Clearfield Republican. [volume] (Clearfield, Pa.) 1851-1937, 1872-05-08
CONCERNING HONESTY.

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compressed into the maxim "Hon.
csty is the best policy" We care not
what relation in life man may sus.
tain, we bold this maxim to be true
whether he be tho humble day labor
er, the fortunate son of wealth and
opulencc, the unassuming private in
dividual, or the office holder who is
the custodian of the public treasure
or conscrvalor Of the public welfare.
In what remarks we shall make, we
shall refer more especially to the lat
ter class. There are SO many forms
Of dis honesty in official station that
it would be almost impossible to emu
meratc them, but the realization of
improper gains by means Of official
station and the prerogatives and op.
portunities 1t confers, is dishonesty
still, call it by what name you will
1t matters not whether man dc
liberatcly tbrusts his hand into the
public Golfers and extracts tbercfrom
hundred thousand dollars; allows
false and fraudulent claims forges
vouchers for moneys he never disburs.
ed; gives out contracts ut immense
figures to favorites and then divides
the profits; takes bribes to appoint
men to lucrative positions throws
his official influence in favor of any
job in which he is either directly or
remotely interested or adopts any
other mode of making money at the
the expense Of public honesty, he is
nevertheless a thief
True that is harsh word, and one
that should be used sparngly and
cautiously at all times but il is the
only one in the language that perfectly
fits the case. Whatever is ilgotten,
is stolen, and the recipient, with
knowledge of the facts, is simply a
thief; incxcusablo according to the
venality of the offcnsc.
There are many reasons why hon.
esty 10 the public officer is the best
policy. In every community which is
cursed with dishonest officials, public
morals fall into low ebb. This state
OF things 70 greater or less extent
undermines the morality of the indi-
vidual members of such community,
and finally, overturns society itself, or
at least, leaves it in an almost hope.
less state of disease and decay. Every
sentiment of virtue is blunted, aud
what is purest aud noblest in human
ambition is turned into a mockery,
and n burning thirst to be foremost 10
the scramble for plumber, supplants
honesty and noble and praiseworthy
aspirations
If this does dot happen to be the
case-if private morals escape the
contagious plague OF public corrup.
tion-iabor, the bone and sinew of so.
clety, and the corner stone Of just and
good government, is paralyzed by the
imposition ofunjust burdens, and upon
the constant drain upon its resources
which 60 TO feed the Unsuitable greed
of peculators end public robbers, who
hide their thieveries behind the i'm
penetralia of their official shields, or
convert them into iIlusory acts of hon
esty amid the glamour OF official so.
phistry that they are enabled to throw
around their acts
Wherever and whenever otiicial
corruption and public dishonesty
thrive, the rich grow richer and the
poor become more hopclessly impov.
crished The burdens of the govern.
ment become wrongly adjusted, being
gradually shifted from The shoulders
OF labor and capital in common, to
the formcr alone, until tue govern
mcnt becomes, as it We're an invert.
ed pyramid, (if such Simiie is admis.
slble) the money bags OF wealth crush
ing the bone and muscle of labor deep
er and deeper into the earth.
But these are not the only reasons
why tho maxim, we have quoted is
truo--or even 1.-THE of them. "Yir.
tue" we are told, "has its own re.
ward. Jus. so sure as that is inds.
putable, it is also inexorably true that
dishonesty carries with it its own
punishment" The man who does
any act Of which he is ashamed how.
ever small, and conversely according
to its magnitude--loses his self re.
spect, and when that is wholly oblit.
Grated, ,he is the most abcct and misera.
BILE creature In the world, suffering a
depth of punishment that is immcas-
urable and ilimitable. What remorse-
less horrors Of unavailing remorse
haunt such man, are only to be con
jectured and if his acts which cost
him his self respect are as yet un.
known TO the public, how much moro
intensified must bo his suilcrings,
since he cannot appeal to the poor
charity of public sympathy and for
giveness.
But the mental suiferings of tho
dishonest public servant, or the self |
condemned man, are not the full meas.
urc of his punishment lie is racked
with bodily ailments, and reels and
tumblcs into hasty grave like the
poor victim of frequent and poisoned |
potations. Upon the heels OF mental
sufIcrings and disquiet, follow the
pains Of n perturbed and distraught
physical organization, just as certain
ly rs the years tramp in each Others
footsteps down the long highway that
leads ~ the gates of Eternity.
And this brings us to the case in
point, with which we propose to point
the moral contained in the axiom
...l. t..l Il. t.l.