The Man with the Muckrake Summary

Brief Summary

The Set-Up

The rich and the working class are in a knockdown, drag-out cage-match, and the press is making sure everyone has ringside seats. Things are getting tense, in a not-infrequent-casualties kind of way.

Not good.

  

The Text

Roosevelt starts his speech off by calling journalists out. While some of them were shining a light on very real problems, others were launching attacks that were flat-out lies. Even the people telling the truth were going a bit overboard on the doom and gloom.

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. Instead of fussing over haves versus have-nots, America should be concerned with the individual character of its citizens. 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.

At the end of the day, America has a lot of problems. But they're only going to be solved if people understand that the problems are solvable to begin with. There are so many powers for good in the world, and people need to keep the faith and keep trudging on.

TL;DR

Teddy's working on some great reforms behind the scenes, but the only way that change is going to get done right is if people understand that wealthy corporations don't get to stack the deck in their favor and deal themselves five aces.