, 1874-05-12


think It will be long maintained TINT tho Wost
wants intuition. II q condensed refulatson of
certain financial errors we're wanted, it can be
produced In documents FREQ from all suspicion: |
tho monetary columns Of Chicago paper for
weeks past.
4 PERMANENT INVESTIGATING COMMIT
TEE.
Tho corruption Of our public servants 1s be- |
coming provorbial. From Congress down to our |
Town Boarda-from the head to tho Holca of tho !
body politic-there arc rlague-spotA Of tue most
yiru1ont description. There havo been unoarth-
cd, Of lato years series OF 'atea1s by men in
public life, ranging in magnitude all tho way
from Oredit-Mobllior suinales to petty larcenieB,
Justice has been sold moro than once, by her
chosen oracles, for consideration. Yet 1t is not
trno tbat "eyery man has Ills price," Thore
is somo OF that virtue loft IN the country without
which nIontosqueiu saya no Republic can exiat.
Wo should be sorry to think that there were not.
There might, however, ba more Of 1t. There
might bo more, especially among our offlcia1s.
Wo might have fewor members Of Congress- i'm.
plicatad In steals " and swindles and back-pay
grabbing. There might be fowor defalcations
by those intruated with the public money. There
might be lesa OF nopotiam In higher p1acoa and
In lower. and moro Of the Efficiency with which
tho abscnco OF nopotiana 1B generally attended.
To put it in palmer words, the public servico
might be run in tho interests Of the public, and
not merely in the interest of few whom chance
or fortune, perhaps the ogerpowering voto OF
ignorance and thrifteasness, has put In power.
For the amount OF corruption which we havo
Witnessed latterly in these States, there must be
| cause or Causes. It must be the offspring Of
| ascertainab1o circumstances. It must be gen~
Grated in part at least by the favoring atmoH-
phero Of our legislation. 1t Is produced, re be-
lteve, by the want Of public vigilance, by the ab-
senco Of investigation rs to how things a,o
| going on, how tho public arc being served. 1n-
dividua1s may suspect, individuals may know,
| individuala often 10 know. that Legislature
las boen bribod, that City or County Treasurer
| il misapplung the public funds, but what can
individuals do?
As the law stands at present in mort Of the
states, the public arc not sufficiently
protected against malfeasauce and mlsfeas-
auce in Office. OF our national, State,
county, and municipal aeryanta executive.
Legislative, Judicial, and others, it may DO said
that their opportunities to be dishonest ara
many, their temptations great, their detection.
where they have been false to ths trust reposed
in then, difficult, their indictment or impeach'
mont alow to follow, thoir conviction doubtful,
their punishment neither swift nor certnin
Thus there are dozen doors for the criminal te
cscapo through, Tho chances of his not being
brought to Justice arc immensely in his favor
Tho yenal officer calculates that lie will not bt
detected at all, for he may cover up his tracks
that II detected ho may not be tried, and II tried
not convicted.
There are classes Of public Offenders who cat
be reached only by i1npcaohnlens,-a mos
ponderous and unwieldy ploco of judicia
machinery. Tho stronghold, however, OF corrup
ton ia tho hope not to bo detected. II, there
fore, no would abolsh 1t Or diminish it, Vi
must nuke detection almost aoertainty. Dotou
ton. whether followed by punishment or not, |
pretty certain to put Ill end to population o
,n1sfeesance In office. BomothiuE should b
done by ovory Legislature III tho country to In
aura an end so tleyoutIy to DO wished; and II
doubt whether any State cam do bottor than fo
: low tho example Of New York. and copy q Ia
passsa by it's Legislature . year or two ago, q
tho instance Of Mr.. Dormnn D. Eaton. Tho la
= reforrod to ia auoh that it 10 almost impossbl
- that my man filling public positlo
i in that stato should long conttuu
Il to dof1aud tho public or prostttut
d hia place to selfish or morcouary ends. Itpr'
II vides In substance that, whenever my FIVE mot
u ci.izena Of tho stats md residents Of tue looa
d ity vhero tue larolict official exercises his fun
I tiona, ahall appear before a court OF record al
ia mako affidavit TINT they have reason to BELIEF
tint said official Ia 80 derslot, guilty OF any q
10 of corruption or misfeasanoo In oiace, 1t shl
,r bo the duty Of Tho Court to order al inyeat'g
N ton to aaeertau tho truth Of the oharges, Il
H. uco.laors to pay the costs Il tho ohargss pro
r. unfouuded, aud the accused to pay II til
er prove we'll founded,
st This ia cert&iuiy vory Ingenious piece
e. legislation, aud we bollove thero s nothing like
[r. iu any other stafe Wo wouid oall tue at.entit
10 Of cur Illinois legislators to 1t "a \ proper 81,
In 3ect Tor their consideration whom hey msot na
p. v,ntar At Springfield. It IL admirably aalcu1At
4 " aeAts discovery safa, ttiaa speedy, Gld o1