Salt Lake Telegram | 1906-04-03 | Page 8 | Enemies to Public Welfare

ENEMIES TO PUBLIC WELFARE. In his statement, before the Armstrong Insurance Insur-ance committee Judge Andrew Hamilton, the lobbyist, lobby-ist, after stating that never a dollar passed through his hands which he did not sign for, he explained how he was employed, as follows: If there was any trouble and an agent would write from a far-off country and say, "if this 'bill passes it is going to kill our business out here," they would Tush in, you know, to the president and say: 'Well, now, here is this agent's letter. For heaven's sake! we will, lose all our business out there." . "Well, send for the Judge." "All right, the Judge will come." ?'Sit down. Well what is the trouble?" . "Well, heavens! if this bill passes we might as well get out of the State." "Well, all right. We will have to see what the objections are to it and will have to arbitrate. We will have the press do something. We will have to have the politicians do something. We will have to have the policy-holders do something. We will get men of influence to go ahead and see if we cannot can-not beat it. . "And we would beat it." Now it is idle to rave against insurance, companies, com-panies, if the press, the politicians and men of influence can , all be worked in that way. It was natural, no. doubt,' for the - insurance company to try to protect its interests, but what of the press, the politicians and men of influence that the shrewd' lobbyist could handle? There will always be rich corporations to work people as long as the people can be depended upon to further their schemes for money. But the chiefest indictment in the above is against the press. Without it, the politicians and the influential men could only use their own voices that do not go far, but the voice of the press is heard in every home, and it supplies the excuses which the politicians and the influential, men urge after they have been bought. . A venal newspaper is a public enemy.