The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1911-03-17

annual reports Of their condition, GER
tif1ed, to by registered public account
arts with power invested in the state
sgperintendents to order special ex-
sminations by such accountants at any
time when deemed necessary-that Is,
whenever any of them were suspected
Of being unsound or irregular in their
business methods. This should be
done for the protection of others. as
well as to clear themselves OF SuS-
pscion and restore their credit where
they were found 90 be sound and
straight In their methods. Only the
insolvent and the crooked would have
anything to fear from this whole
some publicity. In this way disaster
rright be averted and impaired con-
fi6ence promptly restored. L lay
stress upon the employment of skilled
accountants, because the certified re-
salts OF their examination would be
accepted as conclusive of the actual
conditions being as they stated. They
would speak with authority.
Railways.
Turning to. the railways, we have
lanE felt ahe1need Of stricter laws in
matters that favor a few at the ex-
psnSe of the many, as, for instance,
n the giving of rebates. To prevent
III the future these illegal preferences
net mrely a fine-which can always
5e easily paid-should be imposed, but
where the new Interstate law permits
demeanor, punishable with imprison-
znent- Railway officials would then,
with the danger of an indictment and
a term In prison beforeothem, hesitate
20 violate the law. For their own
reputation, as well as for the sake of
their families, they would be likely
to avoid that secret and unlawful rate
cutting, disguised by the payment of
rebates. which has done so much in
rhe past to foster unhoiy monopo1ies
-
thousands.
In the limelight of publicity the
Irregular rebate practices of the rail-
Ways for the benefit Of large and
favored shippers would be impessi-
be, and equally so would have been
the go-as-you-pleaSe and exUavagant
management of the life insurance
companies. as revealed by the New
York legislative insurance investiga-
ton
Publicity OF accounts would be a
protection to all solvent concerns and
eliminate the unsound and the fraud
uient. that would otherwise be a
menace to them. Next in Importance
20 the existence of these laws is the
matter Of their strict enforcement. We
ere fully couversant with the fact that
sor many years there have been laws
upon our statute books that have been
considered dead letters and openly
violated. and more railroad companies
we're violators than observers of the
law Let US hope for no lapse into
1ormer methods.
Providence has, however, been
lind TO us, and in every crisis and
tire OF need the right man for the
otcasion has always been found. Thus,
y the credit of our government and
<ae pride and satisfaction of American
citizens just when gross and fragrant
abuses had so long over-ridden the
law as to become into1erable Theodore
Roosevelt, with an honesty and cour-
sSe that commanded worldwide adj
snIradon. Indifferent to all political or
ether influences, and acting with an
eye single 10 the upholding of the
rights OF the people, called a halt to
these nefaroous methods. He did SO
by personally causing Investigations to
De made of the acts of these unbridled
wrongdoers and with summary action
caused their prosecution and the en-.
actment Of laws that curbed the
wrongdoers and gave satisfaction to
the law-abiding American people.
No Cause for Alarm.
With the knowledge. then, that the
Stringent provisions of the new laws
viii be rigidly enforced, and assuming
mat other laws to the same end will
D. enacted when found necessary, ]
Tor one see no cause for alarm and
no danger OF anything hostile to the
public welfare that cannot be averted
Or promptly remedied.
mo. gentlemen, the menace doen
-.ot lie here. As patriotic Americans.
sroes not every one of you know where
he real menace lies? Must we sea-
our lips and close our eyes to the
truth just TO be called conservative? l
o=annot think so. It is false conserva..
ism, and is surely not patriotismi
Americans have always had a way
OF speaking out and will not remain
Silent The real menace is socialism.
James Bryce. the worthy English
ambassador to this country pointed
out some twenty-odd years ago, in his
American Commonwealth how the
tDeB future of the United States some.
times presented itself to the mind as
q struggle between two forces-the one
iseneficent- the other ma1ign; the one
striving u speed the nation to a port
Of safety before the storm arrives; tho
other to retard its progress, so THAI
the tempest may be upon it before tho
port Is reached. He, further, ex-
pressed concern as to whether the
progress then discernible toward q
wiser public opinion and a higher
Standard of public life would succeed
In bringing the mass of the people up
tp high level, or whether the masses
would yield to the temptation to abuse
their power and seek violent and vain
and useless remedfes-like socialism
for the evils which would affect us.
This able statesman predicted that