Albuquerque morning journal. [volume] (Albuquerque, N.M.) 1903-1926, 1920-10-19
A SQUARE DEAL.

The great Roosevelt in the days when he was
attempting break the power of big business in
the United States and to inspire the people with
confidence in their ability to resume control Of
their government, maligned by the
'kept press" end of the country tn"
other as business wrecker" a radical" and
crazy
In a few<rHys all the people, reactionary and
progressive, republican and democratic, will unite
in the celebration of the birthday of this apostle
of civic righteousness; this preacher of the doc
trine that America must not lose her soul"
SO little should feel complmented
rather than abused when these terms, dignfied
by their application to the Great American, are
applied to because we preach in weaker tones
the doctrine of square deal"
The newspapers then resounded with the
questions us not Rockefeller honorable man?
Are net the Life Insurance presidents honorable
mem" Are not the packers honorable mem"
- 80 railroad presidents honorable menu
Just as the owned and controlled press now
shout the question Are not Bursum and Suly
and Springer and Hawkins and Fan honorable
men?"h
They were honorable men, in restricted
sense of the word, just these New Mexican
and Texan men are in the sense honor.
able men,
These men all paid their debts good
at the bank, supported their families, loved their
wives and children, agreeable neighbors
and charitable citizens
But controlled by any spirit of Give
righteousness. Men who would be scrupuous to
the last penny in a private business transaction,
took advantage of the public in a most uncon-
sconable way.
If they could fix the law so that they could
take millions out of a protective tariff lily ad~
justed they did it. If they could throttle compe-
tition they We're entirely constituencies in doing
it. II they could falsify records to conceal the
giving taking OF rebates they had scrupes
about doing In dealing with the public they
merely sought to stay out of Jail. They hired the
best lawyers to that they did stay
Other people, good citizens the very be-
ing imposed upon, looked upon them with admir-
alton and great successful and honorable
business They saw no crime in bribing with
passes or keeping two sets of bookstore for the
law and the other for themselves
Roosevelts great problem was to create n
new sentiment of civic righteousness; to bring
such practices into disrepute to make the pub
lie and these men feel that their methods
dishonorable. So he preached his doctrine of the
square deal"
Men who knew the men he assailed were in
dignant. They knew of the private benevolences
of these men; knew of their kindlness knew of
help they had given to the unfortunate; knew
they We're good husbands and fathers. Why
should good be malgned like that?
But gradually the people came to that
these practices We're immoral, criminal and or
binary thieving. a better moral tone into
existence and many of these methods were
stopped either by law by public opinion
Just Messrs. Springer, Sully, Hawkins Fail
and Bursum must be made to feel the sting of
public rebuke their practices of writing
their own laws Cypress the people. Fighting
they have year in and year out against a
primary law because it would weaken their pow
er; building INSCRIPTIONS machines to Cypress
and dominate the poor and Ignorant writing
laws to put their share of the burden of taxes
back upon the shoulders of the helpless; swing
newspapers that the people might not be advised
of the crimes being committed against them; re-
garding the great trust fund of our children In
school bonds favors to be dealt out in private
deals at low costs to favorites; leaving trust
money in favored banks without interest; such
practices must be made unpopular and new
sense of civic righteousness decency and a
square deal must into being before progress
and happiness will prevail in New Mexico.
If a favor done you by them binds you to
them contrary to public interest you taking
your share OF the benefits of corruption in that
way.
If personal acquaintance and personal ad-
you thereby get into their class.
You who think and who wish honesty to pre-
vail must to it in fairness e. your" own cone
sciences that your weak lint unatraetse neigh