Show Some Dangers That Confront the Nation I IA I II KILE ILE we must of course I E always aiwa Insist upon the theone theone theone one vital distinction be between bet tween t en true and false faire American P pa m recognizing only as true tue that which possesses the ethical spirit and rejecting as false that which does not possess it we must also altO recognize that IU I a subject can be properly dis only with that liberal and cath catholic catholic olic feeling which makes the amplest allow H for difference of opinion There Is no n reason why we should n nt r admit that the controlling log ing consideration In the Im pie pen enl m 8 B luat of monty mon i and that the controlling aspiration a of the vast ma majority majority of men who have received elved more or lees lew I of intellectual J raining is to olow lagos advice edvice and put money in their purses I The fact that this age alle is devoted to thE th making of money mon y as Its chief am ambit bit ion need not disturb dl us for it is I Slot pct at all aU certain c that any a y better bette am ambition amr r bitton biHon could have hav been found at this time ur r the class 1118 of men enraged engaged in I business 1 It max Indeed Ind well happen that their lahon Ai laying enduring foundations for or f standards of or conduct of I If f ant and or life thin th n we arc are now on tn joyin and while it is true that so no I far the these e results re have not been ap apparent apparent apparent parent It is la equally rue true that it is far Car too soon to expect them themA S Assuming A therefore that we must deal with conditions as a they exist I thought it might be useful u to call the attention of our men of business bual to the commercial value of or ethical Ideals In Iii American politics If It It is possible to satisfy them that the cherishing of such suh ideals may ma be beof beof of f pecuniary advantage may beT he in truth truths treated as ae a commercial asset a they the may appreciate the wisdom of or ceasing their efforts to destroy them and may be persuaded per to help in the Good work of maintaining them and of or extending their beneficent Influence What we ask is nothing impracticable ble 0 o unreasonable It is only that we shall return to tho the ancient ways of or the fathers and again enjoy the elevation of spirit which was part of ot their dally daily lives They were as we ought to be far from being blind bUnd to material advantages and far enough from Cro being willing to live as idle en enthusiasts enthusiasts Unhappily there Is no immediate danger even of ot the most roost distant ap approach approach preach to a realization of ot such Ideals The stock and the corporate bond in return for tor their many con conveniences conveniences conveniences have destroyed that possibility possibility pond It is not difficult to understand why the free fre government under which we weare weare weare are privileged to live especially needs ih influence of ethical ideals in the conduct of life or why we may pos possibly sibly incur danger if we are without th the protecting and conservative in influence Influence influence fluence of or such ideals Jt It is I not at all aU necessary nece sary to take an alarmist view of the problems await ing solution 8 here in order to insist L up upon upon upon I on the practical and commercial value alue ot of the ethical ideals which have here stood the nation in such good stead Under whatever what er disguises called by whatever names inheriting or seizing whatever wb partisan organizations the alignment of ot the two great political divisions diijon lona of voters who will or 01 later struggle against each other for the possession of the tha gov gor government go will Inevitably be upon the basis I have named The party of the contented will be ranged under one banner bannerS and the par party party ty Lv of the discontented will wUl be ranged under the other and that alignment win wilt steadily develop increasing sharp sharpness ness flees of division until the party parly of the I discontented being the majority has hasI obtained the control of or the govern government I ment m nt to which under our system they are entitled and then they will be besrE surf sure to remodel the present system for forthe forthe forthe the distribution of or wealth unless we weha have ha ve previously done so upon bases wiser and more equitable than those now existing The one party will be under what whatever whatever whatever ever name the party of capital and lip I BU By j Wayne Wagne MacVeagh Mac From an ai oration delivered before the Harvard Chapter of Phi Beta fleta Kappa Kappe kA the th other party will be under what whatever eer ever name nameS the party of labor If any doubt had existed upon this subject among men accustomed to seri seriously seriously seriously reflect upon political problems it ought to have disappeared in view of or orthe the development of the last two presidential presidential elections and of the present growing tendency alike of capital to more mere and more consolidate Itself in great masses as in preparation for the coming struggle and of the brother vw Jod d of ot American labor to more and more consolidate itself in one organ organization organIzation in like preparation I My purpose therefore is to point out without the slightest bitterness to the members of ot the contented class the commercial value of ot ethical ideals as the safest source of the political aspirations aspirations aspiration of the majority of ot our people and the most conservative influence in our national life Ufe and also to ito point out outto outto outto to them m the grave dangers from a business standpoint in these days of ot between capital and abor of f continuing to substitute money for morals as the permanent and controlling force In American poll poli politics tics The first ethical ideal which it seems to me It would be wise for us even from the point of view of the stock exchanges to guard most zealously just now is the Ideal condition of so society society society with ith which the late President McKinley closed his congratulations upon the opening of the exposition at Buffalo that of ot peace on earth and an angood good will to men for it may well hap happen happen happen pen that the safety of ot our institutions I requires that the masses of our people shall continue to cherish the ethical ideals of Christianity and that who whoever whoever whoever ever lessens respect for them Inevitably weakens the of the majority of voters for the principles upon which our ou government Is founded If fighting and killing are to be en If those who indulge in them are to be especially honored and if oppression of the weak is to be cher cherished cherIshed cherished it will 1111 be difficult to prevent the class of the discontented from tram familiarizing themselves too thorough thoroughly ly with fighting and killing and from front learning to cherish in their hearts a desire to oppress their weaker but butmore butmore more wealthy fellow citizens It is quite possible there may also be great commercial value alue for us at the present time in the ethical Ideal that all men are born equal and equally entitled to life Ufe liberty and the pursuit of ot happiness There never n ver was a single step taken of any enduring character toward civil government in the colonies c which was not consciously or unconsciously unconscious based upon it I am aware that it Is supposed exigencies now exist which require us to abandon the doc doctrine doctrine trine of equality we inherited We Ve are asked to take a new ne depar departure departure departure ture to turn our backs upon the old doctrine and to declare that our fath fathers father ers er were mistaken when they brought br forth a nation conceived In liberty and dedicated to such an impracticable preposition as an the equality of or nfl all men before the law We are told that the exigencies of ot i modern business and modern trade re ye require quire a wholly different ideal to be set before the thc new nen ne century that our per personal personal duty Is to conquer any weaker people leople whose territory we covet and to subject them to such government as asin asIn asin in our opinion will best promote our profit and their welfare There Is still sUII another ethical ideal which may soon prove to be of ot very great commercial value in American politics the ideal of the citizen whether er in or out of office exhibiting moral courage in dealing with important pub public lie lic questions It is somewhat trying to the patience of ot the most patient to listen Isten to the noisy and senseless rhetoric rhe which seeks to hide our lack of ot moral courage by extolling that mere physical cour courage courage courage age which all men of the fighting races race ann and many brutes possess pJ ss The truth is that physical courage has always been the most common commonplace commonplace commonplace place of ot virtues and could always be bought at a very cheap price Just the contrary is true of moral courage It is among the rarest of ot virtues and its services are of far greater Value aluc In the thc democratic ages than ever eyer before It Is perhaps inevitable hut but It is none the less to be regretted that a distinct lowering of moral standards should follow a state of war inducing us to cherish the delusion that if we talk loudly enough h and boast bORst foolishly enough enu h of ot our physical prowess by sea and land and give ghe our time and thought only to warlike actions and preparations as we have been doing for the last three years ears all serious moral and anji domestic questions will somehow settle themselves Such a delusion Is equally childish awl anil cowardly and it Is only onty necessary to glance at such suon questions to discover that instead of settling themselves they the theare are daily growing in gravity As one example take our attitude toward the corrupt use of ot money In our elections and in or representative bodies Even the dullest intelligence must see seo that If we continue to de destroy destroy destroy stroy as for tor some time past we have been destroying the belief of ot the ma majority majority majority of our fellow citizens that elec dee elections elections are honestly conducted and laws are honestly made we are destroying the best possible basis for the security of private property for there can be beno beno beno no reverence for law where laws and lawmakers are bought with money mone and I 1 fear we are rapidly destroying the possibility of such reverence In the minds of the masses of our o our r country countrymen countrymen men menI I may be needlessly concerned about the matter but I confess In spite of mv my ardent Americanism and my con confidence in the spirit of my countrymen I am disturbed when I see what I regard as one of ot the best pro protections protections of ot the future thus openly un undermined undermined undermined and destroyed while the moral cowardice of those of or us who do not ourselves corrupt anybody pre prevents prevents vents our uttering a word of or protest against it ItI Upon the ground of ot expediency e alone I regarding it only as an element in our commercial expansion In our growth of trade in our increase of wealth In the prosperity of our stock exchanges even from this standpoint it Is assur assuredly assuredly assuredly edly great practical folly foIl to destroy destro the ethical ideal of law as we are striving so earnestly to do There Is another very grave grae problem which we are also refusing to consider and by which refusal the ethical Ideal of or law Is also being destroyed destroy ed edIt It Is the problem presented by our negro population now 10 of souls soul I All of us whether in public office omae or in private station now concur in trying to ignore the existence of any an such problem at our doors while we Indulge in about the bless ings lags we are ar carrying to another anther of races in tant I fully appreciate the difficulty difficult in finding the best t solution of ot this awful problem but I do insist that our eva ova evasion evasion sion of It Is utterly unworthy of or Amer American Amerlean Amerlean lean ican manhood manh od At present the condition of oC the whole wh le subject is lawlessness s and such a con condition condition is disgraceful to us all and Is Ie fraught with the serious dangers which w e always brings in I Its train as the exact a opposite of rU the ethical ideal of ot law Indeed the ethical ideal of the legis legislator legislator lator later and the citizen as ine me zealous ous to know their public duty and brave enough to do it is also rapidly being destroyed by our tailing falling to even at attempt attempt attempt tempt to deal seriously and lid adequate adequately ly with many other problems now im imperatively imperativelY imperatively demanding our attention attea It certainly would tend to make private private private vate property far more secure In Amer America AmerIca ica lea if It the less fortunate majority of or our population saw us of the more mere fortu note minority giving courage coue and time and thought to efforts to solve these thelle problems and others other like them and thereby to lessen some of the evils which in many cases bear so heavily and so unjustly upon the poor Indeed the influence of ot ethical Meals upon American democracy ought to be considered of or value if only b because ause the cultivation of or such ideals will inevitably inevitably bly tend to make more really patriotic all aU classes cla of or our countrymen for such suh ideals lift us all aU above the unsatisfied t standards of or public duty with which we are vainly trying to content our ourselves ourselves ourselves selves C CIn In such communion a sordid and seT sel selfish fish public opinion with low methods to mean m mean n ends tends to disappear Ja ear and anda a cowardly and corrupt public life be becomes becomes becomes comes less Jess possible ble bleW WAYNE W AY E XA From an oration delivered before the Harvard Chapter o of Phi Beta Kap Kappa Kappa Kappa pa |