Show r 1 1 I I 11 t Presidents Talk on fig Eig and Ninth Commandments in Politics HE two commandments 1 THE TUE which are specially applicable I In public life lo are ore tIme the eighth F and ninth Not ot only every r politician high or low 10 but every ever 1 citizen Interested In politics anti and all X especially fj very man who In a ay y 1 newspaper or on the stump V 1 cates eates or condemns condemn any public policy X i or any uny Iny public man should 5 1 ber bar always that the tho two cardinal points In his hil doctrine ought to be bey y f 4 Thou shall not steal stel and Thou ThouY hou Y 5 shall not bear bar false witness s against X OJ 5 thy th neighbor He Ito Ie should also 11 SO of X I course ourBe remember that the multi 1 5 tude of men who break the moral 1 laev Irv expressed In these two to com Corn commandments t 1 are not nt to h be justified t because they keep out of ot th I 4 clutches of ot the tho law last Robbery and 1 1 theft perjury and subornation of or orf 1 perjury are lre crime punishable by bythe bythe byl l the courts but many a n man who I technically never neer commits commit any anyone one f I of ot these crimes Is yet et morally morl quite Quie J j I as 1 guilty guIly as 1 la is his less lel adroit but buts s 1 not more mor wicked and possibly lea le 1 1 dangerous brother who gets gols Into 1 I time the I As s the eighth command j I m nl while the remark renmark of or one OO of f fIhe 3 the founders of ot our ur government 1 I that the whole art ort ot of politics con oon 5 In 10 II being honest honet Is III an on over oer I I It I remains true that ab oh absolute ohi abI i I solute honesty la is I what Cromwell I would have called cale a n fundamental i r of healthy political life We can af of afford 01 4 ford Corll to differ on the currency the 5 tariff tarl and Ind foreign policy but we f cannot afford Iford to differ on the ques quesT T 1 lIon of If It we WI expect our re reI J I public to permanently endure No Noi X I i community Is II healthy where hl it I h Is hI IsI I I cv ever r necessary lo to distinguish dl one one 1 politician among his fellows because bl I J I he Is U honest honet Honesty is not so SC 1 much a n credit as All an Rn absolute pro fire ro j J requisite to efficient service to the J J 1 public Unless a 1 man unarm Is II honest we 4 have hae no right to keep him In public I Ite life 1 it matters not haN hov brilliant his 1 11 IT It I unruly hardly matters how J x great gNet his hla hil power In doing good 10 ser service tr 1 vice viI on certain lines lne may mav ma be b Probably Imbi 1 ably bly very few feS f men will wi disagree dl dlo i o 4 with lh flits statement In the abstract r yet pl In the time concrete there Is 18 much touch i wavering about abut It U The number of ot I public servants who actually t 1 bl In is not riot very numerous nut out side aide of ot certain tn veil eil known j rr wel centers center 1 of ot But Hut the J J I hi b dishonest of tin 1 I counts In There ways s Therl art 11 rt not a few lew public men who though I they the would repel with Indignation an arm 1 1 I I 11 11 H n H H H k Hf H HL L offer otter of a 0 bribe who will vill vI give certain tain tam corporations special legislative and executive privileges because they tile have contributed heavily to campaign funds will 1 permit loose anti extravagant work ork because a 0 contractor hag hiI ima political Influence or at nt any rate will wi permit a n public servant to take public money mooney with without wih out rendering nn arm adequate ad return by b conniving at inefficient Incident on the port part of ot men who are protect protected ed by prominent party leaders Various t degrees of ot moral guilt Are Involved In the multitudinous ac tie actions of ot this kind but bUI after nier all di dl directly or Indirectly every such sueh use uio comes come dangerously near the time border borderline borderline line ln of ot the commandment which forbidding theft certainly by Implication cation forbids the time connivance at sit theft or the failure to punish It I One of ot the favorite schemes scheme of at re me reformers formers Is to let devise some lome method by b which big bit corporations can be he prevented from making heavy heay he sub subscriptions to campaign funds and anti thereby acquiring Improper Influence eats ence enc nut But lut the beet beat bt way to prevent them theta from making contributions for tor Improper purposes is II simply limply to elect as ns public servants not professional denounces of ot corporation for such uch men art are in practise usually their most mOlt servile men who say ey and mean leAn that they hy will wi neither be bl for nor corpora corporations corporations tone that on the one on hand hInd they will wi not nt be b frightened horn Com doing them justice by popular clamor or oron oron oron on the other hand led leti by Ly any Inter ocr ell whatsoever Into Inlo doing them more moore than justice It I Is II ot of of curse course not enough that a a public official should be honest hone t No amount of ot honesty honet will wi avail If I hc he I Is II not also alo brave anti and wise The weakling and anti the coward cannot be saved by hon hen honesty rely esty eMt alone but without honesty the time brave and antI able Ible man loan In In la Is lE merely merel a 1 civic beast beat who should hould bo be b hunted hunte down by b every fYr lover loer of righteousness No man mn who ho Is cor car no roan who ho condones eec cor corruption cr In others c can In other n po possibly do 10 hU his hil duty doty dut by y the community When to this truth Is I accented as axiomatic In our politics then and not till tm then then shall Ihal we I sec N such a moral morl up lifting I fUn I of ot the people PIE AS ns will I render for tor Instance Tammany rule nile In New Nework e York ork as Tammany rule now new ne Is II no nomore nl nomore more mor pOssible than thun I it t would b M possible to revive the robber ba ba baronage of the th middle ages Great Is the danger to 10 our court coun try from the th failure Calure our oun push pub lie tc men to live lve up to the eighth commandment and from the eel col cl In the lb h e public which m m 11 1 1 H I I I IH S permits permit such uch shortcomings f Yet let It Is iii I not exaggeration to toay tolay ay say lay that the danger danser dale Is IA quito quite ns os i groat from Crol those thoMe rho ho year car In anti and Ind Indor year or out violate the ninth corn com by b bearing false falie witness J J against the time honest moan man who thereby degrade him arid and elevate the dishonest man until I they are on time the tlE same level leel Tim Thu public uble Is I quite as all much mulch harmed In the time on one OM cue case cle as al In the time other by b the time ono one set ct of ot wrongdoers as au 1 by b the other Liar Is IR just Jun as sue a Illy Bl n a w cord rd as an a thief It I Implies Im les time the pros pres presence ence emmee elo of at ju Just t as os ugly a I sin ln in one cOO on I case eli as I in the It a man lies les under ulder oath or procure procura pru the tle He lie le of nn an another other under oath Oth If he lie ht perjures or suborns perjury he Is I Rull guilty under the tho statute law Under 1 the higher law ls under the great law J of morality and righteousness ho lie U Is I j precisely pr l l as Us al guilty It f instead of oIly ly ing lag in a court court he lies le In a 0 news newspaper ne paper or on the time stump and In all probability the tho evil effects et his ni 1 conduct are Infinitely more wide widespread spread anti and more Inore pernicious The Tle difference between perjury and C mendacity is II ii not In the tha li of S i Vf or ethics ethle ll It I II Is simply limply one ne of legal forms torms I The Mm same eme man may omay break both i commandments or one group of ot men may be tempted tempt to break one 1 and another group ot of men muon the other In our civIc life f the worst wout offenders against t the law of ot honesty owe oe no small email part of ot their th lr Immunity n to 10 those thou who ho sin against the law In by bearing false ts witness WiMS against thi their honest neighbors The Th sin ln In Is la of t cour Course peculiarly l revolting when S coupled Mih with th ft hypocrisy When IMS Is J committed In ln the name of ot morality I Few Paw politicians do aa as a harm ai o as the editor the clergy man or the lay Iny reformer Who day in anti day out b by virulent Anti and nn un e I truthful aimed nt at th the Up holders of at b honesty nes I weakens them thim th for lor time the of the he frankly t il vicious w We e M need nl fearless ferles or l l m of dishonest men anti and of ot honest men on any poInt where they go wrong but even en tor do we e nM need 10 criticism ecim T which Ihal shall be truthful Mo both i In m what I it and what it byes la hl IMIS unsaid I i i truthful In Words and anti truthful In tn the Impression I it d designs lo to lor leve leave I upon the reeders or r hearers Wo We nee need absolute b te honesty In pub le lb life J and we shall Ihal not g Iet get t It un 4 til tl we e remember that 4 must roust go hand In hand hAn with W I Kd ln nd il that tell an It I Untruth 1 I Is quite about as J Import n a decent I iman i Os as It Is to tel tell the truth about One ODe 1 who ho Is not d decent ent H t 1 I 1 J I I J C 1111 i 1 V |