Ottumwa weekly courier. (Ottumwa, Wapello County, Iowa) 1872-1899, 1876-03-22
The Huntington Ha,ckeue

The Burlington Ha,ckeye in its is
sue of the 14th inst, has lengthy and
excellent editorial upon the integrity
of the civil service from which we
take the following extracts,
And at home, close observer of
events will soon be convinced that so
far from monpolizing all the rascality
in the country the civil service is con-
Quoted as honorably and as honestly
as is the private business of the courl-
try. The defalcations among public
officers are not SO numerous as the
defalcations of bank cashiers, book
keepers, confidential clerks and trust
ed agents. And vet, when bank
cashier folds up his tent and quietly
steals away with all he can carry, the
people of the United States do not
stand up and declare that all the
bankers in America are rascals. And
when the book-keeper follows in the
steps Of Mr.. Winslow and leaves his
employers tangled skein of myste-
riously doctored books to unravel, as
their only remembrance of the miss
ing one, the people do not immediate
ly return verdict to the effect that
there are no honest men among book
keepers. Men do not lose confidence
in bankers and merchants and insur.
ance men and manufacturers because
once in while bank clerk robs his
elnployers, nor even when, once in q
while business man makes dishon
est failure. They 60 right on, buy.
ing and selling, and never dream Of
imputing dishonesty to the entire
business population of Iowa becaus.
Mr.. Babbage or some other mar
turns out to be a rascal. They know
that honesty and dishonest are mixed
up the world over, and they hold ev
cry business man responsible for hi
own misdeeds, and look upon al
men as honest and honorable unit
they show themselves unworthy o
the opinion. And if the instances o.
dishonesty that occur almost daily il
business circles are not considered
and very justly, too, as weighin.
against the entire business communi
lty, there is no law by which simila
evidence shall be made to bea
against the entire civil service of tn
United States.
Men are not put in Office becaus,
they are dishonest, but they obtail
Office in spite of. their dishonesty
The Government would not put
thief in charge of pOstoflice or rev
enue Office, any more than merchan
would hire thief to take care of hi
books. Both the government an,
the merchant are deceived, sometimes
| i'm the character of the man they EN-
lploy, and the merchant is the oftcne
deceived, for he is most frequently tn
sufferer.
Il y
| The dishonesty of Gen. Belknap
no more proof of wide spread cor
Eruption throughout all grades Of tn
civil service, than the rascality Of MI
Babbage, of Dubuque, is evidence Q
universal dishonesty and unworthi
mess throughout the business circle
of Iowa. And the rascality of tn
one should affect the good nam
of the civil service just so far as tn
villiany of the other affects bushes
circles and no more. 1t Is disgrace
ful rejection upon the intelligence q
the people of the United States tha
they should SO easily and thoughtless
J ly drop into the absurd fashion of dc
nouncing all men in public life a
knavcs Of two classes, the detecte
and the undetected. This denuncia
ton does not make case against th
: civil service. Popular clamOr is an
, never has been infailible, no more tt
day than when it followed the incal
nation of purity, honesty, faultles
and rectitude, from the jndgmeI
hall, crying "crucify him" and nailc
him between two thieves.