Gold Hill daily news. [volume] (Gold Hill, N.T. [Nev.]) 1863-1882, 1871-08-23

DECAY OF oFFIcIAL INTEGRITY.
In 4 recent novel there Is an instance
that illustrates the manner In which
some people are led into evil courses.
A little fellow who was inclined to
behave himself properly was caught
by his brothers, and under penalty Of
a ducking In the creek, compelled to
"say a swear" meaning to swear or
curse. And he Is then admonished
that whenever he dares again to refuse
to engage In their bad conduct they
will jointly testify that he "swore like
q trooper down By the crcek!" With
such \ terror before him the boys
mouth was thenceforth sealed, and his
graceleu brothers carried on their
wickedness, not only without protest
from him, but with his companiouship
in the wrong doing. "Boys," accord
ing to the old proverb, confirmed BY
every day's experience, "are little
men," The tricks Of childhood ma
ture Into the so-called wisdom Of ma
thrifty. Rogusry Of all sorts Is pro-
tected BY the fear that exposure will
compromise more persons than the
accused. The maxim that no mar Is
bound to criminate himself, shields
many q derelict. For, like the boys
in the story, cunning rogues usually
manage to secure themselves by COM
promlsing others. The appearance"
Is enough, for appearance" are
never 90 readily accepted as evidence
as when they are made to testify
S2ainst those who have a fair charae-
ter. Arlstides was banlshed from
Athens because, according to the con-
fession Of one Of his prosecutors, the
envious crowd werc tired Of hearing
him called "the just" And all this,
aud much more than onght DO cited,
goes to show that no man can be too
careful, especially In the beginning Of
lie, who he associates with, and who
he permits to call him his friend. Still
more carefully should one guard
against assent, seeming or real, to any
irregularity In matters moral, politi-
cal or peculiarly. Quite often, In the
hlstory Of governments and Of munich
palities, the public Is aroused By the
revelation Of the existence Of practices
which, put to the plain test Of right
and wrong, are condemned at once by
the public voice and by the newspaper
press. But Investigation, If 1t does
not In any sense excuse the practices
complained Of, demonstrates that they
are nothing new, and casulstry comes
In to make them excusable. Or they
have been assented to, and have ever
been participated In by persons who
pass as reputable men, and, Of course,
pass unchallenged thereafter BY all
politicians, officers, or other men Of
'>easy virtue" Whilst older countries
are loaded down with sinecures, ours
Is oppressed by legalized irregularities,
fat perquisites, and licensed pecula-
tionA which are tolerated because
"leading men " have c%onnivedat them
for many years. Offer anything like
these time honored abuses" rs a new
theory, and unsupported by prece-
dents, and 1t would not be permitted
"to stand upon Its merits" but would
at once 90 down under its dement's.
Without going into particulars-which
the reader may at once supply for him.
self-lt Is plain to those who examine
the workings of the various depart
ments of our Governmeut-General,
State, and C~oURrs-that there are
many things existing which would not
be, II somebody and many somebodies
had not at various times been terrified
by ar.ful managers. individuals have
done under some kind Of coercion what
was equivalent to the compulsory
swearing above noted, and they hold
their peace from the natural instinct
Of self.preservation. "What to-day
Is fact" writes Junius, Tomorrow is
doctrine" And the doctrine Of pre-
cedents and practice In a bad direction,
Is 1t once one of the most facile, most
pernicious, and most powerful Of To-
fiuences. The individual conscience
Is a mans safest guide. The moment
he goes to "custom" or to the verdict
Of partisan adherents for guidance, he
inpairs the integrity Of his own coun-
sell. This Is a young nation, and now,
In It's early manhood or never, Is the
opportunity to preserve the good foun-
dations OF the fathers for private virtue
and public integrity. The worst symp-
toms which are to be noted, are the
Indifference Of the great public to the
precedentS which are being established,
aud the cunning manner In which
professed politicians hold each other
in check. It Is not o valid defense for
an evil In public affairs that 1t has
grown into q custom. Neither Is Il a
v~indicatiou Of a questionable thing in
morals that Everybody does t."
A New ENGLAND paper says: "The
reviewer OF the life Of John Adams,
which was begun by John Quincy
Adams, and completed by Charles
Francis Adams, Is quite correct In
deny the Athenaum,s prediction that