The Cordova daily times., 1923-02-08
THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 8, 1923
A PUBLIC OFFICE IS A PUBLIC TRUsT'

Takine as a text the recently filed account of the estate of former President Roosevelt, the Republican Publicity Association com ments upon the relatively small estates left by able men who have given their efforts to pub lie welfare, and deplores the misrepresenta- tion which many public men are frequently subjected The Association says:
 "Reduced to cold and unromantic dollars and cents the tremendous energies of Theodore Roosevelt eventuated in personal estate worth $6S7, ,OOO on the day of his death. Had those energies been directed toward commerce and industry; or had Roosevelt used his inside Enowledoe and vast influence to speculate, he could easily have amassed a fortune run ming high into the millions. The foundation of this fortune was inherited but was in creased by persistent personal industry and thrift Roosevelt left a spotless record; never theless he was the victim of scandalmongers and once found it necessary to bring suit for damages to force a retraction.
 ''The recent probate of the will of Senator Penrose showed an estate totaIing $56oOOO net The estate of the late Senator GaIIinger, of New Hamsphire, showed about $17OOO0. The late Senero F. Payne, of New York, for many years chairman of the Ways and Means Committee, left an estate of $7O,OOO. Penrose was apparently the plutocrat of this trinity, yet his estate was very modest one as wealth is reckoned in these days. The Pen rose family had considerable money before Bojcs entered public life. Had he remained in private life and devoted his great talents to personal gain, the chances are that he would have left an estate reaching far into the millions. Thirty-eight years of public service was a losing game financially for the Pennsylvania leader. Forty-six years in the service of his state and country meant finan- cial sacrifice to Gallnger. Forty-one years in public office left Payne comparatively poor man.
 "Few public men have been more cruelty maigned during their lifetime than Penrose, Gallnger and Payne The accusation that they were hand in glove with 'predatory in terests'' and that they profted immensely thereby, was made so repeatedly as to become fixed as fact in the minds of those who are always willing to believe that power and sue cess are attributable to crookedness and con- spiracy - fortunately the minority of our people.
 ''These men were statesmen, and they wrought nightly for the welfare of the Amerl- can commonwealth. Had they lived up to the reputation which muckrakers sought to fix on them, they would have died worth millions All three of them were possessed of firm convictions which, when opposed were Spartanically pressed; but those convictions were born of their devotion to the public wei fare and what they sincerely believed to be for the best interests of the nation. They may at times have been mistaken. There is not the slightest evidence that they were ever concerned with graft.
 ''It is fortunate for the country, and we are indebted to their constituencies, that Penrose Gallinger, and Payne gave an aggregate of 125 years to the public service Their de- tractors were quite generally to be found among that class which is against everything nstructive-frequently opposed to every thing American. But these three men will be gratefully remembered long after the re- vi]ers have been resolved into the dust of oblivion.'' <. Y g., t,ssn