Daily capital journal. (Salem, Oregon) 1903-1919, 1913-06-21

ing the impression among other ma
tions that our whole political an,
business system is rotten to the core
When we look back to the openin,
of the Twentieth century and max,
comparison, we can perceive abund
ant evidence that we are cutting ou
the rottenness and building Up new
and healthy tissue in the National
body. We have made great progress
in placing party organization and the
government under direct control Of
the people without Intervention OF
bosses and are continuing progress
along the same line We have estab
lished much higher standard of pub
tic service than formerly prevailed
We have brought the railroads under
public control, which they now wei
come as a buffer between them and
their patrons. We have made great
progress in breaking up monopoly, SC
great that many illegal combinations
are no sooner attacked in the courts
than they voluntarily comply with the
government 8 demands. We are con.
tinuing this work of restoring com.
petition and have compelled big bust.
ness to assume a very different atti-
tude towards government. 1t no longer
controls, dictates and threatens. The
tie between it and the governing
power has been weakened, If not
broken, and it is on the defensive. We
have not yet actually put some of our
trust magnates in Jail, but some of
them are under sentence and few can
feel assured that, if after few more
years of law enforcement, any remain
blind to the signs of the times, impris.
Onment of recalcitrant monopolist
will become as much a matter of
course as that of bank wrecker.
But many of our people have harped
so continually on the sins of our poll
ticians and big business men that they
have created the impression in the
world at large that almost all cur pub
lie men are corrupt and that all our big
bushes men are rascals. These muck
rakers and callers-down of woe upon
the Nation have blackened our reputa-
tiOn in the eyes of the world. The ef-
feet has been that all American in.
vestments are tcoming to be looked
on with suspicion and the price of all
our securities is deprecated because
some are much watered. The good are
made to suffer for the bad because of
our own neglect to discriminate.
Our disposition to foul our own nest
has become so confirmed that, when
Great Britain accuses us of violating
the Panama canal treaty, certain sell
fish interests which are injured by
the canal law find ready support among
the people of sensitive conscience when
they take up the plea. Tt is calmly
assumed by Americans that our own
government, deliberately or negligent.
ly passed a law in violation of a
treaty and that no honorable course
is open to us except to confess our sin
and repeal the law. There is the same
disposition to accept as true the charge
Of Japanese jingoes that the California
land law violates treaties. There is a
general disposition among the agita.
tors against toll exemption and the
war alarmists to take it for granted
that in any foreign controversy their
own nation is always wrong and the
other nation is always right.
Other nations do not act thus. There
has been no greater financial scandal
in recent times than the French Pana-
ma canal swindle, but the French cut
out the rotten spot and stopped there.
They did not by a general, long.cOntin.
ued and indiscriminate campaign give
the world to understand that all French
securities were equally bad. Nor did
the English when Argentine specula.
tion wrecked the Barring Bros. bank
or when rubber speculation caused
many to lose millions. They told the
facts, repaired the wrong, left the rep.
utation Of securities in general unim.
paired and continued business, saying
no more about the scandal. Wnen their
government is engaged in foreign con-
trOversy, they stand by it as man
stands by his own family.
1t is about time Americans changed
their tune. The "knockers ;" should be
By all means let us expose
and punish the rascals; but do not let
us confound the honest with them, nor
meekly admit our government to have
been in the wrong whenever arother
nation calls its acts in question.
-
Worse Than the Lobby.