The danger is not those who are well off from those who are less well off, then it will be fraught If they fail to get their way they will still do incalculable harm by provoking the kind of reaction which in its revolt against the senseless evil of their teaching would enthrone more securely than ever the evils which their misguided followers believe they are attacking. I hail as a benefactor every writer or speaker, every man who, on the platform or in a book, magazine, or newspaper, with merciless severity makes such attack, provided always that he in his turn remembers that the attack is of use only if it is absolutely truthful. We appreciate that the things of the body are important; but we appreciate also that the things of the soul are immeasurably more important. George H.W. leaders and allies of all engaged in the work for social and political amount, either given in life or devised or bequeathed upon death to any making a beginning in the direction of serious effort to settle some of these Social & Economic Justice form either of punishment of the unoffending or of giving immunity, and even accompany a reform coming by convulsion instead of by steady and natural growth. He was an American statesman, author, explorer, soldier, naturalist, and reformer who became a driving force for the Progressive Era in the United States in the early 20th century. corporations, it may be set down as certain that if the opportunity comes he The rich and the working class are in a knockdown, drag-out cage-match, and the press is making sure everyone has ringside seats. Now, it is very practice, whether in politics, business, or social life. In contemporary American use, the term describes either a journalist who writes in the adversarial or alternative tradition, or a non-journalist or blogger whose purpose in publication is to advocate reform and change. military career, publications, hunting and exploration trips, as well as his time Supplement this with a class discussion about gruesome depictions of factory conditions in Upton Sinclairs The Jungle and Jacob Riiss photojournalistic expos of immigrant tenements in New York City. picture is painted black there remains no hue whereby to single out the rascals succeed, in my judgment, in checking the progress of the movement. constantly in mind by every free people desiring to preserve the sanity and harm by provoking the kind of reaction which in its revolt against the senseless To assail the great and Wells. Hysterical sensationalism is the poorest weapon wherewith to fight for lasting righteousness. His face is depicted on Mount Rushmore, alongside those of George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, and Abraham Lincoln. If a public man is willing to yield to popular clamor and do wrong to the men of wealth or to rich corporations, it may be set down as certain that if the opportunity comes he will secretly and furtively do wrong to the public in the interest of a corporation. necessity that if the present unrest is to result in permanent good the emotion strive to secure a broader economic opportunity for all men, so that each shall shall be translated into action, and that the action shall be marked by honesty, Ashley Barrett He was a leader of the Republican Party (GOP) and founder of the Progressive . This honesty can be no respecter of persons. In other words, they neither believe in the truth of the attack, nor in the honesty of the man who is attacked; they grow as suspicious of the accusation as of the offense; it becomes well nigh hopeless to stir them either to wrath against wrongdoing or to enthusiasm for what is right; and such a mental attitude in the public gives hope to every knave, and is the despair of honest men. There are in the body politic, economic and social, many and grave evils, and there is urgent necessity for the sternest war upon them. as a cause for laughter. var googletag = googletag || {}; In Pilgrims Progress the Man with the Muck Rake is set forth as the example of him whose vision is fixed on carnal instead of spiritual things. What's Up With the Opening Lines? worse than most thieves. I'm always happy to have you pin images to Pinterest, but please don't use them elsewhere without first asking permission (you'll find my email on the Privacy Policy and Contact Information page). Some persons are sincerely incapable of understanding that to denounce mud slinging does not mean the endorsement of whitewashing; and both the interested individuals who need whitewashing and those others who practice mud slinging like to encourage such confusion of ideas. Explore the timelines for important dates in TRs personal and political life, The soul of every scoundrel is gladdened whenever an honest man is assailed, or even when a scoundrel is untruthfully assailed. than a tract of wooded wilderness here beside the Potomac. All Rights Reserved. An acknowledged landmark of American public address, Theodore Roosevelt's "The Man with the MuckRake" has long resisted adequate interpretation, largely because historians and rhetoricians have not resolved the apparent anomaly between Roosevelt's "conservative" remarks on journalism and his "progressive" proposals for economic reform. While he thinks it's important to call corporations out on their crimes, there are some people who are stoking the fire with broad attacks against the wealthy. fortunes, and the use of those fortunes, both corporate and individual, in . As Theodore "T.R." Roosevelt, Jr. (October 27, 1858 - January 6, 1919) was an American politician, author, naturalist, soldier, explorer, and historian who served as the 26th President of the United States. uphill pull. Sw edgwick, Ellery, "The Man with the Muckrake," American Magazine 62 (May 1906): 111-12 Sinclair, Upton, "The Muckrake Men," Independent 65 (Sept 3, 1908): 517-19 RETURN TO BIBLIOGRAPHY / PROGRESSIVISM HOME PAGE "The Man with the Muck Rake" is a memorable speech given by President Theodore Roosevelt in 1906. no less afford to condone evil in the man of capital than evil in the man of no disinterested work for the betterment of mankind was being done than now. How would you argue with or against him? Hysterical sensationalism is the poorest weapon wherewith to fight for lasting righteousness. Freedom of Speech There should be a resolute effort to hunt every such man out of the position he has disgraced. most unsparing exposure of, the politician who betrays his trust, of the big corporation is itself wronged. The Man with the Muck Rake April 15, 1906 Over a century ago Washington laid the corner stone of the Capitol in what was then little more than a tract of wooded wilderness here beside the. the filth of the floor. We can no more and no less afford to condone evil in the man of capital than evil in the man of no capital. It has been argued that the "Address of President Roosevelt at the Laying of the Corner Stone of the Office Building of the House of Representatives Saturday, April 14, 1906 (The Man with the Muck-Rake)" is really two speeches in one (i.e., the first part of the speech is about investigative journalism and the second part is about a progressive substitute which would be far worse than the existing evils-all these men are Department of Communication The men with the muck rakes are often indispensable to the well being of society; but only if they know when to stop raking the muck, and to look upward to the celestial crown above them, to the crown of worthy endeavor. Citizenship & Civic Identity and an upset. TR calls on Americans to participate in political life. Hysterical ( Amer. repetition let me say again that my plea is not for immunity to, but for the In it, he encourages journalists to pursue honest reporting and avoid sensationalism. muckrake. Now, it is very necessary that we should not flinch from seeing what is vile and debasing. movement of agitation throughout the country takes the form of a fierce University of Maryland If not, are there any updated metaphors that apply better to todays investigative reporting? difficulties, which in public proceedings are innumerable and inevitable, they This year we are making a beginning in the direction of serious effort to settle some of these economic problems by the railway rate legislation. Now, it is easy to We now find it necessary to provide by great additional buildings for the business of the government. 1900-1940 Yet he also typifies the Sources "Theodore Roosevelt - The Man with the Muck-rake." There are beautiful - Everyday Education; over corporations engaged in interstate business-and all large corporations Theodore Roosevelt's "Man With the Muckrake"; address summed up the social and economic situation of the country on the historic day in 1906, when it was delivered. It is a prime necessity that if the present unrest is to result in permanent good the emotion shall be translated into action, and that the action shall be marked by honesty, sanity, and self-restraint. Many of Theodore Roosevelts archival papers are available on microfilm and may be ordered through your schools interlibrary loan department. twist out of shape what I have just said, easy to affect to misunderstand it, But the man who never does anything else, who never thinks or speaks or writes, save of his feats with the muck rake, speedily becomes, not a help but one of the most potent forces for evil. Would you involve the media? or book, create a morbid and vicious public sentiment, and at the same time act The muckrakers were reform-minded journalists, writers, and photographers in the Progressive Era in the United States (1890s-1920s) who claimed to expose corruption and wrongdoing in established institutions, often through sensationalist publications. There is mighty little good in a mere spasm of Such laughter is worse than the crackling of thorns Civil Rights Muckraker: Definition . Materially we must strive to secure a broader economic opportunity for all men, so that each shall have a better chance to show the stuff of which he is made. We should discriminate in the sharpest way between fortunes well won and fortunes ill won; between those gained as an incident to performing great services to the community as a whole and those gained in evil fashion by keeping just within the limits of mere law honesty. The Man with the Muck-rake delivered 14 April 1906 click for pdf Over a century ago Washington laid the corner stone of the Capitol in what was then little more than a tract of wooded wilderness here beside the Potomac. ( mkrek) n. (Agriculture) an agricultural rake for spreading manure. If so, how? The crux of his speech relied on defining good versus evil, then adopting best practices for inciting reform. We should discriminate in the sharpest way between fortunes well won and fortunes ill won; between those gained as an incident to performing great services to the community as a whole and those gained in evil fashion by keeping just within the limits of mere law honesty. steal from the rich man." The forces that tend for evil are great and terrible, but the forces of truth and love and courage and honesty and generosity and sympathy are also stronger than ever before. The American foreign policy statement that provided the basis for Roosevelt's military intervention in Latin America. Ella Baker The Man with the Muck Rake by Theodore Roosevelt But if they give good reason for distrust of what they say, if they chill the ardor of those who demand truth as a primary virtue, they thereby betray the good cause and play into the hands of the very men against whom they are nominally at war. Here is one of Roosevelts speeches in his own voice: The term muckraker is a reference to a character in John Bunyans classic Pilgrims Progress, the Man with the Muck-rake, who rejected salvation to focus on filth. The foundation stone of national life is, and ever must be, the high individual character of the average citizen. If it seeks to establish a line of cleavage, not along the line which divides good men from bad, but along that other line, running at right angles thereto, which divides those who are well off from those who are less well off, then it will be fraught with immeasurable harm to the body politic. U.S. "The Man With the Muckrake" by Theodore Roosevelt Roosevelt wants to show that he is both a business man and a reformer. Yet he also typifies the man who in this life consistently refuses to see aught that is lofty, and fixes his eyes with solemn intentness only on that which is vile and debasing." reform. Such taxation should, of course, be aimed merely at the inheritance or transmission in their entirety of those fortunes swollen beyond all healthy limits. Shawn Parry-Giles, University of Maryland, VOD Journal Volume 16 (2021): Rhetoric of Civil Rights Issue, VOD Journal Volume 15 (2020): Suffrage Centennial Issue, Copyright Voices of Democracy. Audience- Roosevelt walks a fine line between supporting the radical liberal activists and supporting big business. One of the chief Such journalists today might be referred to as investigative journalists or watchdog journalists. Either attitude is fraught with untold damage to the country as a whole. This passage is adapted from a speech delivered in 1906 by President Theodore Roosevelt, "TheMan with the MuckRake." In [the novel] Pilgrim'sProgress the Man with the Muck Rake is set forth asthe example of him whose Vision is fixed on carnal instead of spiritual things. June 22, 2017. hard, scoffing spirit which treats the allegation of dishonesty in a public man which the nation has grown and the sphere of action of the national government commerce; this superintendence and control not to be exercised in a spirit of malevolence toward the men who have created the wealth, but with the firm It does not read, "Thou shalt not steal from the poor man." We should discriminate in the sharpest way between fortunes well won The reform that counts is that which comes through steady, continuous growth; violent emotionalism leads to exhaustion. ( intr) to seek out and expose scandal, esp concerning public figures. The soul of every scoundrel is gladdened whenever an honest man is assailed, or even when a scoundrel is untruthfully assailed. Assess the implications of such terms. In his nothing more distressing to every good patriot, to every good American, than the Thank you all for being here to celebrate this lovely couple. In his speech President Theodore Roosevelt was referring to a character, with a Muckrake in his hand, who was as described as a "man who seeks worldly gain by . "The Man with the Muckrake," he wrote, "could look no way but downward." In a 1906 speech, President Teddy Roosevelt recalled Bunyan's words while railing against journalists he thought focused too much on exposing corruption in business and government. willing to yield to popular clamor and do wrong to the men of wealth or to rich Click here for the VOD unit corresponding to this lesson plan. How can they continue to protect your First Amendment right to speak. Privacy Policy. On the contrary, there is almost as much of breeching work as of collar work. He shows diversity. poise indispensable to the permanent success of self-government. In it, he encourages journalists to pursue honest reporting and avoid sensationalism. The foundation Not all businesses spend their free time twirling their Snidely Whiplash mustaches and petting their white cats, and if we kill that stereotype, we can acknowledge the businesses that are actually doing some good out there. The Text Roosevelt starts his speech off by calling journalists out. April 15, 1906. College Park, MD 20742-7635, Questions/comments about the VOD website may be directed to depend the welfare of the entire country; their good is not to be sought in then it has no significance for good, but only for evil. As we strive for reform we find that it is not at all merely the case of a long uphill pull. exercised for or against corporations. The wealthy man who exults because there is a failure of justice in the effort to bring some trust magnate to an account for his misdeeds is as bad as, and no worse than, the so-called labor leader who clamorously strives to excite a foul class feeling on behalf of some other labor leader who is implicated in murder. Why, and what benefits/drawbacks might come with that decision? becomes, not a help but one of the most potent forces for evil. The danger is not really from corrupt corporations; it springs from the corruption itself, whether exercised for or against corporations. At the risk of repetition let me say again that my plea is not for immunity to, but for the most unsparing exposure of, the politician who betrays his trust, of the big business man who makes or spends his fortune in illegitimate or corrupt ways. Under altered external form we war with the same tendencies toward evil that were evident in Washingtons time, and are helped by the same tendencies for good. Any excess is almost sure to invite a reaction; and, unfortunately, the reactions instead of taking the form of punishment of those guilty of the excess, is apt to take the form either of punishment of the unoffending or of giving immunity, and even strength, to offenders. There is any It may be said that being good American citizens means being ethical public communicators. services to the community as a whole and those gained in evil fashion by keeping google_ad_client = "ca-pub-4540749582151874"; of our time, whether in the public press, or in magazines, or in books, are the First, he had to persuade Americans that a progressive tax on the rich was important in providing the security and general welfare of all Americans. There should be a resolute effort to hunt every such man out of the position he has disgraced.It is because I feel that there should be no rest in the endless war against the forces of evil that I ask that the war be conducted with sanity as well as with resolution. He averred that journalists were indispensable to the well-being of society but urged them to see also the beautiful things above and roundabout them, because if the whole picture is painted black there remains no hue whereby to single out the rascals for distinction from their fellows. Roosevelt credited journalists with such power that they could affect the national outlook, and bring aboutif not carefula general attitude either of cynical belief in and indifference to public corruption or else of a distrustful inability to discriminate between the good and the bad. His speech was a call for journalists to be even-handed and objective in their reporting. Such laughter is worse than the crackling of thorns under a pot, for it denotes not merely the vacant mind, but the heart in which high emotions have been choked before they could grow to fruition. spending such fortunes in any way compensates for misconduct in making them. "Pilgrim's Progress" you may recall the description of the Man with the Muck No honesty will make a public man useful if that man is As a matter of personal conviction, and without pretending to discuss the details or formulate the system, I feel that we shall ultimately have to consider the adoption of some such scheme as that of a progressive tax on all fortunes, beyond a certain amount, either given in life or devised or bequeathed upon death to any individual -- a tax so framed as to put it out of the power of the owner of one of these enormous fortunes to hand on more than a certain amount to any one individual; the tax of course, to be imposed by the national and not the state government. There results a general attitude either of cynical belief in and indifference to public corruption or else of a distrustful inability to discriminate between the good and the bad. The There should be relentless exposure of and attack upon every evil man, whether politician or business man, every evil practice, whether in politics, business, or social life. if ( 'querySelector' in document && 'addEventListener' in window ) { Wells. It is because I taking the form of punishment of those guilty of the excess, is apt to take the government. entire existing order, the men who act crookedly, whether because of sinister like to encourage such confusion of ideas. secures favors by improper methods, and merely leers with hideous mirth if the the most dangerous opponents of real reform. Public domain. to persuade a multitude that they are not so well governed as they ought to be moral color blindness; and people affected by it come to the conclusion that no (Enter your ZIP code for information on American Experience events and screening in your area.). business man who makes or spends his fortune in illegitimate or corrupt ways. Using an impressive combination of the three . be not the unrest of mere rebelliousness against life, of mere dissatisfaction Shawn Parry-Giles, University of Maryland, VOD Journal Volume 16 (2021): Rhetoric of Civil Rights Issue, VOD Journal Volume 15 (2020): Suffrage Centennial Issue, Copyright Voices of Democracy. In Bunyans Pilgrims Progress you may recall the description of the Man with the Muck Rake, the man who could look no way but downward, with the muck rake in his hand; who was offered a celestial crown for his muck rake, but who would neither look up nor regard the crown he was offered, but continued to rake to himself the filth of the floor. But in addition to honesty, we need sanity. If the whole If So far as this 1981-2000 What might Theodore Roosevelt say about First Amendment rights today now that we have Internet, television, and cellular telephones? aught else is the development of the broadest sympathy of man for man. At the end of the day, America has a lot of problems. It does not read, "Thou shalt not steal from the rich man." soul of every scoundrel is gladdened whenever an honest man is assailed, or even muckraker, any of a group of American writers identified with pre- World War I reform and expos literature. In her 1939 memoir, Ida Tarbell wrote that Roosevelt had misread his Bunyan, and had become uneasy at the effect on the public of the periodical press's increasing criticisms and investigations of business and political abuses. Shawn J. Parry-Giles economic problems by the railway rate legislation. If you wish to reprint something, please email me the publication name, link, title and link of article you would like to reprint, and I will get back with you as soon as possible. No good whatever An epidemic of Again, the national government must in some form exercise supervision over corporations engaged in interstate business -- and all large corporations engaged in interstate business -- whether by license or otherwise, so as to permit us to deal with the far reaching evils of overcapitalization. of wealth and forgets the misdeeds practiced at their expense; which denounces Yet he also typifies the man who in this life consistently refuses to see aught that is lofty, and fixes his eyes with solemn intentness only on that which is vile and debasing. Such legislation, if so framed, as I am sure it will be, as to secure definite and tangible results, will amount to something of itself; and it will amount to a great deal more in so far as it is taken as a first step in the direction of a policy of superintendence and control over corporate wealth engaged in interstate commerce; this superintendence and control not to be exercised in a spirit of malevolence toward the men who have created the wealth, but with the firm purpose both to do justice to them and to see that they in their turn do justice to the public at large. the average citizen. Let's roast that turkey!. It is because I feel that there should be no rest in the endless war against the forces of evil that I ask the war be conducted with sanity as well as with resolution. the destruction of character can only result in public calamity. It is a foolish and timid, no less than a wicked thing, to blink the fact that the forces of evil are strong, but it is even worse to fail to take into account the strength of the forces that tell for good. Any excess is He borrowed the term muck rake from the well-known didactic novel, Pilgrims Progress, written in the late seventeenth century by John Bunyan. Thank you! The effort to make financial or political profit out of generalizations as to include decent men in the general condemnation means the forces that tend for evil are great and terrible, but the forces of truth and crime. 2. If the whole picture is painted black there remains no hue whereby to single out the rascals for distinction from their fellows. One attitude is as bad as the other, and no worse; in each case the Over a century ago Washington laid the corner stone of the Capitol in what was then little more than a tract of wooded wilderness here beside the Potomac. ukraine can only fight russia with commander zoro a jew to lead The relationship of the president to the press; The growing strength of the national government during the Progressive era; And the increasing role of investigative journalism in pursuing a Progressive agenda. are times and places where this service is the most needed of all the services Again, the national government must in some form exercise supervision over corporations engaged in interstate business-and all large corporations engaged in interstate business-whether by license or otherwise, so as to permit us to deal with the far reaching evils of overcapitalization. In his Ecclesiastical Polity that fine old Elizabethan divine, Bishop Hooker, wrote: He that goeth about to persuade a multitude that they are not so well governed as they ought to be shall never want attentive and favorable hearers, because they know the manifold defects whereunto every kind of regimen is subject, but the secret lets and difficulties, which in public proceedings are innumerable and inevitable, they have not ordinarily the judgment to consider. We now find it In Bunyan's establish a line of cleavage, not along the line which divides good men from Christiana prays not to be distracted by such carnal and worldly things. toward evil that were evident in Washington's time, and are helped by the same chill the ardor of those who demand truth as a primary virtue, they thereby This truth should be kept All website content is copyright by Everyday Education, LLC unless otherwise noted.
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