National Republican., 1877-10-06
AN ERA OF FRAUD.

and excite both wonder and alarm at the
rapidly accumulating record which swells
with the names of fresh candidates for the
tribune Of justice and the penitcntiary each
succeeding day. We had scarcely recovered
from the MORTON surprise in Philadelphia,
when comes the GILMAN fraud in New
York, to hemp wonders on wonders head.
Both these men held high social positions
and were counted respectable, as the world
counts rcspectability. They shared largely
Of public respect and confidence, but both
now are shown up as unmitigated hypocrites
and knaves. MoRToN's fraud aggregates
$i,5o0,00o, for which he ofers nothing in the
way Of mitigating his crime. 1t was de-
Gbcrately committed and peristently fol-
lowed up for years without any reason
therefor except what seems to be found in
The evil promptings of his own nature.
The case of GILMAN is, perhaps, less in
cnormity, but none the less to be repre-
hended. His financial rascalites, so far rs
discovered, only amount to 100000, but
the professions of the man as high-toned
religionist, and the distance which he has
fallen, tend greatly to magnify the enor-
nifty of his offense. His family descent,
relations and connections were of the
highest rcspectability. He was at the head
Of large and honorable business, that had
been established by his father, and in
which he had himself acquired a good repu-
tation for probity. His social relations
were not only extensive, hut of the better
class. For man of buGiness he was pos
sessed Of large, and We might say, uncom-
mon culture, and hence was identified with
other interests which were above mere
moncymaking And, with all this, he is
represented as man without vicious
habits. But, in the midst of all these ap-
parent safeguards, he has fallen. While he has
been cognizant Of his own crimes and must
have known that murder will out" sooner
or later, he has systematically added crime
TO crime until the disclosure came, and he
now occupies a criminals status in the pub
ic eye. There is lesson in this which
none can afford to disregard. The Scr:s-
tures admonish u.s. "Let him who thinketh
he standcth take heed lest he fall" and in
this day and age of temptation no one
should disregard the injunction.
If these instances of crime filed the cata-
logue Of depredations upon the rights and
interests Of society, we would conine our
remarks to them, but they do not. There
are offences which may not legally wear
the character of crime, but which are none
the less grievous Take, for instance, the
savings banks where the poor have in their
confidence deposited their hard but scanty
earnings for safety, and they present re-
peated instances in which the most grievous
wrongs and sufferings have been inflicted
by mismanagement and dishonesty which
arc akin to crime itself OF these some four
or five have failed in the city of Chicago
recently under circumstances calculated to
call down upon them public malediction.
The poor are defrauded out of their pit
tances, and the suffering entailed thereby is
incalculable. This calamity is not confined
to our own country, but the epidemic has
spread to the Canadian Dominion, where
the people Of Montreal are suffering largely
by the failure of savings institutions.
There have been recently several cases of
embczzlements, robberies, frauds and for
geries in the city Of st. Louis, and for that
matter not only there, but elsewhere
throughout the country, giving evidence
that the tide of dishonesty and crime is in
creasing in volume, and threatens business
and society everywhere with an alarming
food.
It is to be hoped that under these as
tonishing developments proper safeguards
may be thrown around the future Pun
ishment, prompt and condign, must be
visited upon the detected offenders. LET
NO guilty man escape"
Then the food will be checked-conf-
dcnce will return to the marts of business
and trade, and mutual respect. will he re-
established between man and man. With
out these there is no comfort or safety in
the conduct of business where everything
hangs on the confidence and respect which
hiNh 'pNhlNS HClpHDbr III lnt EUlll-
.plicatiOns of trade and commerce. When
these r;tscalitie' shall have been punished,
and the rogue finds that the penalty OF
crime is TO inevitably follow, crime will d-
minish mutual confidence will be restored
aud the business of the country will again
pat on health and march forward to pros
pcrity. A want of confidence in individual
integrity and public policies has had much
70 do with the stsSnatiOn of business and
consequent arrangement and suffering
Intimately connected with these develop
ments OF villainy and crime we notice a
disposition to throw unjust prejudice upon
innocent parties by association. GILMAN is
represented rs having been intimately con-
nected with Sabbath schools and other reli-
gious organizations and institutions, and on
that account reflections are attempted to be
thrown on the cause of morality and rcli.
gion. This is unjust, for it is the want oi
the principles of religion that has led ia
these oficnses, and cannot be imputed tc
sl..t Ill.