Show 77 F ii L. L I The Political Teapot 1 v JT of the Teapot dome dame s scandal come I Our 1 charges and counter charges that the i j course ourse of the investigation is s being guided by v tin partisan politics Republicans complain that 5 Democrats were impelled by a partisan motive h i in n their attack on Albert B. B Fall Fan former secretary secretary sec sec- of the interior On the other hand fj he pe ch charge rg t that lat the Republicans W mentioned the c connections of prominent Democrats with oil activities from political vv J motives When graft and corruption threaten public V Jaff affairs irs public men should rise to the dignity i i of statesmen and cease to to be influenced by ty S' S partisan politics In times like this the first firstS S duty is to the citizenship and no obligation attaches to the he party The rank and file of l' l S the people Democrats and Republicans alike 5 stand aghast when the public trust is s violated The The people expect the atmosphere to be Ifo cleared and nd are not concer concerned ed whether her the M Responsibility esp falls to Republican or Democratic Demoi Demo- Demo i I cratic shoulders I There should b be no room for graft in jn ir American public life and no party should defend it But the Teapot dome probe merely t seems seems to be following fOll the course of other 4 t I congressional investigations To the public it r appears more as s an aff endeavor to make poli political ical thunder for the forthcoming elections than a a. t. t sincere attempt to get to o the bottom pf th the thet I t t ness mess with the view of punishing all who I 1 t. t o violated have have lav violated their trust t I Ji 1 S Generally the man of influence finds many defenders There seems to be more S 1 com compassion passion for respectability gone astray th than n 1 there there is for dishonesty which is ithe the result of 1 tf circumstance So long as this condition pre- pre i rails there is bound to be pe e more or less laxity rf l in inthe n the he enforcement of the tIle laws It encourages 4 punishment p p bf f crimin criminals ls l. ac according to 10 o the if degree of influence they possess rather than according to the crimes they have committed Jf lf f there is to Ii be any variation in punishment r. r the the h severer penalties should attach to men Jt pf f influence men who are trusted implicitly i and have no good reasons for b becoming oming dishonest I In the matter of graft and nd corruption in n t f public office we believe It the e law lav should take I 0 f. f its course When a man In in private endeavor I goes wrong vr ng no time is 15 wasted 10 in drawn out i jf cc I investigations He is tried and punished according ac according ac- ac 1 J. J 0 cording to his crime Why Cannot this course S b be followed with officials 1 public officials a accused of breaking faith with their employers the employers the people peo- peo fn the Teapot dome case there have be been n charges and nd charges and charges and ands s s yet there is no indication of criminal prose prose- prose prose-I If the laws have been violated it itS S S io ld seem that prosecutions prosecution could be started the political political skirmishes which are areS j eing ing staged before a senate committee S d |