The Hillsdale standard. [volume] (Hillsdale, Mich.) 1851-1909, 1877-09-25

During the last decade. the increas-
ing number Of failures and defalca-
tions. without noticing those Of minor
importance occurring ia the different
departments of private business, have
reached a stunning magnitude, while
the instances OF proper punishment
for this sort of rascality have been
like angels visits" few and far be-
tween. Indeed, the aggregates Of hon
OrIJic crime have swollen TO such enOr-
nous proportions that Justice as adj
ministered in the gloriously free coup-
try is about the poorest paying farce
the people are taxed to sustain. The
New York Times calls attention, in
seIni-graphic way, to a small part Of
the record made in New York City in
this regard. While il refers 20 but
one commercial center, il reminds Us
OF sufficient amount of criminal
recklessness to "point moral and
adorn a tale" In answer 10 its own
inquiry, "Is anybody punished?" the
Times says:
The unfortunate paying teller of the
Phnnix bank long ago died by his own
hand in a startingly tragic manner
while ia his just confinement; the cash
ier of the Merchants National bank es-
capped with slight punishment. and that
OF the Central bank escaped with none
exile; the secretary OF the Union Trust
Company bore no penalty but exile,
and recently died in South America;
the cashier of the Atlantic bank sup
piled an exceptional case Of summary
punishment under the United States
Banking act; the teller Of the bank en-
countered exile In st. Johns, and an
Imprisonment there which still con-
tinues. Exile is itself punishment,
and every one of these defaulters, no
doubt, have suffered keenly, although
only part Of the proper penalty
Still, criminal out of reach is not
punishable, and the worst failures of
justice occur in cases where the law
can or might reach the culprit. Every
body, Of course. thinks OF Tweed In
this connection, and of the notorious
failure of the law IN his case, not one
member of the broken Ring having
been punished adequately. So with
the savings banks. One culprit fed 10
| Canada; some others, elsewhere; but
some remained IN the city and went
unwhipped Of justice, one of them at
! terward being hOnored, at his death,
with civic honOrs such rs this pie-bald
and stained City Government has pow
er to bestow.
So, again, more recently and more
| hagrantly this miscarriage Of justice is
shown in the case of the life insurance
companies. Twenty-eight companies
ali but one of them located in this
| laif V 20 l.
seven years: the cause of destruction
was form erly incompetence, but latter
| ly IL has been fraud. We cannot take
I space 10 review the cases in detail, and
/ they have all been set forth as they oc-
Cured, more fully and clearly in the
news column of the Times than any
where else; suffice it 10 say that sue
cessive reports have been made and
published by the Insurance Superin-
tendent, detailing the rottenness Of
these companies one by one, and more
or less directly, but always unmistaka-
bly,, charging their officers with theft
aud perjury. The officers Of the Con-
| tinental and New Jersey Mutual fed at
the first alarm and have since been
4 hidden; one officer Of the Security did
/ likewise; there have been several in
dictments found, but no trial, and the
| thing" begin to elbow over. What
are we going to do about it7
! We desire 10 avoid harsh words,
which convince nobody and weaken
/ the presentment Of case. There Is
moral doubt Of the guilt Of these men,
whatever be the practicability of estab-
/ fishing II by methods Of evidence; ct
least, there is less doubt than of the
guilt OF the great majority who staLd
before Judges for sentence, and what
ever doubt there is, il is the provinces
OF law procedures 20 prosecute upon
reasonable evidence and reasonable
| probability. We distinctly disclaim
the least feeling of yindictiveness, hav-
ing suffered no wrong beyond what
every citizen suffers from law break
ing. But this sort OF crime is espec-
tally dangerous, and the consideration
our courts have always shown TO what
is tenderly known as "breach OF
trust is both unjust and dangerous. -
| Trust ~ a necessity in society. We
can employ improved safes and tele-
graphic alarms against the burglar, but
against the treacherous aud trusted
employe what can We use? Hence the
breach OF trust" is breach made in
the foundations of society, and the de-
| faulter and violator Of trust is far
worse enemy than the burglar Eng.
lish law, with a clear perception, even
II with harshness, emphasizes this by
hanging the forger. but We lock mp the
man who breaks in from the outside in
the night, and let or the trusted one
who robs from the inside in the day
time. The Injurious effects OF these
! incorporation robheries are especially
great in two directions. When savings
banks are ruined a direct discourage
ment Is given 20 habits Of thrift and
encouragement to idleness and vice. -
The savings bank Is the natural foe of
the dram shop and Its influences. and q
blow at saving - therefore a blow at
society itself. When life insurance
company is ruined the effect is similar.
People are deferred from taking ont
policies, and are induced to sacrifice
those they already have. There is no
company but has suffered from these
frauds, and their tendency is directly
20 undermine the fabric OF insurance.
Their demoralizing effect - worse. -
/ We have all become so far used e
these betrayals Of trust that we have
actually coined a round, oily word fol
them; the defaulter no longer steals
he is guilty of a financial Irregular
ty." Let il not be forgotten that IA,
normal and necessary condition Of so
ciety is that the thieves not merely
those who actually steal, bat those vhC
would II they dared to-should be IL
the minority, when the dishonest, mo-
merely in act but in wish, become th,
majority, We shall go down by sheeI
force Of gravity. Consider, then
this Is so-whether those who, by un
punished crime are defrauding "a,
community of goods and dobauchius
il ia its better treasure, the moral sen
sibility, as well as they whose sluggish
ness prevents either outcry or protest
are not really working 30 overthrow SO
ciety.