Holmes County farmer. [volume] (Millersburg, Ohio) 1857-1926, 1865-03-09
The Government Detective.

cotcmporary photographs the Govern
mcnt Detective and holds him up to public
contempt. He now infests every comnun-
ity, and is loathed and abhorred even by the
loyal whose dirty work he is always ready
to perform. Here is the picture:
The detective system which has obtained
such widespread prevalence in this country
at the present time is an evidence of two
things despotic central power and "a low
grade of public morality. No Governments
save those of a tyrannical character have
ever had resort to the use of detectives and
no people have ever looked upon these
agents with any feeling save that Of con
tempt, unless they have lost their self-re-
spect and a proper appreciation of the dis
tinction between honor and dishonor.
or the precise moral position of the de-
tective in the employ of the Government,
analogous character In military affairs, a
spy is one who gains information in disguise
and through treachery This is precisely
the status ofthe detective. He conceals his
character, and by treachery, that is, by pre-
tending to synlpathize with the designs OF
his victim, and by taking any number OF
solemn oaths with the intention of not keep
ing them. Thus it is that the definition Of
a spy and detective applies equally to both;
they both seek their ends through disguise
and treachery" This being admitted, we
can very easily arrive at the moral charac-
ter of the detective; for if two acts are ex-
actly alike, the esteem in which mankind
has unanimously decided to hold one should
apply to the other.
Among all civilized nations, and for all
time, the spy has been held to be an infa-
nous character. Waffle says Spies are
usually condemned to capital punishment,
and not urjustly and for this reason, man
of honor, who would not expose himself to
die by the hand of the public executioner,
ever declines serving as spy. He consid-
crS it beneath him, as it can seldom be done
without some kind of treachcry. The SOW
ereign cannot lawfully demand such ser.
vice of subjects, and it remains to him to
hold out the temptation of a reward as an
nduccment for mercenary souls to engage
in the business"
General Hallcck is still more explicit -
! He says mo authority can require of a
subordinate trcacherous or criminal act in
any case, nor can the subordinate be justi
fled in its performance by any orders of hi,
superior Hence the odium and punish
ment of the crime must fall upon the spy
himself, although it may be doubted wheth
er the employer is entirely free from the
moral responsibility of holding out induce
ments to treachery and crime"
The fact that man of honor cannot ac
as a spy applies with precisely the samt
force to the case of detective; and tn,
terms odium, crime, treaehcrs. are @ as m ex
actly applicable to the latter as to the for
mer.
We attempt this definition of the position
of detective that men who propose engag
ment of what is called secret service ma
known the estimation in which they will b
held by thinking men, and, furthermore
that the general public may extend to thi
class of men the consideration which the
!, deserve.
Asa further proof of the dishonorabl
character of the spy, it may be added tha
all military writer's hold his testimony al
unreliable, for the reason that a man despic
able enough to commit an act of treachery
for a reward, will, for little higher reward
commit another act of treachery by selling
his services to the other party. For the
same reason is the evidence of detective
unreliable, for if he will commit perjury anc
treachery for a given sum, he will undoubt
cdly perform the same acts against his EN-
ployers for higher reward.
Let the mind of the public perfectly com
prchend the utter infamous elements whict
enter into the composition of detective
and verdict of condemnation will be rem
dered that will detract much from the pop
ularity of his profession, and will go far to
wards reducing to the minimum number
those engaged in it. Let a detective, when
known, be driven from society, as was the
abhorred herdSman of medieval ages, ol
the leper from the camp Of the lsraelites -
In this way only can an evil be checked thai
now permeates every part OF our socla