Belmont chronicle. [volume] (St. Clairsville, Ohio) 1855-1973, 1869-06-03
OTHER MATTERS.
Charge. of Public c.rraption.


what is charged against public men, OF
of the corruption of legislative bodies,
or Of the vices and crimes of fashionable
life, we should think American society
had greatly degenerated, and the repub-
lie was in great danger of being destroy
ed by its own vices. But, happily, after
having good deal of experience oi
American society, and full knowledge
of public men aud legislation, we don t
believe one fourth, and have much
doubt whether even one-tenth Of ouI
public scandal has any foundation in
truth. Nay, more; We don't believe
that public morals are in as bad . con-
dition as they were immediately subse-
quent to the Revolution. This could be
proved, if it were necessary to go into
details. But oar nation has grown i'm
mensely large. The census of 1880
showed but three millions of people, but
the census of 1870 will show forty-one
millions. So, if the state of public
morals were no worse now than it was
then, there would be thirteen times as
much exposure of vice and crime now
as then. Add to this the incessant Wig
ilance of the public press to find gossip
and scandal for its readers, the rapid
transmission of intelligence by the tsle-
graph. and by the same means the null
tiplication of fIeports, and We see at once
how it is we have such . number of evil
reports constantly brought TO our ears.
1t is not at all necessary that society
should be degenefAted in order to pro-
duce this. Before the days of the tele.
graph and the city dailies, large part
of what is now reported was concealed.
1t is the publicity Of wrong and not the
increase of it, which il now alarming
the innocent part Of the community,
and furnishing admirable food for news
paper correspondents. Whether the
world will be made better by the expo
sure of every scandaious act committed
is very doubtful. But soft 10. There il
a vast public eye upon every object. As
every minute insect 10 brought under
the gl SO Of the microscope, 70 every
wrong doer, and thousands who are not
wrong doers, are brought within focus of
the public press.
But how much is there of public cor
ruption, and does it exceed that of for
mer times? Let the reader bear in mind
that of numerous charges made against
public men, he has not sesn one in ten
proved. The reply of the scandal mon
ger to this is: You know there are
many things we cannot prove, but we
know them to te true" How do you
know them to be true? What right have
you to send a guess to the public rs
ruth? We admit readily that there
are at all times corrupt men In public
as well as i'm private afiairs, and till We
shall find some men who have not shared
the general corruption Ofhuman nature,
we shall continue to have them. We
h ho "A a.,n,a si.rnol t,loas x>ff fOr.
rupt Legislature in this country, but
those that have been distinctly proved
happened good while ago. The whole
Legislature OF Georgia accepted bribe
ri the case of the Yazoo claims, and ex-
cited a storm of public Indignation
Several members of the New York Leg
islsture were bribed in the case of the
charter Of the Chemical Bank. 1t is not
improbable that there have been some
recent cases of the same kind. But, do
these exceptional examples, running
through nearly century, prove the cor
ruptian of public morals, or that there
is any degeneracy in these times2
But there is great comfort, which we
commend to our respondent friends,
that if we and our Government are
little bad, other countries are worsc.-.
here always is something comforting
in knowing that our neighbers are q lit
tie verse off than we are. Why 10 1t?
There is England, for example, which
has stood the longest and been the
strongest of any Government, unless it
is China, whose people and Govern
ment, are charged by its public writers
with being ten times as bad as ours.
Now, that is comforting.
The London Spectator (the best paper
in England} says that the whole middle
class Of England are thieves. Observe
that this middle class is the best and
most solid portion of English society
1t says, also, that the Government ha-
bitually gives John Jones . contract fer
-milIfsu of dollars because he is .
friend, when John Smith would do the
work for three-fourths the money! Now
that is comforting. 1t proves that we
are not the greatest rogues in the world
But, say you, do you believe thati Not
bit of it. But then we believe it just
rs much AS we do cur own people when
they say the same thing. The simple
fact is that the Spectator had been treat
ed to q dish Of sour grapes.-[ Ed. Gin
cinHati Gazette. tiitH lw t.l