ] will do it Just as we did
in connection with the sugar trust.
do not let the man feel that he is
to be Ditied rather than blamed for
yielding to the temptation offered by
the big corporation that tries to get
him to go wrong. My experience is
that the kind of man who will &c
wrong when the big corporation
ftempts him. is a crook from the start
and goes wrong because he is glad to
go wrong. My experience is that such
a man will he Just as quick to black
mail q corporation as he will to take
money corruptly. If the people fail to
condemn the man who is crooked and
who will blackmail a corporation they
will have themselves to thank when the
blackmailer turns round and becomes
a tool of the corporation which he
will do when it is his interest to do so
"You are not going to get honesty
IN a public servant. on behalf of the