The Press Thursday, March 6, 1924. The Dollar in Politics.

Press, Volume LX, Issue 18015, 6 March 1924, Page 10

The Press Thursday, March 6, 1924. The Dollar in Politics.

The American oil scandals concern New Zealand only as a political sign. On tho evidence of the cables alone it

was not possible to form a safe opinion

about thern, and now that the cable messages are verified by mail it is difficult to resist the tendency to political

pharisaism. There has never in all our political history been anything approaching either the primary scandals themselves, or the disgraceful attempt since their discovery to exploit them

for party ends. But before we thank God that we are not as the Americans

are we had better make sure of the real position. The scandals are beyond all question now a fact: the number of prominent persons implicated may be narrowed or widened, but nothing can wipe the official slate quite clean. All will agree, the New York "Times" said late in January, that although exSecretary Fall may be able to prove that he did not take a bribe, he will never be able to clear his name. "The

" even more damning charge will lie " against him that he was not jealous " for the purity of his office, that he " was not guided every day by the de- " termination to avoid even the appear- " ance of evil, and that he lightly " tossed away the precious jewel of " trust in the uprightness of our " responsible officials." And by the end of January the truth was only beginning to appear. The number today who will not be able to clear their names is uncertain, but it is more than one, and it includes more than ex-Secre-taries. There is no doubt either of the disgraceful gloating of the Party not affected. The chairman of the National Democratic Committee no sooner saw his opponents in the moras3 than he began a triumphant war-dance. Yet against 1 everything that is ugly we must set two shining facts. The President's reaction to the disclosures was to ask at once for a grant big enough to prosecute everybody in every position against whom charges could be laid. Nothing partisan or personal, he said, would stand in the way of bringing out all the facts and doing exact justice. He would employ lawyers from both political parties, and they wonld be expected to enforce the law, though in doing so they brought down the Party Heavens. If there is any guilt it will be punished; if there is any civil liability it will be enforced; if there is any fraud it will be revealed; and if there are any contracts which are illegal they will be cancelled. Every law will be enforced. And every right of the people and the Government will be protected.

And even more remarkable than the President's stand is the attitude of the Press. With the exception of the gntter Press the newspapers of the country find in the situation principally a call to national repentance. The " Times," for example, of New York, which we have quoted already, and which we may regard as voicing the opinion of the average good citizen, humbles itself in the dnst before the whole world and confesses to the "national disgrace." While it hopes that the "insidious " breaking down of public morale" has not yet gone as far as in the period following the Civil War, it says that " none can escape a sense of appre- " hension, as well as of dejection and " disgust," as the Senato proceeds with its investigations. Of ex-Secre-tary Fall himself it thinks that the best that can be said will prove to be that he was "guilty of frightful in- " discretions," and of those who ruined him-—the "men of great wealth who " apparently never stopped to think " that what they were doing would

" have the effect of breaking down " public confidence in the Govern- " iuent" —it says that their offence was as near as possible to disloyalty and treason. The Government "has

" given these men their opportunity. "It has safeguarded their property. " It has protected them in life and " limb. As a fair return, as a decent '' recognition of an obligation, to say " nothing of any patriotic sentiment, " they were plainly bound to do every- " thing in their power to maintain " among the people the belief that " public officials are honest, and would " regard any imputation upon their " conduct in office as worse even than " a stain upon their private honour." And the actual return they have made is to have "played fast and loose with " moral standards," and placed one member at least of the Administration under "grave and inevitable sus- " picion." There is no example in history of a democracy so young proud shouting its "pcecavimus" in the market-place, and arming itself " not against aristocracy ami inon- " archy, but against its own weakness '' excess."