Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1910-06-03
PRESIDENT IN ADDRESS TO
GRADUATES POINTS OUT
EVILS IN JOURNALISM.
LAWYERS WHO FORGET oATHs
ALSO GIVEN WORD DRu5BlNG
Taft Recognizes Limitations of Jour
naIism and DepIores Conditions
Which Enable UnscrupuIous to Profit
by Attacks on Honest Men-Roose-
welt Praised.

Ada. Ohio, June 3.-'President Taft,
in an address to the graduating class
of Ohio Northern University here to-
men and women, and discussed at some
length the opportunities and limits of
various professions and business pur-
suits. The law, ministry. medicine,
teaching, journalism, farming and
modern Industrial conditions all came
in for share of treatment in Taft's
remarks.
Discussing Journalism the president
took occasion to denonnce "muckrak
ing" and expressed a belief that the
unjust phase OF newspaper activity
soon would be a thing of the past. He
praised Roosevelt's crusade against
muckrakers. In this connection social
ism was denounced by the president,
but was referred to as one of the prob
lens that will have to be considered
during the next generation.
Business Wave Will Recede
Discussing the business situation the
president said it is impossible to ex-
pect the growth of trade shall be in the
proportion shown during the past ten
years, and it is but reasonable to sup.
pose that within the next decade there
will be some reaction q scaling OF VAL
ues: but these have occurred from
time to time. followed by recovery.
There is as much opportunity now for
individual success In business as ever
and int In
dustry.
Lawyers Are Scored.
The president critisised lawyers
who in eagerness for their clients in
terests, especially in criminal cases.
forget they are officers Of the law and
resort to methods that have much to
do with the disgraceful condition of the
administration of Justice. He express
ed the opinion that the only escape
from these evil tendencies was for.
the Bar to cleanse itself of those who
in the interest Of their clients, forget
their obligation as attorneys to the
court and their duties as citizens"
Limitations Of journalism.
President Taft gave much attention to
journalism. Few newspaper propri-
etors, he said. have such patronage as
to enable them to make their news
paper that which they think a paper
ought to be: and they are obliged in
their papers to consult that which they
regard as public taste and public
desire. "While the editor occupies
the position of instructor of public
taste" continued the president, "and
ought to exercise the function as such
with more constancy and courage than
he usually does, the limitations that
there are upon him by reason of pub
lie demand, those of us who would
criticise the press hardly appreciate.
Certainly journalism is profession in
which men of discriminating intelli-
gence, high courage. accurate judg-
ment, love Of truth and real patriotism,
can find a sphere Of usefulness unex-
celled in any other and such men are
needed. for If the standards set by
some of the most successful Of news
papers in the lack, in coarseness and
unfairness of criticism, shall not i'm
prove in the next generation, 1t will
vindicate the pessimists of today.
After the Muckrakers.
II refer to that class of newspapers
and magazines that are properly criti-
ciZed as 'muckrakers,' that rely for
their circulation on vicious and un-
founded attacks upon honesty and up
right character and patriotic motives
of men in public life, and upon those
and prominent socially.
This undertaking is the outgrowth and
probably unavoidable aftermath of a
laudabe and necessary attack upon
abuses which had shown themselves in
a form of corporate greed and control
of politics.
Roosevelt Praised.
ut was made necessary to have a
housecleaning in this regard, and
Roosevelt led the movement, and much
has been accomplished in clarifying
business and political methods. In the
doing of 1t he was himself foremost to
denounce those who took advantage
Of a general condition of popular sus-
picion and filled their purses by un-
founded attacks upon men in public
office struggling conscientiously to do
their duty But this undertaking cpl
sode will pass. Indeed I hope 1t is
passing, and for the best of reasons,
because the people arc beginning to
see what it really is, are refusing to
be Influenced by it, and thus are not
making the contributions to the pock-
cts of the muckrakers, which Is their
only motive for continuing their bust
ness.