The spirit of democracy. [volume] (Woodsfield, Ohio) 1844-1994, 1844-11-15
AMERICAN HONESTY.

AMERICAN HONESTY.
The honesty ola people is 10 be prop
erly measured, not by what is honest
simply according to law, but what is
honest from their spontaneous action.
The one kind of honesty, though prac-
,ical, may have no spirit OF truth, bu:
may merely spring from fear Of punish
ment; the other arises from consclen-
tlous motives, and determines the exist
ence of the principle itself. We hear
a great deal of the infdelity of Ameri-
cans to their pecuniary engagements;
the cry has been iterated and reiterated
until many people have come to the
belief that their countrymen suffer in
comparison Of integrity with the rest
of the world. This scandal originated
in the English and French journals,
and in the books of insolcnt foreign
tourists. If we look to the fact that
the law regarding the collection OF debts
is so much less rigid in this country
than abroad, we shall find that the su-
periority of honesty belongs to the A.
merlcans who are not forced in the
same degree by legal enactments to
meet their engagements. We have
long been of opinion that the more left
to the discretion OF individuals by tho
government the better, the general safe
ty being considered; and, according to
this theory, the collection Of debts be-
ing left to private management, they
would become debts OF honor, and
would be incurred and paid according
ly. But reliance on the power o!
government to collect them in case oil
necessity, interleres with the freedom
of action, essential to the development
Of honest principles.
In exempllication of the fact of the
existence of American honesty in pre-
eminent degree, notwithstanding the
extensive denial given to it, we will
quote few foreign authorities.
One Of the house Of Blrings, London,
recently stated to an American dining
with him, that the Americans were the
most honest people in the world; for du-
ring the whole Of his long experience,
with the innumerabe credits on their
house that had been granted to Amerl-
cans, not Il single case had occurred
of an improper application of the mo-
ney.
Captain Marryat, in his travels, says,
while in New York, that there is no
legal mode for compelling the payment
81 debts. Afterwards, while in Buiil-
10 and Rochester,, commenting upon
the size and appearance of fthe shops, he
states that every body obtained goods
upon credit. The Edinburgh Review,
commenting upon these two passages,
says that they must be an eXtraordInn-
ry people, where every body has cred
it. although debts cannot be collected
by process oflaw. SO tits. The best
evidence of honesty among people is
to be found in he existence Of credit,
as no one parts with his goods without
expecting to be paid for them.
The difference between the official
honesty Of England and the United
States is shown by the following: Here
losses Of money by the post are of oc-
casional, though Of rare, occurrence.
There, Col. Maberly, Deputy Postmas-
ter General, says, in his evidence be-
fore committee of the House of Com
mons, that "a letter posted with mon
ey in it might as well be thrown down
into the gutter as put into the post Of
Gce." 1t is stated that the money con-
tanned in the dead-Ietter office sent to
Washington monthly is $4,000
strong contrast to the other, and yet
our offices are scattered over the wilds
OF this immense country.-Ledger.