The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1855-07-25

the Unite d States!
THE JOSEPH WALKER CAsE-MUNICIPAL Mo
RALs.-It must be very gratifying to Mr.. Peter
Cooper and the Reform Association to read the
evidence that is being taken before the Special
Committee Of the Board Of Aldermen on the
Joseph Walker case. Men who reaped so mach
glory from the connection of the law against
municipal corruption-who endured SO much
mental aDgui:h 10 consequence Of the profligacy
Of the last Corporation under the old charter
must perceive with feelings too ecstatic for ex.
preston how pure and spotless are the charac-
tiers to whom their enactment has transferred
the government Of the city. The Joseph Walker
case-which appears to have been the first &C.
casion on which disappointed politician fan.
cisd he had found an opportunity Of "giving
JESSE to the Mayors full of instruction. 1t
is an admirable commentary on the city charter
of 1853, which propounces such heavy penalties
against the giving or receiving brides in Corpo-
ration matters. 1t shows us clearly how far
penal enactmepts avail to prevent corruption
SO long as there are people to be corrupted,
and interests large enough to pay for corrupt
ing them.
Now we leave it to the Municipal Reform
Association whether any thing more corrupt or
more contemplate than this transaction was
ever brought to light in the old days of
Broadway railroads and injunctions. 1t is
impossible to say whether Mr. Jones may
not have been humbugged to some extent;
but his evidence is plain and straightforward;
it bears the impress of truth; he is himself
man of business and Of the world; and
the inference is SO strong as to be almost ire
sistible that had no untoward circumstances oc-
Cured, bad the matter been kept secret from
Alderman Herrick, and had Jones paid his
thousand dollars, the business would have
been smotherea in the Council and NJ one
would ever have heard of the Joseph Walker
job The inference, we say, from the evidence
and proceedings on Monday is that portion
Of the Board Of Aldermen are ready to sell
themselves for money. 1t is not denied that
their practices are not those of gentlemen;
that they are in the habit of dividing their
leisure between the council room and the
grog shop; that they make no scruple to
accept civlities in the shape Of champagne
and suppers from the persons who have favors
to ask Of them in their official capacity. The
interval which separates this sort OF conduct
from actual corruption by means of money, is
remarkably short Nor is it at all to be ex-
pected that class of men whose headquarters
are at Sherwood's, and whose custom it is to
solicit invitations to eat and drink from those
with whom they are thrown in contact in the
discharge Of their official functions, will exhibit
on all occasions, or even generally, that rigid
integrity which is the only safeguard of the
public, and which Mr.. Peter Cooper assured us
he would secure by the aid Of his new charter.
or the men who figure in this disgTaceful
farce and Of their acts, we have not patience to
say word. But there is lesson in the
story. That lesson Is the same as the one the
prohibitory liquor law is teaching us every
day-namely, that penal enactments cannot
check vice or promote virtue. Crime is their
proper aim; they may attain its punishment,
and in a great measure lis prevention; but
when they attempt to 60 further, to regulate
conduct which, though vicious, is directly hurt
full to no one, when they endeavor, not only to
interfere between man and man, but to step In
between man and his conscience, between nan
ard bis God, they must universally fail. If
corruption is to be stopped, we must begin by
reforming public sentiment We must teach
the young to loathe dishonesty, not to smile
upon II when it lie successful. We must render
II direputable to be q anave before we can ex-
pect to exclude knsves from places Of honor
and trust.