The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1857-05-21
NEW YORK HERALD, THURSDAY, NAY 81 1857.

""'"e "'u"Nu"t" Oh Hu enSerPr1mng Frencnmen-
philosophers, politicians, Bonapartists Bourbons,
socialists and red republican, The empire ID
thus secure; for the spectators of France (thir-
ty-fve millions) ere pledged to keep the peace,
in their joint stock adventures and affiliations of
all sorts So with Governor Walkers land and
railroad programme for the paciAcaton of Kan
sas 1t covers the whole ground. Proslavery
or no slavery, niggers or no niggers the Kansas
dispute will be settled by the next Congress
without war and without disunion. In the mean
time our fears Of trouble have ceased, for this
grand and glorious railroad combination scheme
of Governor Walker has gained the confidence Of
the black republican stockholders Of Walt
street, and cannot fail in Kansaa
PROTECTION AoAINsr COMMERCIAL DISHONESTY
-NEcEssrrr OF A GENERAL BANKRUPT LAw.--The
Independent, one of the weekly religious organs,
has been for some time past in the habit Of pub
fishing periodical lists of commercial failures and
assignments. Why the Office of bankrupt ga
zette should be assumed by religious paper 1t
is not our business to inquire but We suppose that
4 comes within clerical notions Of the fitness Of
things Of the utility of the publication of lists
of this kind there can be no two opinions, but in
| order that they should have salotary effect,
they should be free ffom all suspicion of partiall-
ty. Such, it is alleged, Is not the character of
the lists published by the IndepeadtM It is
charged against them that either through favor
or bribery banlrupts' names have been omitted
and commercial regulations shielded from the
shame of exposure. If this be true these lists are
merely an instrument of private traffic and not
what they should be--a powerful means of cor
rection
Twenty years ago. in the financial revulsisn
which made such clean sweep of all the rotten
firms which had been trading upon other peoples
| capital, add which shook go many houses of fair
reputation, we ourselves commenced the publica-
ton oflists failures in the conviction
that they would have wholesome influence in
the mercantile community. Their appearance
in our columns created q tremendous excitement
and fiuttering amongst the kite flying and shin
ming contraternity -tolerably clear evidence of
the excellent effects likely to result from them
The panic amongst these worthless became so
great that it was determined at any cost to put
stop to the publication of these lists, and in
dictments for libel of purely technical charac-
ter were accordingly multiplied against us, and
on these technicalities We were mulcted in heavy
fines, and compelled to drop our catalogue of
commercial sinners. Curious to say, some Of
those who made themselves the most conspicuous
in the hue and cry raised against us are amongst
the cOncocters Of this semi-religious, semi-com-
mercial Iad<z Kpugator1us
However impar.ialiy these published lists may
be got up, they are, after all, but sorry subsH-
tute for what commercial expediency and public
credit imperatiyely call fora general bankrupt
law. We made, ii Is true, the experiment of a
couple Of these laws, but being intended
only for the benefit of Spectators and
swindlers, they were speedily repealed, and the
only protection since afforded to the mercantile
community is that furnished by these lists In
Europe these things are managed differently.
There the seyerest enactments against mercantile
dishonesty, with exposure through the columns Of
the government gazettes, tend 10 keep men
straight. Here We not only have no express law
for the purpose, but we leave to private enter
prize, or IL may be private cupidity, the task of
furnishing the commercial public with lists of
their black sheep. Either let us have general
bankrupt law, which will meet all the shifts aud
contrivances Of mercantile fraud, or an impair
TALLY prepared and authorized publication of
bsnkrupts, which will exercise wholesome
check over the dishonesty inclined trader,
through the fear of exposure. If we cannot
reach ingenious commercial rogues through the
machinery Of the law, we may Mt least place
them in a scrt Of moral pillory.
CORONER CoSNERY AcQurrrxn.-we publish
today, copies of communications from Governor
King to Coroner Connery and to the counsel for
Mrs. Cunningham, announcing the decision OF
the Executive on the charges preferred against the
Coroner for improper conduct ia the Burdefl In
quest. Thee charges are held to be improved,
and are accordingly dismissed, tho Governor
making the very sensible remark that levity and
fippancy in conducting parts Of the inquest, or
the course Of the Coroner in causing the person
Of n woman 10 be- examined with a view to dis
cover marks Of violence, if any, did not consti-
tute such wilful sbuse Of authority az 10 call
for The exercise OF the executive power of re-
movaL On this latter point too, the Governor
sttaches much weight to Mrs Cuuningbams
declaration that the examination was delicatsly
conducted.
In reference to the charge Of undue hardness
in restraining the accused parties of their free
dom, Governor King dryly intimstes to their
counsel that il is questionable whether q more
orl 80
by placing the parties at No. 81 Bond street Ia
separate confinement, before any communication
could have passed between them, might not have
led TO the detection Of the guilty. Aud, finally
he reminds counsel that the general Gtuess of the
Coroner for bis Office is question which has been
y,asued nm i,v Tho pin-fors xrbo cto-o L.,