The Leavenworth weekly times. [volume] (Leavenworth, Kan.) 1870-1880, 1874-01-15
ru..scsesyAsrs AuD DsHDs.


reform u imperaiively demanded.
The difficulty ID that defalcadons are
treeted too much like civil quits and often
end in smoke. At irst public indignation
|. aroused, the severe punishment Of the de.
faulter i demanded and promised. criminal
proceedings are begun, the boodsmen are
~. and one would suppose justice would
soon be meted out in every particular; but
eeoerally the public interest subsides, the
case Il continued, Aavs are found in the bail
bonda. and finally the whole thing falls
through. This il not always the result, but
in the msjority Of cases it is.
On the 4sh Of last September the public
vas startled by the announcement that John
+. HafUer, Collector of internal Revenue
for the Springfield, ILL.,, district, was . de-
faulter to The amount of 500, 900. He At
ooce iBed the country. The o66cen ofjustice-
claimed to know his whereabouts, and prom
ised to bring him back ~ coon ~ the cause
of Justice dictated his capture. Popular in
d;cn.tion v.s at white heat. Suit was soon
brought againet his bondsmen. Presently 1t
Vas aecertained that he had had two sets
of bondsmen. Then the question came up
whether the defalcatiOn had actually Oc-
CURED under the new or old regime. Each
Get employed counsel, and in theory the
lawyers are fighting each other, while In tact
the especial interests Of there clients are the
same. In both cases the great point
Is delay. If the cases can he kept
on the docket a few wears, every
body will have forgotten the affair. and not
even Q mouse will reward the labOEs OF the
mountain. Had there been no bond in the
vay. public sentiment would have demanded
the vigorous prosecution OF Harper and his
DEPUTY, Smith. 1t ia altogether probable
tbst both would have been tried before this,
and one or both sentenced 10 the penitentiary.
The safeguards against defalcstion are
found in the swift and just punishment OF
the defaulters. Recovery under the bond
should be q secondary consideration. The
penal feature Of the Gaze should steadily be
kept uppermost. Defaulteis must be rigor-
ou-ly dealt with as . preventive. Better
abolish the bail bond system altogether than
to persist in its abuse; but there is no need
of that. Reform is feasible and ought TO be
promptly secured.-Chicdgo Journal.
The Journal is right. Defslcations and
breache. of trust are becoming frequent;
and they are encouraged BY the immunity
which so often attends the appropriation Of
funds belonging 10 the people or to other
persons than these to whom their custody
and care are entrusted. 1t is not uncommon
that feeling of sympathy arises whenever a
fiduciary is found unable to make his cash
balance, and the people are inclined to re-
gard him Is an unfortunate victim Of cir
cumstances, who is TO be pitied rather than
blamed. This sympathy always extends to
the persons who are the bondsmen of the de-
relict official, in greater degree. and a suit
against them is by no means certain Of being
gained BY the plaintiff.
Unless all this il corrected, there ia no
safety hereafter for public funds. There have
ia oil times been defalcations by officials
and robberies by dishonest clerks, and these
will always continue. But the steady growth
of the evil may be checked and will be, 80
soon as the example set in New York City,
in the case of Tweed and his ring, is followed
in all cases of robbery of the public treasury.
The recovery of the lost money is less i'm
portant than the punishment Of those who
have appropriated it. Better for the city
and county to loose every silver of the mis-
sing funds, and properly punish those who
have wrongfully taken them, than to recover
the money and let the wrong doors 60 free.
ToMoRRow the third annual conven.
ton of the national Womaa's Suffrage Aseo-
citation will be held at Washington. The
convention will be in session two days.
Al il we'll known, this movement, which
originated years Ego, has been slowly grow
ing in the Eastern, Middle and Western
states, and has received during the past few
years quite an Accession to its rolls.
A few days ago the women taxpayers as-
sociation of New York state met for the pur-
pose of receiving the petitions in circulation
the object of which was to ask the Lssisla-
ture to pass Law exemptIng woman from
taxation till she has the franchise; and the
petitions that we're returned Ecrovded with
names prove that the interest felt on this
subject has q deeper Judgment in the hearts
of the people than the mot sanguine had
hoped. A very handsome letter Of encour-
ment, written to be sent to Miss SUSAN r.
ANTHONY, at Washington. to the Woman's
convention was approved bv the association.
The new year opens ausPiciously for
Leavenworth. The January balance sheet is
more favorable than the general exrecfa-
ton. Our banks and business generally
have Suffered hut little from the panic, and
with remunerative prices for grain. pork and
beet, the year opens with more than ordinary
promis.. We look for good, easy times.
With the general disposition to re'rench and
economiee. the prosperity will be rss'. The
outlook i. altogether encouraging, AMI we
hone our bus,ness men will see TO it that all
the opposing elements and adverse ci,cum-
staDces which have encompassed our pro-
eress and prosperity in the past shall be
either haruonizsd or altogether removed.
This action on the palt Of our business men
is Indispensable. Cities are not built BY
chance, nor can single individual COM
bine the capital and energy e-seEtial to sue
cess. There must be cooperation, 4 common
oaesss of purpose. a strong pull and pull
altogether. /. is this quality of public spirit
We invoke for the..best good of I.eavenworh,
and it is in this hope that We indulge in all
our day dreams OF Der near future.
NATIONAL REVENUE.
The reyenues of the United States govern.
ment for the past fourteen years present .
curious study for the political economist. In
1860, when rebellion was being organized,
the ne. revenues were only $56 ;064, 500; in
in 1861, with war actually going on. they
were still less, $4l, 276. 299; and in 1852, in
the second year Of the war, they were only
S5l, 9l9, Isl. But then the fsst rising debt
and interest of the vast magnitude Of the var
alarmed the people and forced the adoption
Of . higher tari6 and an internal taxation
syssen, the result of which was that in 1854
The net receipts were Sill, 0s4, 965. or more
than doubls the preceding year; and in
aRA th.v vsr> unnpa than doubled amin BE-