The Ocala evening star. [volume] (Ocala, Fla.) 1895-1943, 1914-07-04
PERSONAL PUNISHMENT

The following from the Times
Union is so very true and TO the
point that we can't resist the tempta-
ton Of reprinting it. 1t ably ex-
presses a great deal that the Star
thinks. If such doctrine was steadi- !
II preached by all the newspapers in
the United States, the evils alluded
to would soon be things of the past:
Warnings Unheeded
When the officials OF insurance cor
porations were found to have used
the funds entrusted to them reck-
lessly and wastefully, assuming the
right to pay the money belonging to-
their stockholders for partisan IA
vors, 1t was assumed that a lesson
had been given that would be suf-
ficient-personal guilt was pardoned
and the guilty allowed to take ref
uge in France, where their hospitaI-
ty could be admired and accepted
by less fortunate countrymen. When
a leading railroad official was trans
ferred from Roosevelt's cabinet to
free him from the consequences of
confessed breaches of the law and
thence placed at the head of one of
our greatest business institutions,
again a lesson was administered that
might have been expected to bear
fruit of some sort. 1t would be easy
to multiply these warnings, but all
tell the same story.
Following along the same line
comes the New Haven policies. The
master mind in these transactions
belonged to a man who was consid-
cred so rich already that he had no
temptation to do wrong for the
amusement of more gold and art
treasure wise that the national
salvation had been entrusted TO
him by a president without waiting
for the consent of the people, and
! yet nobody objected-so dominant
in American business that he was
credited with the power to turn
jackkniyes or blank paper into dol
lars if he liked-so far above the
| law that he was permitted to float a
currency of his own while denying
to depositors the use of their own
money. What is the moral of these
Things?
The Interstate Commerce Com
mission reports to the Senate that
the management of the New Haven
road had squandered millions OF dol
lars belonging to their stockholders
that in many ways they have mis-
used the money placed in their
| hands-that dummy directors have
taken orders from men only interest
ed in taking money from the corpo-
ration they were Officially, bound to
protect
Now has 1t not been sufficiently
proved that warnings without pun
| ishment are without avail? In the
| case of the insurance officials it was
said that exposure to such men was
punishment enough-they were con-
demned to luxury in a land where
they were held in high honor. Es-
Gaping prosecution, strengthened
| by confession of guilt, Morton was
accepted as model business man
/ in New York-Cortelyou having
bought the presidency for another
dreamed of buying it again for him
self. Freed from the danger of con-
viction under the law, will not Mel
len think himself above the law
and so achieve a<higher flight than
he has ever yet attempted?
i If these monstrous criminals are
lallowed to escape prosecution, why
send the lesser and poorer victims o.
the law to jail? If a man need only
desire responsibility as a cloak for
rascality, why not throw down tht
barriers erected by the law and lie
the abIest or the checklist win? j
the New Haven rascals escape witt
democratic president In the Whit'
| House. why was Jesse James an out
: law?