The Rutland daily globe. [volume] (Rutland, Vt.) 1873-1877, 1875-03-16
From the st. Adams Messenger
Puttishmeut of Crime.

Hundreds Of people who feel, and long
have felt, personally friendly to ex-collecior
A. j. Crane, who was sentenced few days
ago by United States Judge, at Burlng-
ton, to eighteen months Imprisonment and
the payment of fine of two thousand dol.
lars, for embezzling funds and making
false en- ries in his official accounts can
not but think the punishment was well de-
served, it, indeed, it ought not to have
been more severe. Crane was clever
fellow; he made friends; he became an
ambitious and influential local politician
he was not one of the kind that gained
prominence by espousng some cause and
fighting Tor some great principle-not he,
for his business was to make friends he
became State Senator; he carried pass
over the Vermont Central railroad; he
knew the inside of things; he went fishing
with Senator ,Edmunds; he beanie col
lector of internal revenue he allowed and
probably counselled his deputy to confuse
the accounts-in short, he fell-fell before
temptation, fell under the influence of cor
rupting example, Tell from lack of that ex-
allied principle of life which always places
honor above gain and character above sue
cess. In passing sentence upon him, Judge
Shipman as good as intimated that it might
nave DctH thDOClcu WOulu lhlls lOT IC
knew nothing of the business of his office
and treated the position, just as thousands
of Others are doing, as a mere sinecure, TO
reward him for political services or to en-
able him to live and be more influential
hereafter.
But Crane was not altogether TO blame.
We have said that he fell, under the influ-
ence of corrupt example. man of stron-
ger character might have so fallen, but as
the world goes we do not always get men
of strong character to fill our public sta
ton. AS Mr.. jefferson well said, 1--WE
cannot expect angels, in the forms of Kings
TO come and rule verus' The law there
fore, should take heed of temptations and
vicious influences and crush them beneath
its iron heel. The collectors office was
one which, in a peculiar sense, made Il man
familiar with the cupidty, the lying. the
deprayity of men in high positions in life
and with the dishonesty OF their tools in Of
flee. Now, when Mr.. Crane was collector
and before his defalcaton commenced, he
discovered that a certain deputy assessor
in this district, (who shall be nameless at
present. but who made far greater preten-
sions to character and standing than he did
was allowing the wealthiest man in his
town, and one of The wealthiest in Vermont
to return an income of only five thousand
dollars year, when it was well known and
has since been proven to have been not less
than fly thousand; also another wealthy
man of the same town to avoid paying any
income tax at all, when it was well known
and has since been proven that his income
from single source alone (and not his
main one either) was at least five thousand
dollars every year during the existence of
the law. He saw, too, that this same as
SCISSOR was in the habit of refundng his ac-
count before each month expired, certify
ing that he had worked all the month which
of course, included the unexpired portion
and that lie was also in the habit of return
ing statements which required to be verified
by the oath of the party, with certificate
that such oath had been made when
in reality it never had been. Is
it to be wondered that man of A. j
Cranes cast of mind should have been sus-
ceptible to the evil influence of such an ex-
ample in the CO ordinate branch of the rev
enue service How natural it was for him
to reason that If men who stood high in
church and state-far higher than he did
or ever expected to-thought it proper for
them to do such things, it would be equally
proper for him How natural it was for him
to think that if they could pass without
scrutiny, protect their guilty secrets and
maintain their standing, he, with all the
books in his own hands, could do it and es-
cape detection!
But the time has come when the law must
strike at the great criminals. The man
who plumbers a store or pliers from coal
yard, to keep himself and family from
starving and freezing, is saint compared
with the trusted official-whether holding q
government trust or a business trust-who
manages, either by complying with the
forms of law, or by controlling the appoint
ment OF officials, or by manipulating the
wires of public influence, to sap the life oui
of the revenues that he ought to foster and
increase, and then to keep himself free from
punishment and firm in the honor of hi,
fellow. men, by means of the very plumber
in his hands