Pioche daily record. [volume] (Pioche, Nev.) 1872-1876, 1875-09-24
NOT A SPECIALITY.

NOT A SPECIALITY. q
The present era seems to be one OF
official corruption. Every click of the 9
brings intelligence Of fraud,
peculation, misdemeanor and ma!feas-
apoe in Office. A loose recklessness
seems to pervade all branches of our {
public service and il is fast becoming a
national reproach. English and Contin-
entail papers comment on the demoraliz-
ing tendency Of democracy and point at
our Tweeds, Shepherds. Fishers and
others Of like ilk and talk in strain as
though all this was due to our national
The American system Of
doing public business is not calculated
to impress the nations of the earth with
q favorable opinion or estimate Of our
honesty, but without extenuatipg politi-
cal chicanery, public robbery or system
attic swindling, or without any desire to
weaken the public detestation of those
public crimes it might be we'll to call TO
mind what has doubtless been read and
most likely forgotten, viz: Political cor
ruption and the foul tide Of public de-
bauchery prevalent in other countries.
Without more than alluding to the enor-
nous swindling in Russia. and merely
reviving recollections of the stupsndous
system Of bribery, fraud and downright
criminality in France under the reign Of
Napoleon ILL.,, we will pass on to n
country with which we have intimate
social and political relations England.
Horace Walpole originated tho phrase
"every man has his price, +" and when
an important measure was to be put
through, dextrous little fellows lowered
around the doors of Parliament with bags
Of guineas and all member had to do
was to name his price and sell bis vote,
and the worthy representatives of British
constituencies were not slow to avail
themselves Of such golden opportunities.
When Lord North was carrying on war
against the Americsr Colonists a century
ago, and on one occasion desired to
raise loan Of sixty million pounds. he
gave the House of Commons four mil
lions to help put the bill through.
Coming down to our time we find the
Duke of Portland spending forty thou
sand pounds to secure his election to
Parliament, and Lord Spencer put
ting seventy thousand pounds where
it would do the most good for like OBJ
ject. The Nabob Of Arcot, an Indian
Prince, owned eight members of the
British House Of Commons. They were
his creatures bought for ten thousand
pounds each, and the investment was a
most profitable one to the worthy for
eign Spectator. When the American
memory is logged and these half-forgot-
ten facts pointed OUT Credit Mobil.
Ter, our Indian and whisky rings, which
raise virtuous howl of indignation from
foreign press look very small. O
course it is sorry consolation to US whel
We fall in the mud to see our neighbol
has tumbled and soiled himself worse
but yet public corruption is not al
American specially by any means. Pub
lilo sentiment in England has, Of lat
years, undergone great change. and W
believe that country to-day has set Q
officials with the cleanest hands OF an
country in the world. The same chang
is going on here. The difference be
tween the Old and New World at pres
ent is. that across the Atlantic they bus
up all those little matters and smothe
public inquiry. Here it is the othe
way; everything is dragged to the ligh
OF day; every little piece Of fraud @
petty grab at the treasury is daint
dish to set before the great reading pull
lie; and when the pie is opened il tn
birds only begin to sing the success {
the news item is an assured fact. Their
is in the United States public feelin
against corruption that is a mighty bal
rier against the encroaching tide of pull
lie corruption. That there are man
and grave faults in our system of Go,
ernment is unfortunately too we'll know
70 admit of successful contradiction
Our Judiciary is badly managed and on
iarists inadequately paid, our Congress
s'onai system admits of many opportu
mites OF making the public good sui
servient to private ends, but where
there perfect Government TIL
knowledge of radical defects in our for,
OF Government is a most powerful auxi
larry in the suppression and final extin
ton OF delinquency in this most impc
tant respect. II every American. eve
lover Of his country and its institufio
would unite in protesting against pub
corruption and individually decry su
ignoble practice, the present scandalo
management of public affairs would /
come as much by-gone matter of rect
lection as the once corrupt English Go
eminent is to the present generation
our English cousins. In this respect
least We might take leaf out Of the
book with benefit 10 ourselves and il
mediate posterity.
There was recently formed in st. p
tersburg society OF ladies' who have
nounced the use OF silk dresses and eye