New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1874-06-03
TuR Uses OF INVESTYG lTION.


Whether upon the whole Investigations
pay, is q question which, in this period of in
vestigations, many sincere and well meaning
persons have not fully settled. To the timid
or conservative mind abhorring contention
and strife. and desiring above all things peace
and good neighborhOod. the whole business
of investigation is distasteful and offensive.
If there's anything wrong or dishonest going
on they do not care to know it, even to cor
rect and remedy it; ignorance is always bliss,
they argue, and it is never anything but folly
to be wise concerning tho wrong doing OF
our neghbors. There's charming sort OF
good nature In this; it disarms hostility anu
wins friends almost always and everywhere
and though the feeling it awakens lacks hber
and is hab6y, and not uncommonly
mixed with something very like con-
tempt, yet it attracts and invites
like the swooning airs of the land where it is
"always afternoon There are honest citizens
no doubt, and a great many OF them, per-
haps, whO having 10 interest in cOncealng
ANYTHING themselves, or in assisting Others to
conceal their faults or fOllies, have from a
simple, sincere desire to hear nothing wrong
of their fellow men, OppOsed-no, to oppose
favored the organized inquiries that have been
set on foot during the past two or three years
in Congress and elsewhere. These are the
Optimists, pure and simple. Some men never
keep a cash account because of the continual
worry they would be in to account for the
money they lose in one way. and another
Others never count their change; it is so
much trouble; for if there's mistake it would
be an annoyance to correct it, and II there Is
none the counting would seem to show only
an ungrounded suspicion.
Now set down one fact as positive
grounded in human nature and demonstrated
By all experience-tO wit that the man who
causes most mischief and most dishonesty in
this world is he who offers to his fallible fell
low that subtlest of all temptations, an utterly
confiding and unsuspecting disposition. More
boys have been ruined by their employers
having too much confidence in them, and being
un willing to intimate shadow OF suspicion of
their absolute trustworthiness; more bank Off
GERS have been ruined because directors disliked
ITO seem to doubt them; more public men have
become dishonored and disgraced because their
political associates thought it was reflection
upon their characters to put safeguards around
them and have their conduct watched and
their accounts carefully audited-in short,
more regulations have been lost and more
characters destroyed by blind and weak over
confidence than any other one cause. Human
nature is pretty much the same everywhere,
and weak enough at the best. Not year
passes that some exceptionally pure and upright
person is not found to be unworthy the conf
dence that has been reposed in him, and
not day goes by that does not discover some
grave misconduct or breach of trust on the
part of men to whom relaxed watchfulness or
over confidence offered opportunity and temp
tatiOn they were too feeble to resist. Careful
counting of change and scrutiny of accounts.
searching and severe examination of details in
auditing, repeated and persistent investigation
and inquiry are not indications of a small or
penurious or suspicious disposition. kThey are
rather the dictates of high and manly sense
of duty, and no consideration Of personal
friendship or political association no fear of
wounding tender sensibilities or shocking sem
sitive natures with the shadow of suspicion.
should ever hinder them from being conscen-
tiously and faithfully obeyed.
The epoch of investigations into which we
have seemed to pass as we came out from our
period of war, perfectly natural and accordant
given new interest to the question whether
such Investigations as We have had serve any
good purpose. And, as before remarked,
maDy houest well meaning people. seeing no