JEFFERSON CITY - U.S. Attorney General John Ashcroft said he was "a little bit emotional" during his first trip back to Missouri's capital city since being named as head of the Justice Department.
The former Missouri lawmaker slipped into the Capitol to give his staff a surprise tour of the building and its works of art, before heading over to a nearby hotel where he was scheduled to speak at the annual "Chamber Day."
The Missouri Chamber of Commerce sponsored the event Wednesday, geared at bringing local business leaders together with state lawmakers. Organizers invited Ashcroft to give the keynote address, citing his close ties with the business community while he was governor and a U.S. Senator.
Ashcroft worked the room for more than fifteen minutes before taking the podium, shaking hands and exchanging friendly pats on the back with local business leaders, including delegations from Joplin, Webb City and Neosho. The jubilation continued so long that some chamber representatives started nibbling on the salmon being served for lunch.
Assailing corporate corruption, Ashcroft told the crowd that "freedom is stymied" by those who thumb their nose at the system.
"Democracy lives on trust, and corruption destroys that trust," Ashcroft said. "The success of this system depends on integrity in the marketplace."
The Attorney General spoke of the recent wave of corporate scandals to sweep through the American markets, and warned Missouri's business leaders that a proactive approach was required.
"Just as we can't wait for the next terror attack, we can't wait for the next bribe to be paid or stock to be shorted," Ashcroft said.
In what some saw as surprising remarks, Ashcroft also strongly advocated open government, saying it was "an essential tool in predicting good government."
"Information is the enemy of corruption," Ashcroft told the crowd.
Local chamber of commerce representatives said they were not focused on preventing corruption, leaving those duties to groups like the Better Business Bureau and state investigators. But they said they agreed with Ashcroft's remarks.
Brad Baker, president of the Webb City chamber of commerce, said a keen eye needed to be kept on business practices.
"The watchdog is the audit," Baker said, saying that new federal laws enacted in the aftermath of Enron and the other scandals are going a long way to strengthen auditing.
"The impact is trickling down to private companies, too," Baker said. The current law only applies to publicly-traded companies.
Nearly two dozen representatives from the Joplin, Webb City and Neosho chambers of commerce attended the "Chamber Day" events, which included panel discussions on issues such as worker's compensation and lawsuit liability limits. Republican leaders from the House and Senate, as well as State Auditor Claire McCaskill and Secretary of State Matt Blunt, also addressed the conference.
Blunt cited Missouri's highways in particular as one area in need of additional resources.
"It's impossible to restore Missouri's economy without attention to our transportation infrastructure needs," Blunt said.
Transportation was an issue on the mind of many local chamber representatives Wednesday -- in particular, the proposed "I-49 Corridor." Kim Lester of the Joplin chamber of commerce sported a large "I-49" pin, as did several other local business leaders.
Lester said Joplin businesses have long favored the plan to create a new north-south interstate highway that would stretch from Louisiana to the Canadian border. The proposal would utilize various segments of the U.S. 71 freeway in Arkansas and Missouri as part of the new interstate.
Joplin chamber of commerce representatives say such a corridor would boost the city's economy and draw more businesses to the area.