New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1872-02-16
called an adversary Of the Administration ana
the Republican party, see IL this swndie can
NOT he broken I'D forthwith Z
rHE DECAY OE OKE1CLAL CONSCIENCE.

populations which the efforts of the last lew
months have been bringing to light, Is tne
apparent lack of conscience they eAhipiI
among large portion Of the men VINO make
living of politics. 1t is easy to dismiss TINS
subject with a f1ippant jest, and to say that
nothing but knavery is to be expected from
politicians. But this would be as shallow as
it is false. There is no good reason
why offce-holders should not DO as
honest men as merchants or farmers. us
honest men are, of course, found IN III
classes, but there is no reason In the
nature of things why politics should engross
more of tho thieves than any other profession
1t is only recently that this bad fashion
began. The most illustriOus names in our
history are those of active politicians. From
Adams and jefferson down to Lincoln and
Seward and Chase, the men who have made
politics the pursuit of their lives, however
attacked and criticised for their public acts,
have never been accused of stealing. IL was
reserved for our own time to spread TINS
flavor Of dishonesty over the politics of tho
City and the State.
We certainly have made rapid downward
progress since the degeneration began. 1t is
true that the moral sense of the community at
large does not seem to have suffered any perma-
nent paraly sis. Once make the rascality clear to
the masses, and it comes to an end. No matter
who the offender is, let him be Boss. or Thun-
derbolt, or sHonest Tom, OF Clerk of the
Senate, if he DO caught and shown to
have taken money not honestly his,
he must co. No previous popularity nor
good repute saves him with the honest
folk who pay the taxes and take no interest
in personal politics. But among the delin-
quents themselves and their immediate friends
and supporters, there is an apparent sense OF
injured innocence, which would be ludicrous
if we could afford to be amused by it, MIR.
Tom Murphy is shown guilty of such
intolerabe official dishonesty that he Is forced
to bow to the aroused public opinion and sur
render the office he disgraced. The President
is misguided into writing him strong letter
of personal friendship and consolation, and n
largo number of prominent New-York
politicians subscribe money to screnafe
him, and one or two decent people make
speeches to him, in which they pretend that
they still have confidence in him. Why should
he not come to believe after while that he
is rather an honest fellow, as tho world goes
Mr. James Terwilliger took several thousand
dollars in brides from q printing house, and
when THE TRIBUNE discovered and published
tho fact, he tried for week or two to
brazen it out, on frivOlously-ialse pre-
text of proof-reading, and tho retained
attorney for the defense Of all official crimes
in this city assailed. with its usual Incorporate
vulgarity, not the bribed servant of the Sen.
ate, but the journal which exposed his criminal
action. Even yet when the elamor of the in
dependent press and tho threatening voice Of
the country constituency have driven him to
the confession involved in resignation, he still
shows no penitencc, nor sense of actual wrong
doing. He seems to think that his fault was
innocent rs long as it was secret on tho pri1-
ciple Of tho Italian prOverb that "a sin con-
"coaled is half forgiven" He refers with
unconscious enrontery to tho unusually
"sensitive public opinion" which pre-
vents men of his class at this moment
from doing any profitable business. He
doubtless thinks his resignation necessary
| compliance with an absurd prejudice, to which
| he yields in the same spirit which leads an
American Protestant in Rome to take off his
| hat when the Host passes. SO widely spread is
| this faint of unconscious dishonesty that not
day has elapsed since The TRIBUNE's exposure
| of Mr.. Terwilliger without some reputable per-
! son coming to ask that he be let alone, on the
| ground that he is no worse than many Others"
| We arc sorry to say that this is probably
| true. There are probably many others, like
Mr.. Cushman, who really think it tritling
matter to take few hundred dollars worth
| of public property, and who regard it as
small business for any journal to protest
Nuf of
any other cases Of the Sort and can fasten
the charges by reasonable proof, they will be
published. And we shall take especial
pleasure in aiding to expose and send
to State Prison any one belonging to our side
of the house in whose pockets any stolen
money can be found.
The times are most propitious for cam
paign against every form Of official dishonesty.
The public sentiment responds heartily TO
every effort made in good faith to cleanse the
public service. The earnest and universal
demand for Civil Service Reform is manifes-
tatiOn of this salutary popular tendency. The
Administration has been admirable, so far as
expressions and promises 60, in responding
to this demand. AS yet we regret
that fulfllment lags somewhat behind
tho professions. Leet and Stocking,
proved plunderers of the most gross and
sordid kind, are still gayly robbing the mer-
chants of New-York and, it is rumored, will
be kept at their rascally work until tho busy
and profitable Spring season is over, when
they will throw down their squeezed orange
in time for the Philadelphia Convention. The
good time coming of administrative reform, SO
long and loudly heralded, still delays to come.
Every effort made in Congress or out of it to