Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1853-1862, 1858-06-16
REsPONSTBILTTY.


For the punetual discharge of private obligations
says aoontemporary, and the due transaction Of pub
lie business, and fuflmeat Of public trusts, there
is too prevalent error that pecuniary responsible
ty is the one thing needful. So long a borrower
is supposed to be possessed of prOPery from which
the debt may be collected, in the last resort, so
long as man occupying an important Office can
give ample bonds for the right discharge of his du
ties, people disposed to extend their inquiries
no further.
Character, and that alone, should be the founda-
ton Of credit whether public or private man
should be trusted for his fidelity and honesty, and
not for his money No man should be allowed to
become the incumbent of responsible Office where
much Of public property is entrusted to his keeping,
merely because he can procure the requisite secu-
rity. The man in whose hands it would be unsafe
to trust half million of public funds without seou
rity, is equally unsafe with it where there is
disposition to be dishonest means are always found
by the unprincipled functiOnary to save his friends
and yet rob the public
When assistants are employed by merchants,
brokers, and bankers, the dependence Of the en-
plOyers in their integrity is seldom based upon any
security other than their own honesty. To base
confidence on bonds and pecuniary securities de-
grades fidelity to mere consideration Of interest,"
which will ofitself, in the end, produce the bad
suit that was sought to be avoided.
There are men in every community whose first
and constant aim is to be strictly, scrupulously and
conscientiously honest in all their dealings, who
would think Of throwing themselves into the
sea Of sppropristing to themselves sRything but
what belongs to them. The temptation of hun
bred thousand dollars TO such men is no more than
that of dollar. Their integrity forms part of
their naturs--it has grown with their growth and
strengthened with their strength-you cannot sep
arate it from them. It is often connected with
ezaotpess in lesser pecuniary matters which tends
to render it odiOus to the unthinkng, but Of this
despsed parsimony honesty is the foundation
Such men are careful how they risk rashly their
means Of dseharging their duties to their creditors
or to society. They are aldom speoulators, seldom
brilliant fnanciers but their word is good
their bond, and their bond is as good as gold.
It is the duty of society select their public
wants from men Of this class it is high time that
honesty should be the first requisite TO public trust
and public employment There would be less diff
culty in finding this attribute we're due value set
upon it, aud public attention turned to it with
proper spirit. The right material for public en-
ployment is abundent enough, but it is generally
accompanied win mOdesty which renders it ne
cessary to find it out and call it out The men of
integrity are the truly great men in every State,
bat this grestnesss from its own nature entirely
OssntatiOus, and often remains in Obscurity.
~ Tho Patriot has lately filed its columns with
quotations from the New Orleans Crssee7 and ap-
pears to attach great importance to that papers
opinions. Will our neighbor inform US whether he
endorses the following paragraph from the N. o.
Crescent of May rs? We should be glad to hear
from the Patriot on this subject:
MESSRS. CRITTENDEN AND BELL.
These distinguished gentlemen, from some unao-
countsble cause nova days generally with the
Northern FreesOlers and 10 opposition to the men,
bers from that section Of the Confederacy it was
supposed they elected TO represent at least in
part If the one represented Vermont and the other
Michigan, there would be little difficulty in account
ing for their action by one process another; but
as it is We confess that We are altogether in the
dark, unless as has been stated on numerous occa-
sions recently, Presidential aspirations have out
weighed and oversaughed the duty and fealty they
owe their immediate section.
On the 9Th inst the bill Of Senator Clay, Of Ala.
to repeal the fishery bounties, up for discus
sion and determination. On its final passage, the
vote stood, being taken by yeas and nays, as fol-
lows:
Yeas-Messrs Bayard, Benjamin, Bigler Bright,
Brown, Clay, Clingmsn, Davis, Douglas, Fitzpat-
rick, Gwin Hammond, Henderson, Hunter, lyersOn.
johnson Of Arkansas, johnson Of Tennessee, Jones,
Mallory, Mason, Pearce, Polk, Pugh, Rice Sebas-
tian, Sldell, Thompson of New Jersey, Toombs,
Wright and Yulae-8O
NayS-Messrs Allen, Bell, Broderick, Chandler
Clark, COllamer Crittenden, Dixon, DoGlittle, Dur
kee, Fessenden, Foot, Foster, Hale Hamlin, Harlan,
Houston, KING, Seward, Shields, Simmons, Stuart,
Sumner, Wade, and Wilson's.
Absent not voting: Messrs Bates, Cameron
Fitch, Green, Kennedy, Reid, Thompson Of KY,
and Trumbull-8
Very bad company for Messrs. Crittenden aud Bell
20 be in We trust it is not indication that they
prefer the society Of the Northern Freesol RS to
that of their own Southern brethren. It looks So
however, and deeply regretful we that stern
truth oompels even this tact admission. What all
the leading enemies Of the South favor should bring
forth, it to u.s. the opposition Of every
Southern man. 3
We believe Mr.. Bells successor has already been
appointed by the Legislature Of Tennessee Once
We should have deeply deplored his departure from
The councils Of the nation, but now, alas, worse
@superfuous ags the veteran On the STAGE"
md the chances are fully forty to one that the o
opposition in Kentucky will dispense with the ser e
7ioes Of Mr. Crienden as soon as his term expires.
N o. Crescent, Hay g. j