The Detroit times. [volume] (Detroit, Mich.) 1903-1920, 1910-09-02
COL. ROOSEVELT
VISITS OMAHA
Will Address. Big Meeting in THAI
City Today-Urges Fairness
To Corporations.

L
turned Omaha about upside down. Big
crowds We're out 10 greet Roosevelt at
every turn from the time he climbed
out OF his special train into a driving
rain at z o'clock this morning.
An automobile hustled him TO the
Omaha club Immediately on his ar-
rival, and ne had breakfast there as
the guest of the club. He then took
| the town. At noon he returned to the
| club for luncheon. an informal affair.
AT which about 400 guests were pres
ent.
The principal Roosevelt speech to-
| day will be delivered at big meet
| ing to be- held at the Auditorium late
this afternoon. The colonel will be
introduced to the audience by Senator
Burkett, of Nebraska.
In his speech In Kansas City, which
was delivered before one OF the most
enthusiastic audiences he has ever
honest course in dealing with all ques-
| tons. He insisted that neither class,
party nor poverty should be q bar
| rier to right.
As the guest of honor of the Kan
sas City commercial club, Roosevelt
drank toast to the president, was
himself toasted as the First Citizen
OF the United States" and listened to
Good Old Summertime" which ran az
| follows:
At next election time,
At next election time,
Roaming round the woolly west.
Getting things In line,
For we like him and he likes us,
And that's very good sign,
That he will be our president
at next election time.
Col Roosevelt spoke as follows:
There are certain matters which
should never be treated 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 TO our success as nation. The
minute that question OF honesty as
against dishonesty IL involved, when
we must all act together as Americans.
without the slightest regard to party
affiliations. Honesty IL 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 or
my opponents raising the cry OF Turn
the rascals out. because l would turn
them out myself just as soon as, by
vigilant and intelligent industry
ator Bristow. for instance. was in the
postoffice department when informa-
tion 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-
eral Mr. Wynne-an admirable man
whose honesty / knew to be beyond
proof The active work OF the inves-
tigation was done by another post
office official In whose honesty, cour-
age, and energy 1 had absolute con-
| ndence-the present Senator Bristow.
When he got through / knew that all
the rascals whose rascality could be
detected wero 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.
was a 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
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 attack
ed. There Is 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 n crime which
he has not committed Falsely accus-
ing an honest man OF dishonesty is An
act which stands on the same level OF
infamy with that OF the dishonest man
himself: and IL is no higher duty to at
tack the dishonest man than 1t Is to
exonerate the honest man falsely &C
hesitate the fraction of a second long
er I'm one case than In the other.
Remember that honesty cannot be
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 as furnishing the only ex-
amples OF dishonesty; and the equally
unscrupulous-but no more unscrupu-
esty only In a black mailing politician
or a crooked labor leader: both stand
on the same plane OF obnoxfousness.
You Will never get honesty from poll
business men: on the other hand, you
brand yourselves as fools or as hypo-
critics III you say that the corporation
owner. or the employer. is always the
never. that II Is only the wealthy man
who corrupts the politician and never
the politician who blackmasls the cor
poration.
Any man I'm his senses knows that
there are plenty OF corporations In this
country who prosper by bribing legis-
latures just as they prosper by swind-
ling the public: and any man In his
senses ought 20 know, I'm 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. let
them look at the revelations OF cor
ruption In my own state-New York
souri; let them look at what has oc-
CURED I'm 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 a combination OF legisla-
tors who blackmailed fishermen along
a certain river. forcing them TO pay to
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 chance.
and, on the other hand. will cheerfully.
III the chance occurs sell themselves to
| that corporation against the Interests
| OF the public. Their corruption Ia no
more due to the action of the corpora
tons than the corruption OF the cor
| porations In due To their action: and
evil. and no good. Is done by the hon
| est but misguided man who would per-
suade you that either fact is true. Our
| duty In to war with equal sternness
| against the corrupt man OF great
| wealth and the small man who makes
trade OF corruption. our fight IN