New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1873-10-18
nRrLcL1L NEGLLGENCK.

OPFYCIdL NEGLTGENCR.
With wonderful alacrity tho party organs
have seized upon the occasion OF the shainelui
cmbezzlemcnt in the State lreasnrers once
tn make party capital. An election IL pend
inc and both parties are the alert for
" pointsn to make in their own favor or
against their opponents. Mr.. Raines, the State
Treasurer in whose department the theft took
place, is candidate for reelection on the
Democrotic and Liberal Republican tickets,
and Controller Hopkins, i'll whose department
there seems to have been, to say the least,
gross official negligence, is candidate
for reelection on the Republican ticket
Both gentlemen are above suspicion
so far rs their personal integrity Is
concerned, and the columns OF HE
TRIBUNE have borne testimony to the conn.,
dence we have had i'll both as honest, able
and faithful officers. The exposure OF TINS
rascality in the Treasury Department sets tiie
Administration organs all agog. The scornful
and indignant index finger of every mothers
son of them is lifted towards the opposition
candidate for Treasurer. With one accord
they cry, "BchOd this Democratic and Liberal
candidate for Treasurer! Fraud and theft
Gin his Office! Dishonest subordlnates! IRE
" csely what might be expected! They are
"all alike: not to be trusted; bad-hearted
"corrupt, and thieyish party!' They trace his
antecedcnts and the antecedents oil the alb
sconding subordinate; they dwell upon the
enormity of his 0llense, the hdeOusness OF hls
record, and tho dreadful recl,lessDcss Of his
appointment
And the rctort comes rafting back from
the Democrats and Liberals, "This is man
of Republican training and Republican ante
cedents He was elected Treasurer by the Re
"publicans, and his defaulting clerk was Re-
publican. 1t is not our funeral. Moreover, the
Republican candidate for Controller il just as
"much at fault rs the Treasurer, and il there
has been any official negligence the blame
sis his as much as the Trcasurcr's." And so
they stand of at each other and fire back
and FORTH as though the merits and dement's
of this business were a nero party matter
of importance only rs they affected the pros
poets of either party in the pending election.
There il no discussion of the abstract qucS-
ton of official negligence or misconduct Ii Is
simply n fnging back and forth of the charge,
" YOU'RE a thief" and "Youre another" The
election is at hand and the only question is
which party will suffer most from the exposure,
and which can make most capital out of IT.
stop, gentlemen. we beg. There must be
higher considerations in this case; something
of graver moment than this miserable matter
of its effect upon public sentiment for or
against n certain set of candidates for certain
offices. Having urged the nomination of both
these gentlemen-the Republican candidate for
Controller and the Democratic and Liberal
candidate Cor TTeasurer-THE TRIBUNE may
properly ask to be heard upon the merits of
the question, and may claim to speak without
prejudice or partiality. This is one of a thou
sand-yes, ten thOusand-cases. Negligence
in any official trust is crime. No matter
what precedent there may be for it, or what
warrant in the assumed integrity and faith
fulness of subordinates, the public officer who
trusts any deputy or clerk, as the subOrdin-
ates in both Controllers and TreasureI's
Offices seem to have been trusted by these
gentlemen, is guilty of criminal negligence.
In these times weakness is crime; inefficicncy
is crime; confidence in subordinates that trusts
to anything but a perfect system of checks
and safeguards and daily verifcatiOn of ac-
counts is crime. The present Treasurer and
Controller though they may be and we be-
lieve are personally honest and have done
good service in the cause of reform, are guilty
Of criminal negligence, if the current reports
are true. No matter to what party they be-
long, no matter for their antecedents or their
record, or for the effect upon any party success
of their official misconduct: these cOnsidera-
tons are petty and trihing. Between these two
departments an enormous robbery has been
perpetrated. The thief is responsible to the
law; the officials who opened to him the Treas
u1y doors and allowed him to handle the
money of the State without check or account
ability must answer to the people for their
neglect. Personal vigilance in official trusts is
just az essential as personal integrity. We
have no disposition TO pronounce a hasty iudg-
ment in the premises and we wait the results
of the inquiry now in progress and the ex-
plantations of Messrs. Raines and Hopkins. if
they have any to make, in the hope that both
gentlemen will be able to show that they have
exercised due diligence and been in no sense
derelict in duty. Should they be unable to do
this, their plain duty is TO withdraw their
names az candidates for reelection. Failing in
this the duty OF the people will be to defeat
them both.
REFORM IN BROOKLYN
When THE TRIBUNE began, months ago. its
IL