Clearfield Republican. [volume] (Clearfield, Pa.) 1851-1937, 1877-11-28
YING THE PENALTY.

another good man gone wrong
hns become piece Of current slang,
that Is heard nowadays with dismal
frequency. Ono Of the saddest fca-
lures of the great business depression
that has affected the country since
1873 has been the revelation of the
moral weakness and the corruption Of
ner VIZ bad epioyeal tLs hlgl,ssl anbt l.l
ss'ss,',s. W. 's;,ss. .'i,'
presidents, savings-bank cashiers, &c,
have been prominent before the world
as Sunday-school teachers and pillars
Af the various churches, as to give q
keen edge to the taunt when the world
says, with a smile, "Anotber good man
gone wrong" Itmust be remembered,
however, that hypocrisy is only ono
of the crimes Of sleek villains; and
their fall does not prove the weakness
of true piety in its hold upon the human
heart, but only the charity and gulla.
bility Of the world which accepts the
outward show ofpiety for what it pro.
fesses itself to be. The demoralizing
thing is not so much that men should
wear the livery Of the court Of Heaven
to serve the devil in as that when their
hypocritic garb is torn off, and their
true nature revealed, so many good
christians should still be willing to
make common cause with them, defend
and cover them with the mantle OF
charity. The declarations and rob
berries Of banks and other corporations
by their officers that are now coming
TO light, were in many cases wrought
years ago, at the time when corrup.
tion and Grantism ruled the land
The deep seated and widespread ras.
calities Of Grants two terms infected
the whole business ofthis country with
rank deceit and fraud. How could il
be otherwise, when fraud open and
brazen sat in all the high places and
the press Of the party Of great moral
ideas sustained them in all the swim
dies, or denied their existence What
wonder that managers of private cor
porations should hasten to grow rich
and make improper use of the fund:
that they controlled when they saw q
Vice President and Speaker of the
House stepped in legislative frauds
when the minister to England wa.
caught in sheer swindle when cabi
net ministers were swindling the gov
ernmcnt openly and palpably; when
there was ring in every department
of the Government when Grants
private Secretary and Grant himself
were the consorts of whisky-ring
thieves, real estate pool financiers, de
tectives, burglars and all this defend
ed by an intelligent press, supported
by great party and denied and prayed
over by men calling themselves chris
tians What wonder that the sight
of this successful villainy in high places
should have sapped the integrity Of
men who had charge Of the moneys Of
private corporations Who can esti-
mate the Generalization consequent
upon seeing a Vice President Of the
United States, proven beyond caviI to
be bribe.taker and faIse-swearer
going about delivering lectures before
Young Mems Christian Associations,
where ministers of the gospel "opened
the proceedings with prayer2' 1t is
heart-sickening to think ofthese things
and it is sad to reflect that this coun-
try has not yet paid the full penalty
Of its crimes during Grants regime,
The low grade Of political and business
morality ofthat era has not yet wholly
expiated its sins Of financial disaster.
There are yet other corruptions that
will be brought TO light, and other
good men who have gone wrong" 10
be unmasked Baltimore Gdzette.