, 1873-07-29
DECAY OF OFFICIAL INTEGRITY.

DECAY OF OFFICIAL INTEGRITY.
Our exchanges from all parts Of tho country
toll OF an unusual number OF cases Of official dis
honesty In tho smaller nnd local Offices. Thoso
dalin4uencios include all grndca Of oflicals, from
Attornoya-G General and State TroasurorB down to
County Troasurors, School Commissioners, and
even Conatablos. So general and 80 frequent
aro these cases tlat they Gun DO attributed to
nothing olso than o torpid public sentiment.
people, and henco fool no responsibility to
them. Thoy nro now selocted by party caucuses,
and these caucuReB arc controlled mainly by
the mon who hold the Offices. Thus, for in
stance. in Iowa, thoro las boon dofalcation
In tho stato Treasury, and, though tho State has
mn Attorney General and D Governor, and tharo
arc courts and grand juricB in session all over
tho Staso there haa been no elTectual Btep takon
to recover tl1o money or punish tho dofauter.
In Afinnosota, t1oro have been two State Troas-
urers in succession who have used and squan-
dorod the public money and loaned it to othor
politicians without adequato security, but thore
iB no prosecution, no recovery, and no disclosure
permitted lost it hurt the party-that is to Say,
the lenders who lad the money. In Michigan, q
gtato officer recently issued a State patont to
certain parties for land Which tho Stats
did not own; this land was pur-
chasod in good fifth ut its full value
by actual sottlera. Tho Attorney -Gonoral
Of tho State has evincad extraordinary zeal to
dispossess the innocent purchasers, but no pros-
oBccntions havs been mado against the officers
who committed tile original fraud. In various
counties Of Iowa. Wisconsin, Minnesota, Illinois,
Indiana and Missouri, there havo been discev
cries that county and other local Troasurera
haye been using the public money, and arc now
unable or unwilling to refund 1t, and that their
bail is worthless. In Ohio, there oxiBta like
condition of things, and in Fnir1old County thero
hnH been most extraordinary official robbery.
In 1867, q Treasurer was elected who placed tho
business in tho hands of his Ron, who, as is now
reported, "bogan stealing in tue forenoon
Of tho day he entered upon tho duties
OF his Office" Flo made combination with
tho County Auditor by which, since 1867, tho
county has been robbed Of oyor 100000, and
tho investigation is not yot concluded. In tho
lst Of items there Id ono which, from its nature,
ia easily practicod, and is not, perhaps. confined
to Fairfield County, Ohio. It was this: When
man paid taxes to the Treasurer, tho officer
pocketed tho money, and mnrkcd tho taxpayer
''dolinquont, and thon tho Auditor would
omit the name from tho delinquent list. An
other itom was to recoivo tho taxos, and then
mark on tho book 'rouittcd." This Byssem of
bookkeeping dohed examination. In ono county
in Ilnoia, there ia threat Of repudatng over
81 900 600 Of public liabilities which the county
otiicers Aayo stolen.
Judge McCuo, of Brooklyn, in tho case of the
latest bank dofalcation, said TINT tho terror of
! using other funds than ono'a own was too proya-
lent." This "orror" is not only prevailing
ono, hut 1t has become cha1aoteristic of official
life In all parts Of this country. Nine-tonthB of
the mon holding official trusts in tho Southern
atatos during the Last ak yoars have been de-
faulrers. Tho only dotense ploadel In their be-
half is, that they are faithful supporters Of tho
National Administration. IN forty diHtricss of
tom-HouBo oAlcers exceeds tho entire roycnuo
collected in them, aud tho ploa In defense Of
this scandal Is, that tho incumbonts arc all "trlo
1non," and that to abolish tito Offices or roduco
their number or expense would iuture and
woakon tho party. suco 1860 thors hayo
boon long llst Of defalcations h tho
national service and tho army. OF tho
whole number, q fow comparatively hayo boon
convicted, but speedily pardoned. This general
substitution Of partsan fidelity for porhonal ill.,
togrity as qualification for olllco las had the
natural effoct Of domoralizing official integrity
outsdo Of tho national soryico, md its OWL ox-
ample has o1tondod oven to tho banks, corpora
tions and mercantile establishments OF tho
country. It is impossible to toll where tho balc-
ful o1anploof q National Government, to1orating
and defending dishonesty and corruption as too
trivial for notice. has not carried its corrupting
inlluenco. It las buutod tho moral Hensibilitos
Of the public. aud. hy including o1orQymen aud