Richland beacon., 1876-03-18
TFrom the Louisville Courirr-Ionrnal I
The Int;uigent Public.

There is more than a personal side TO the
last exposure of corruption i'll high official
circles. The Brecher case is All old theme.
though every morning brings Us new devel
opnIents by way Of illustration of that phase
OF the immoral tendency ot our times, bu; on
The same page with the current records ol the
B'"kiyn scandal people now read every
morning statement, concerning public officers
amy one q. which might have stirred the
co"nIry TO lie very trnIhs a quarter oi a
century ago. A foreign minister charged
with swIndlIng the people to " hum lac was
sent as the representative Of America; the
private secretary Of the chief magistrate of
the Union acquitted, though sill charged
with conspiracy 10 cheat the Government
the president and attorney < neral bodily
changed with collision 10 defeat the ends of
justice, are among tue more di.IIrgui>hed ac-
cu.atIons thai iuat before the eye in the early
uorning newspapers every day. These are
not mere idle rutiurs gathered up 10y diigent
newsmongers and elaborated to CRAFTY the
public taste tor scandal, bat official nlterances
deliberate statements alleged as fact by re-
spUn>ib,e parties, and charges up.n which
proof is being heard or j. freely offered
lake the official ling pOren,aues III New York,
the Boss Shepherd combination in " ashina-
ton. the Bercher affair IN Brooklyn. the rascal
ties IN Louisiana the Little Emma mine. the
crooked wi husky troubles all over the country
Beecher, Tweed, Shepherd Kellogg, Schemk,
BabcOck, Belknap-and a more illu>triuus
series Oi tuuplralIuus, considered eiiler in
magnitude, dignity Of station, or personal
character, raTel, ever pTesente Itself to the
attention Of a startled public.
The neral atmosphere is murky all around
us. and no man knows who To trust Deeds
Of darkness seem now to be done III daylight
and prrsump'ions OF innocence arising from
iupIobablIiy in the circumstances seem to be
reburIcd 10y the audacny that corruption as
sunes. Ii once needed regular appruachrs
to sap the citadel of integrity Of men Cf good
repu'e, but now the signal is exchanged and
understood aud accepted, or rejected as "a
BUSINESS transaction that requires lltt.s apology
for undue haste. 1t was never always safe
To jest with honor, but now 1t j. Positively
dangerous, for the Iish, jest may mean bus
uess and those who hear II have no criterion
by which 10 Judge of Its intent. There is "a
Restless feeling oi uncertainty of che ractrr in
both the public and the private walks of life
Every man of true honor feels that the situa
ton is anomalous and That his place is not
where il is-rlIat the line should he drawn
more closely and that suspected men shoud
make some effort at vindicaton before they
are permitted association with those whose
reputation is unsulled. Just now the feeling
is that If a man by hook or crook barely es-
capes tue penitentary lie has been sufficiently
tested on the standard of honesty, acd that the
republican theory oi the egualiIy VI all men
covers the intIIuate ASSOCIATION of all men
who are not yet in Jail. Charges oi corrup.
tion are boldly ma,ie and are repeated from
mouth to mouth. The popular verdict may
be that the proof Is most damaging, but il the
accused can get OF with the Scotch verdict
of mot proven h. is content, and men of
honor receive him back into fill communion
aud fellow ship.
IL may not be jnst 10 make an ouicast of
man merely because he is surrounded by
some suspicious circumstance; but there is All
adInoniliun that bids men 10 avoid the appear
ance OF evil, and those who recklessly neglect
the alvice should not complain II they suffer
the consequences Ii We la.e any of the
explanations offered by way of excuse in any
one of the mo.e conspicuous, cases of immor
ali;y or official corruption now engaging public
attention, we will find that, while it may
serve to avert legal punishment, it is wholly
inconsistent with that perfect integrity that
marks the honest man. What is needed IS
higher standard for the test of public and
private character. The peuiten,ary standard
is only fit for thieves, not men of honor, who
aspire 10 public and private trusts.
There should be public sentiment in
these matters that can make men feel that
when they have done wrong, whether they
go to Jail or escape the meshes Of the law, it
is time for them to literally and 6guratively
step down and out. Society has it in its
power to correct this light regard We give TO