St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1873-10-03
Thieves, or DefaultersP

fer from ordinary theftS In magnitude
and in the leniency which society and
the law show to their perpetrators. In
deed, from their treatment, it would be
very natural to think that they really
committed no crime, but simply an er-
ror of Judgment which entitled the
persons making it to the sympathy OF
right minded people. If Il poor fellow
steals hat or IA pair of shoes he is sent
to Jail, and there is no pity wasted OH
him, but if an officer ill some great fl
nancial institution steals thousands OF
dollars, there is no end to the exalta-
ton of his virtues and regret that his
talents and integrity should have been
misapplied. There was Il good deal of
this stuff published when Mills, the
President of the Brooklyn Trust Com
pany. proved to be a swindler, and his
frauds. though found out soon after his
death, were not made public in time to
prevent most glowing tribute to his
virtues from his pastor, who, in COM
mon with the public generally, was ig-
nOrant of the wrongs he had perpetrat-
ed. This was natural enough. but
when, with knowledge of his crime,
Il fellow director i'll the company tried
to soften it into a mere error of iudg-
ment, and when others had much to
say of the Christian benevOlence and
public spirit of the defaulter, we were
not surprised by subsequent revela-
lions of the extent of his criminality.
There was reason in the excuses urg-
ed for Mills by directors of the Trust
Company, for it was only by making
Ia g Il IL
they could excuse themselves for neg
lect to exercise Il rigid. scrutiny over
his conduct. And the community gen.
orally, by encouraging speculation in
officers of financial institutions, are
largely responsible for the state of
things which has had much to do with
impaling public confidence n them. In
Boston we have been happily exempt
from such misconduct, of late. and of
the diStrust which it naturally occas-
ions; but there is ample evidence, in
the number of defalcations which have
occurred elsewhere. of the need of IL
rgld oversight over the conduct of men
who are entrusted with the care of the
pecunlary interests of others.
The last example of this kind of
fraud is shown on IL small scale 10y the
Postmaster of Pittshurg. who has been
arrested for cmbczzling S:}3.O00. Al
though the amount of his detalcatiOm
which he frankly admitted. is too small
/" inspire much respect for his fore
sight or ability, it was enough to do Il
good deal of injury To the people who
bad deposited money in the letters
which were opened by the inquiSitivc
official. OF course. the delinquent WAS
Il high minded man. and his public
worth and personal qualities have III
creased the surprise occa>iomed hy the
disclosure of his dishonesty. Yet had
there been proper examination of his
accounts. individuals would have been
spared losses which will bear heavily
upon some of them, and the Govern
mcnt he relieved from the rcproach
which such an occurrence casts upon
the management of its affairs. This
det;Ilration. as we said. is small mat
ter. but II l. only one among many il
lustrationS of laXitv in the admins
tration of offices Of public trust and
Taintor. Mills. Rodman
and Carleton did on Il great scale wha-
A delinquent hursc-car conductor does
pn small one. and if in the interest of
/ railroad company it is found neccSS-
iry To keep Il check on fraud 10y means
Of spoilers or punches. it would seem
Is II some precautions were needed
over persons entrusted with far greater
The poorly paid clerk
has an excuse for fraud which does not
avail the President or treasurer of Il
great corporation whose salary is Sutf-
lent to supply him with the luXurieS
instead of the bare neccSSarieS of life.
nd there must he something abnormal
II the social system which. while
empting him to betray his trust. gives
lim no means of protection against the
of evil. 1t is unjust to the
Individual to expose him to such great
temptations. and it would almost seem
% he sncaking consciousness of this
which prevents people from
Ielng very indignant against the de
aultcrS who rob them of their proper
y. There is complacent sense of
when Il burglar is sent to
he State Prison. and we are not usual
Y RECALLED with much culogium on his
previous good character. though we are
with such talk about an alb
'condlng treasurer or cashier.
As matter of simple Justice. the |
professional thief whose associations
nave always been of the worst kind. /
md who steals from constitutional
necessity. Is much more entitled to our
than the well educated gen
leman who violates all his instincts
md the influence of his surroundings in .
loing the same thing on larger scale.
IN eminent English judge used to say
nat evidence of previous good charac-
or was an aggravation of the offence,
or there WAS no excuse for the fall of Il /
nan who had such prop for his integ-
1ty. But the trouble is, and it ac-
counts for the distinction which is
made between crime in low and in high .
life, that stealing loses its complexion
With its name when it is committed by
o-called respectable people. In fact.
here Is something dignitied in sue
eSsful embezzlement to many minds,
or it is associated with wealth and the
redit which comes from well execut-
d scheme of fraud. In order to put
and ordinary thefts on a
evel, we must call them the same name
+, at least, make people realize that
hey amount to the same thing, and
hat if there he any difference in their
urpitude it belongs to the fraud which
most tempting i'll its opportunities
nd occasions the most widespread in
Globe.
ondition of Jay Cooke and the Wash
ington Bank
I ashinrf Snecinl Tn the Rnstnr Hornld G..