Eaton weekly Democrat. [volume] (Eaton, Ohio) 1866-1875, 1873-03-06
CorrMDtLon.'

multitudinous leaders are daily
thrown off by our editorial breth-
rem, each supposed to embody
some principle, which, if properly
applied, would modify or entirely
eradicate this monstrous evil.
Official thieving and misappro>
priation OF public funds las tx
listed in every age and under
every government, in some de-
| gree, from the earliest dawn of
civilization up to the present day.
To the nineteenth century, how>
ever, belongs the distinction OF
having perfected the crooked
science of peculation, and SO ar
tistically has this science been
fapplied that the government
under which we live can be plum
dered of millions upona.miilions
and never a shade of suspicion
rest upon the door-keepers Of the,
public crib until some one of the
thieves ~"peachesa because he
fails to. receive an equal proper
ton of the @swag. Unlike the.
wholesome custom which has
ran through all ages previous to
the last twelve years, the men
who are thus discovered in @the
very act, it may be, of dishonest
practices, are condemned by but
a comparatively small class of
the people. Socially, unless their
offence is peculiarly rank, they
are not made to feel its stigma at
all. On the contrary, the man
who has grown opulen mt by the
systematic bartering of his vote
or by his good fellowship with
"ring robbers" is too frequently
regarded by an admiring consti-
tuency as only "smart" and his
thieving genius is appreciated
in the proportion in which,
lit increases his gain. These
things ought not to be-; when
any public officer, high or low,
is proven guilty of any species
of crime in his office, whereby he
violates the law, he should be
treated in all respects as any
-other law. breakers, and receive
the came scorn and contempt as
the commonest pickpocket or
pigsiron thief; yea, more, for he
is a double criminal, and sins III
the broad light of inteHigence,
while the etAeEgropes in dark
ness. Therefore, we assert, that
the remedy, to a greatIextent,
lies with the people, who,i if they
will but lift the veileof partizan
blindness, can Distinguish COR
ruption most clearly. eg s"o ~
But until the fountains are
cleansed, the outfowiDg streams
must remain impure, and if such
approved saints as Brothers
Wilson, Colfax and Harlan, can
3yield to the bIanishments of
Mammon, may we reasonably
hope fora very exalted type of
official virtue in the average
State legislator? aAnd then7too,
when a portion Of the secular
press, the faithful servitors5of the
national veal, inYeigh against
the crime which should eaIlforth
the ex~ecration of all honest men,
their religious contemporaries
with q great deal of affected
horror call this timely exposition
Of rascality a piece of "bruta1
savagery." lfzzsisuoh glaring
crimes can find Apologies among
who rssume to set up the standard
of mortality, and who essay to
pluck out the NOTES from the SO
eia1 eye, we fear the day of pure.
and decent legislation is very far
in the future. al
Furthermore, our State legisla-
lures have become so corrupt
and Venal, that, in a great many
districts, honest and scrupulous
men, who enjoy the confidence
and esteem Of their fellows, will
not risk an election to that Office,
for bribery is ever attendant
upon legislation, and in the gen
eral wreck of character and con-
science they fear to draw con-
tiguous ruin. Let US unsparing-
ly, and at every opportunity, de-