, 1873-12-17
pTT 1N TEE DFAT'E9.

authorities.
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PUT OH TIE DEATEg.
Tho last tissue of TIE TRIBUNE contained o
sud iHt Of oilloials who hayo bssrayod tho trusts
confldot 10 tllom by Using funds which were not
thor own, and fnlrg whom The day Of reckon
fng camo that thoy were not ablo to replace
thom. I: IL ,,oodloss to nrticularizo the sfoaoit
In our own City Treasury, III tito public IL nl-
roady familiar with It, and, In tho present Do
mo,alIzed condition Of tho city nnnucoB, It will
probably bc long timo before tB otfocta will
caaHe to bo folt. III addition to this dora1catioa,
tile nows Of this single Issue Informs tint tho
City Of Pittsburgh bus been robbed Of S223, 900
In cas or It's equivalents. and s25i, 900 OF water
1onn bonds, which wcro generously hypotllccateI
by como Of tho o1}cora Of tho institution whore
tho funds wero deposited, upon thotr friends
notes. The Qranl Jury Of Jackson County, 1owa,
hive just indicted tho Into County Treasuror
for tho ombozzlemont Of $41, 41,000-tho sumo
official who. it will 10 remembered, recently
affirmed that his eafo had boon robbod Of about
TINT amount. Kausas has q prolific crop of
dafalca!lons, tho ex-TreaBurer Of Leayonuorth
City having beon found to bo 5000 short In
school moneys, tic Treasurer Of Leavonworth
County, $4,000. and tho Slate Treasurer an
amount the sfzo Of which is not yet known.
Next In tho catalogue comos tho Treasurer OF tho
Iowa stato Grange, whose nccounss aro found
to bo soycral hundred dollars short. Tho amount
though small is sign itlcant, as the Oranges have
bocu instituted, in part to oppose tho prevaiilng
tide OF corruption which is sweeping over tho
country. Tho mania fur the Illegal appropria-
tion OF money ia not confined to ofiicals elected
by the people. Within tho past year. botwoen
twenty aud thirty bnnl-cashior8 have proved
instances Of 4 similar character in trust compa-
MICS, insurance companies. church organizations,
aud oven In public charities. Wherever tlcro
has boen money enough to steal. or, in gontecl
parlance, to illegally appropriate, tho chnnces
arc that there ia Bomo ono to Btcnl it, In view
of this condition Of things, /. becomes very inl-
.portaut question to determine whether any
honest mon have been elerted at ALL In thiH
general breaking up Of tile moralitics, tloro
seems to bo no standard by which tho honesty
or dishonesty Of public meu can 10 tested. Tic
Ereproachable character Of q Lifetime, past
honor, faithfu1uess, public spirit, generosity, in
hueuce, even religion, seem to offer no barrior
against tho temptation Of money. Tie shining
gold oleayes eyon to the hand which has hitherto
always boon houost.
But when aud whore is this fearful flood Of
dishonesty to be checked, and what arc We doing
to check It? Isn't 1t tlmo, as we have already
money! Isn't 1t timo to place somo re-
ssraiut upon openly dishonest men, aud
men who have not moral stamina
sufficient to resist ten,ptation7 Isn't
1t limo that no stopped applying mild aud
genteeE pl,rasea to dishonest practices, and COM
menced calling shom by tAoir right namea
Isn't it timo that storner measures were adopt
cd, and that men who yiolata Inv ahall suffer tho
penalty Of law7 Has tie public any right to
complain II it placos ita officials whero thou-
sands and millions OF dollars must pass through
their hands, and then leaves thom Ia possession
without check or restraint? Can honesty be ex-
pected when poor devil who rahes $40 is scnt
to the Peniteniary as q thief and dan
gerous man to society, and the man who takes
half million is sympathized with, becauae lie
cant make good the money Le has taken-not
ono dollar OF which ho was allowed to use Tor
any purpose other than as prescribed by law?
II ia f3iEfo,,1t fe In nf 1,
all.prevalent dishonesty, The PRIMARY causo is
III tho fast life NO are living aud the mania for
speculation III land, in stocks, IN minos, and
othor forms OF hap-hazard, Which las seized
upon all classes Of people. Tho restless oyor-
strained aud reckless onorgy Of tho American
poopso urges thom into modes Of traffic in which
chunco IL tho main oloment. Our Chan-
bers OF Commerce aud our Stock Exchanges
foster this rocklcHs oloment. Quo man maltes d
fortune by lucky throw Of tho dico. and
straightway hundred rush in and lose. People
arc no longer contout to accumulate wealth,
cent upon cent aud dollar upon dollar, slowly
mud surely. in tho Legitimate oltofprises Of trado.
They must accumulate wealth at a ai1,glo
H1toAo' Aue sedA4s Id A1e WAalcu oe1ofo
1t reaches its primo, like Horace T, Clark's !;
life suddenly cut short, like Fislk's;
OF Il lfo d!sgracod, like Tweea'a. There
IL no middle ground in this commercial
gambling Nine men out OF ton who take
thoss clnncoa either die poor or In ono Of the
three Why's we have cited. Tile penalty comes
dooner or later. Another roason Tor this preya
leuco OF dishonesty IL tue example which has
beou sot III high paces. Ia It any wondor that
tho small oilleiala In town mud village do not
hesitate to steal, when thoy havo