Mower County transcript., 1871-08-10
A Wolf in Sleeps Clothing.


forms himself into an advocate nl vir
tue and reform, mankind are naturally
led to inquire the causes which have
induced the change Of tactics, and
what sinister motives tempt the lrlon
to assume his new garb. Especially
arc grave suspicious aroused when in
the promul yati"n Of his newly found
doctrines he resorts to deceit, misrrp,
rasentation and falsehood. This is the
exact condition Of the Austin R,./;<f' +
a. its issue Of last week will bear abund-
ant testimony. NotoriouSly the sub
si:liscd organ Of cor, r,uptionists--tor ten
years the ready and willing yindicator
Of every robbery committed upon the
public treasury Of the county-pleth-
oric itself with plumber received as the
reward for dccciviny the people, aud
throwing its folds around the criminals
whose illgotten wealth it has shared
ever false to its readers in lauiiny
those who stole for and fed it,
and in traducing those who ex-
posed their crimcs-with recent moral
record blacker than that Of the historic
traitor who betrayed his savior and
master for thirty insignificant pcices Of
silver, it now seeks, in Il moment, in the
twinlling Of an eye, to transform itself
into a sanctimonious advocate Of pub
lie honesty and reform, and attempts to
organize warfare upon tho present
management Of public officials. Poor
Register! Transparent attempt at de-
ccit d.! Does the editor Of that sheet
think the people of this county arc so
stupid as not to sec what this is for :?
Docs he hattcr himself that he can
play the role of rctormcr before the
same eyes that saw him act the part 0 f
the robbcr but twenty-four hours be-
fore, and make thcm believe he was
honest in both positions, or even in
one? Does he not perceive that this
thin covering of n sheep-skin docs not
half conceal the donkcy's ears, and that
they arc plainly seen with half an eye
How circumstances affect a small man S
mind! A thief pours money into his
picket to-day, and he praises the thief
and calls him first-class saint; to-mor-
1ow the thief is caught, the subsidy
ceases, and then the man falls to ours
ing those who punish tho thief. The
thief was his friend, his pursucrs his
enemies. The morals Of that man are
al in his pocket.
This is the exact candition Of the
Register. So long as it shared the
spoils it was delighted. Everything
done was honorable, and every officer
vas a "worthy citizen" Even Allen,
Sherwood and Hathaway, were saints
Of the first water 1t could sec nothing
wrong in anything that was ever done
by that class of men. 1t was perfectly
honorable to pay the fifteen cents for
publishing the tax list, when the
offered to do it for three.
1t was public economy to pay $4,000,
for. doing printing that might have
Iccn done for $4,000. 1t was
entirely honest to collude with H. NJ
Allen and the Democrat to divide
equally between thcm and the Register
she proceeds Of the tax list so long as
the pocket Of the Register was replen-
ished by these transactions. But 0 !
how wicked and corrupt every transac-
sion becomes when that delcctablc pa
pcr don't reap the fruits! How su-
premely ridiculous is the farce every
one sees but the obtusc editor him
self: His perceptions arc so dull that
he don seem to understand that his
present position and talk stamp the
entire career of his 3apcr as one Of
rottenness and corruption. lie is 50
bloodless aud insensible that he can
neither sec nor fcol the knife that he is
drawing across his own throat.
But it is not with the past career of
the self.conyictcd criminal that We now
deal, it is witch the false representations
it makes and repeats in order to bol-
ster up its fcticious position. The
TRANSCRIPT wasstarted upon the prin-
ciplcs of economy and reform. 1t has
always maintained those principles
without waverins, it maintaincs them
to-day and it will be prompt to rebukc ex-
travagance Or mismanagcmcnt which it
discovers. 1t knows enough Of human
impcrfcctions to admit that no man nor
class Of men is perfect, that men differ
in judgment, and errors sometimes
creep into the transactions Of all par
ties. 1t processes to have dis
erimiaation enough to detect the diff
ference between errors which arc the
result of human impcrfcction, and
those which result from wholesale
knarery. Whenever any member OF
the present board Of county :.ofliccrs be.
comes corrupt or cxtravagant in tho
discharge of his official duties, VIC sI1l,
be prompt to expose and rcbukc. On
the other hand we shall be just as
ready to rcbukc the ISLANDERS and false
hoods Of the Rryistcr that arc circula
tod f1em malicious motives. We arc
prepared to prove to the satisfaction
Of any intelligent man that the rep re
sensations Of extravaganza mrlc last
week by the Register, arc false from
first to last, and that even in the short
period of six months the new officer:
aave .edccmcl every pledge they cvcl
mado. From the mass Of rubbish il
that paper we CLEAN three distinct