The Columbia herald. [volume] (Columbia, Tenn.) 1850-1873, 1873-02-28
Signing Names.

BY HENRY WARD BEECHhR.
4" I have bro't yer reverence paper,
which hope yer riverince will sign, foT
a poor man"
!. This he says as he fumbles i'll his
pocket for paper. He pulls out n cot
ton handkerchief then crumpled
mass of newspaper, and certain queer
and crushed bits of white paper-white
once, at any rate, but dingy enough
now. 1t is not there. Another pocket
is emptied In a third is found the
"dockyment." "
1t is a request that Pharaoh Mae
Crum be appointed "on the police. 1t
goes on to state that each one of the
signers is personally acquainted with
the candidate-that of his own personal
knowledge he is man of good morals
and upright life, temperate, indUstri-
ous, and every way fitted for the trust
solicited for him,
:" Well, my friend, what do You want
of me?"
eff your honor would sign the
paper"
!" But am not acquainted with You.
81" Yes, yer riverince but these gin
tlemen that have signed knows me, an
sure they wouldn't mistake"
eyes, they sign for themselves but
how does that give me n personal
knowledge of You for ten years and
how do know that you are sober or
industrious, or trustworthy? l hope
you are, but I know nothing about it,
[ have never seen You, to my know
ledge, till this moment"
''Yes, sir, that's true; but you
might know from thin, pointing To the
names. "Sure they wouldn't sign any
thing that was not true"
4" NV friend, ( cannot sign the pa
per. It would be falsehood. | should
say / knew man that l never saw.
No, no you need not plead will not
sign it"
The man goes away in bewildered
state. He had heard, he assured me.
that / was knd-hearted gentleman,
and he could not imagine why l would
not help poor fellow, and no doubt
reported, when he got home, that i was
not the man he took me to be.
Another young man says, 4" If you
would be kind enough to give me a
letter to Mr.. Clahin, ] know that he
would give me a place"
"But, sir, / do not know anything
about you, and ! cannot recommend
you"
"But here are papers, sir, that certi-
fly my character"
Very well go and show the papers
to Mr.. Clahin, and il he needs another
man, and is satisfied with your credcn-
tials, he will take you in.
"But your name, sir, would settle the
matter,
that / certified things or recommended !
men that knew nothing about
These things are not peculiar to me.
They happen to all men of any position
or influence. Men are solicited TO lend |
their names in manner that cannot be
justified by honor.
The fact is now notorious that men
have put the signing of their names out |
of the ordinary code of morality. Men |
will sign merely to get rid of man.
They will recommend n book which |
they know nothing about, rather than
hurt some ones feelings by n refusal. |
They will recommend men as highly |
fitted for positions which they positive
ly know they are utterly untitled for.
Nay, men will give to candidates the
strongest letters for an office, and then
write secret letters to headquarters to
say that the letter is not to be regarded.
Indeed, it is said that in certain cases
politicians find It necessary to have it
at headquarters that no let
ter is 20 be regarded, unless it have
some distinctive signs upon it which
have been agreed upon.
Is there not need of better public
sentiment on the subject of signing |
names? The laxity of practice is fast
taking all value from documents bear
ing eminent names. Such loose |
policy as is now pursued ought to be
ranked with falsehoods, deceptions, and |
to defraud