The Salt Lake tribune. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1890-current, 1912-02-24
UNCONSCIOUS RAsCALITY.

It will be remembered that in the in
vestigations of the Steel Trust, Of the
Sugar Trust, and in various inquiries
that Congress has made from time to
time, prominent men like Mr.. Carnegie
appear and announce not only that they
do not know anything about the pro-
visions of the antitrust law, but that
for great many years after its enact
ment they never heard anything at all
about it. And they plead that what
ever violations of that act they may
have committed, these violations were
unconscious, unprecedented, and in
fact, innocent.
In the case Of G. W. Morse, recently
released from the Atlanta penitentiary
by President Taft under his copvic-
tion for fraudulent banking, it is held
that Mr.. Morse had no conception that
when he was swindling people that he
was doing anything wrong. A recent
writer, considering Mr. Morse case,
quotes Representative Littlefield, who
was counsel for Mr.. Morse, as saying
that Morse had no consciousness Of
guilt in anything that he did; that he
never had the slightest idea that he had
done anything which was in violation
OF the criminal statutes, tt is claimed
that this chara cteristic of Morse was
observed by many others who were
brought into close relations with him
They discovered in him, as they con
slider a strange sort Of mental obliquity
or blindness, and a ''curious lack of |
moral sense But they believe that
IN all tins there was no hypocrisy |
about Morse, that he thought he was
playing the game Of fortune-making
exactly as other successful men played |
it; men TOO. who had good regulations !
and against whom the provisions of the |
law were never enforced nor were they !
ever considered to have violated the |
law in any respect What Morse did |
he thought was no worse than what
others were doing; aod be was entirely
oblivious of any reason why there
should be an application 10 himself of
the criminal law that would not ap-
ply equally against others. And it is
explained that from the day of his
trial and conviction 10 the time he was
sent to the Federal prison. he could
not understand why he bad been singled |
out.
We are inclined to believe that there
is som methiug in this view of the ease.
There are persons of such obtuse moral
sense that they seem TO consider them
selves privileged 10 do ANYTHING TO
which they may feel inclined. and arc
really surprised TO think that any Que
should consider them offenders. much
less criminals, But such attitude OF
mind IS bv no means an excuse for the
crimes committed. 1t simply shows
that. so far as morality and law arc
concerned, these individuals are idiotic.
They haven t the guiding sense Of con
science: they have no idea Of upright
conduct, and are rs impcrvious 10 any
idea Of moral rectitude as wolf would
be 10 an argument that it would be
wrong for him 10 kill lamb when he
is hungry and wants to eat. If 1t is |.
true that Mr. Morse is OF such dense
character morally as his friends thus
make out. he is = dangerous man 10 bc
at large. and a. soon as he mas re-
covered mis- health. !; will be the duty
OF President Taft TO see that he is
promptly returned to prison.