, 1874-05-03
Ghe Gbmagn Ufibu11&.
Sunday Morning, May s. 1874
HONESTY vs., LOYALTY.

HONESTY vs.. LOYALTY.
In the House Of Representatives. one day LAST
xsek. two members Of Congress- ventilated the
racord Of each other The letters Of one mem-
ber. showing personal and pecunia1y intimacy
With the Washington City R1ng,-the member DE-
inc Chairman OF the Committee on District Al
fairs.-ve,e read to the House. Thezeupon the
member thus inferentially accused OF dishonesty
CHARGED that Ills accuseE had served IN the Rebel
Amy and produced some letters showing that
this man approved Of tho Rebellion. linen tne
two members stopped One had charged tne
other with dishonesty; and the man tnus
accused replied that his accuser hao oeen
q traitor and Rebel A few days
later the American Bank Note company
Of New York, in answer to a communication
from the Treasury Department, d1sclosea
achene BY which the Treasury Department WAS
gysteuatically robbed BY the engraVers and
orintezs in its employ and the men thus &C
cused OF robbery RESPONDED that the New 1o1k
Company had engraved notes for the treasury
Of the Confederate Government. The answer
to the charge Of stealing, in this case as In the
ether, was that the sccuser had been IN symps-
thv with the Rebellion. Under the eystem OF
slavery It was rule Of lay in the Blaveholdtng
States that no white person should be held TO
xnswar for any criminal charge made by
negro; nor should the testimony OF any negro
be heard in the trial OF my case where
white man WAS party. The proceedings
1t Washington seem to recognize the same
principle, substituting participation in the
Rebellion for the color OF the skin and. en-
tranched behind this principle, official diahon-
nstv deies investigation, de6es examination. de-
les conviction
It u universally conceded that, 1t this time in
sur national history, the great struggle is be-
tween dishonesty in Office and the right OF the
people to dielodge it. Tho investigations in the
United States Senate show that, for = series Of
rea1s, it has been practice to purchase seats in
That body, and that these seats have not thus
been purchased for the mere honor Of the Office,
put for the opportunity the place afforded to
make money, Il ia unnecessary to refer to the
revelations Of the Credit Mobilier affair to
ihow that the abuse OF official position
Tor pecuniazy gain has been more general than
h consistent with legislative purity. For years
the integrity OF the men employed in fduciary
capacities has been undermined, and VIC have
had innutuerable instances of paymasters,
cashiers, and of6cers Of every degree, charged
rith tho custody Of public money who have
proved false to their trusts. This disease has
attended to private business and the record Of
robbery and defalcation in banks, corporations,
and private establishments has been unprece-
dented- But the example Of official dishonesty
has been most baleful in it's effect upon State,
county, and city officials. The chAngea in Office
in 1873, by the Farmers and other popular move
ments, unmssked Thousand or more dishonest
kreasu1e1s in Ill parts Of the country. These
facts show that the great struggle Of the day il
whether this general corruption and dishonesty
Rhau retain possession OF the Governments
National, State and municipal, Or be dislodged.
The War, Of necessity, made loyalty the CHIEF
virtue for the time. But the War has been sue
ceeded by ten years OF peace, and the loya1t
that covered dishonesty during the War can clAin
no such exemption nov. 1t is no answer to de
tected theft to say that the thief Was 'loyal
during the War. It is not sufficient excuse TO
robbery to Say that the robber did not enlist il
the Rebel ranks. Nor is it any defense to
charge Of official dishonesty that the accuse
WAS disloyal, or q Rebel, or . Copper
head, during the War. That kind Of defense
lwAys questionable and disreputable, has becom
Ihreadbare, and it's use at this date is an insu
10 the intelligence Of the public, and an insu
10 every man who is patriot and not THE
Wherever there is case Of official dishonest.
where professions OF loyalty are used ~ = shie]
q veil to the crimes practiced beneath it, II
punishment OF the guilty should be mol
prompt and severe than in ordinary cases. tt
man is guilty Of double crime, and shows til,
his loyalty Is not real, but assumed for pu1pos
It Is time that the public should put pereml
tory stop to any further professlons Of loyal!
when the question At Issue la vhethez the oiRc'
IL thief OF not.
Freights by water are very low now. It cos