The Key West citizen. [volume] (Key West, Fla.) 1879-current, 1933-05-04
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PEOPLES FORUM
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LACK OF CHARACTER

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Editor, The Citizen:
The crime record of the coun-
try, the dishonesty in business and
banking life, the official corrup-
ton among holders of public Of
flee, the general breakdown of
home life, the universal disrespect
for law-order and authority, all in
dictate that lack of character is the
ock-bottom defect of the nation.
Today there are in prison a
number of young people equal to
| the standing army of the United
!, States. Our murder rate has
doubled since 1900. The increase
in insanity has filled every State
institution to the limit. The di-
vorce court records, Juvenile de-
linquences, the. novels, magazines
and the movies of the day viewed
from a psychological standpoint,
tell us clearly that character-build-
ing in the nation has been a dis
NAL failure.
In business, men forget the old
adage, honesty is the best policy"
and substituted the fatal. futile
idea that efficiency and smart
ness and shrewd skill would do as
well. until a drop in public trust
brought home to them the basic
business fact that character alone
commands confidence. 1t we are
ever going to get back to normal
we must get back to character.
No matter how many regula-
tions upon stock exchange, upon
banks, upon business in general,
YOU may have, there viii, inevi-
tally, be a repetition of relapses,
until business men awaken to the
fundamental fact that business can
only be firmly established on
character. Business thrives on
confidence and is bred in charac-
ter.
Bad public officials undermine
law. In public life, the absence
of character in public officials has
brought about the most deplorable
disrespect for law and distrust in
the instrumentalities of the courts
end of Justice.
It is a terrible thing when peo-
pie lose confidence in those who
rule them. When public officials
forget their sacred oaths, and
stoop to the level of common
thieves, and by fraud, deceit. pre-
JUDGE and injustice infringe on
the rights of citizens, authority be-
comes a travesty, and the flood
gates of crime are opened wide.
When the robes of justice are
stained with unspeakable crime of
bribery, tattered and torn by av-
arice and self-seeking, public con-
fidence is crushed and the majesty
and sanctity of the law in the
courtroom and the halls of legis-
lature are irretrievably undermine
ed.
Never viii we curb crime as
long as frenzied fanatics, ecclesias-
tic lobbyists brow beat lawmakers.
bidder. Never will we curb crime
as the criminal can buy protec-
ton at the price of the ballot.
Never will we curb crime as long
as the decision of Judge and jury
are auctioned off to the highest
bidder. Never will be curb crime
as long as appointments to teach
ing staff comes only after payment
of bride money to grating school
committee men. Never will we
curb crime as long as novelists
and moving pictures point out
crime as heroism whether it be
of the gangster or double stand
ards of love affairsl Never will
we curb crime rs long as the plead
ings of policy and political expe-
diency are substituted for princi-
pies of justice.
When character sits in the chair
of authority, when Justice reigns
in tribunals of the people. when
integrity and honesty rule in pub
lie office, when character Is back
Of business, when the single stand
ard steades the home, when
principle and not prejudice Is the
guide, when love and not lust Is
the motive. when truth Is the OBJ
jective, then and only then can We
hope to stem the tide of lawless-
ness. and curb the madness Of
crime.
Character culture II the rock
bottom need Of the time. Charac-
ter building Is more necessary than
the equipment or the staff or tie
text books, and all these without
character training win never solve
our problem. Character building
Is the need Of the need.