The Dallas daily herald. [volume] (Dallas, Tex.) 1873-1887, 1878-01-16
Iur ACE nf pEnuLAIl0N.

mobllcr and baok'pay days ID sllll
enormous, Tho principle b extending
10 all branches Of private business. ana
nov not q single day possess without
Ia own proper tale Of stealing en-
belalemont and fraud Of oyoly dosorp'
ton, Theso reports are taken ~ a
matter orcourse, and hardly excite a
passing ripple of interest, whore before
the war, either one would have served
for nine days wonder From m army
contract or an Indian agency down to
tho corner peanut stand, the spirit OF
peoulation and dishonesty prevails
The records Of crime are u wonderful
revelation, The prOudaat names IN the
nation are furnished, and In any Of our
state prisons will DO found men bearing
the proud names Of tho revolution,
whose fathers were of tho society Of the
Cincinnati, bending to their degraded
tasks alongside Of the boot black and
petty thief of the cutters,
The true causes Of all tbs,
aside from the natural disposition to
acquisitiycncsa, ia the wonderful power
oil money In these days, and It's still
more wonderful concentration in the
hands Of the fortunate few, No matter
what u mans origin il, no matter how
many unhthomablo Abysscs Of crime
and population he has sounded if he
has acquired goodly store Of this
world'o goods, society throws over all
the veil of iorgellulness, and II charity
as false as hell itself, and hypoeritically
absolycs the thief from blame Lovely
womon's sweetest smiles and music's
soilcst notes are for him who can Afford
to pay the most for them, and no
thought OF the degrading service
changes the one into n lrown Of dis,
pleasure, or the other into Il discord
With such power attached to the
mere possession OF money, is it strange
that men dare all, even to the hazard
of II good name, to acquire it, Another
boleIul phase of this dangerous power
IL scen and alas il is becom'
ing almost daily occurrence,
for poor men, who, by their
talent or by some Iortuitous arrange,
ment Of circumstances, find their way
TO high official station to fall, The taste
power and distinction only whets the
appetite for moro, and ho, too, soon
weighs the power cf the only element
lacking in his effort TO climb to tue
summit of gr0nducr-moaey The
opportunity is vt hand, and blind to
every thing els, save the glttcrlng gold
ahead, he Mlls--sclls his manhood, in-
dependence and honor for the necessary
gold Well might Charity drop II
tear over this case, but Justice inter.
poses and points to the thousands of
struggling poor whose scant pittuuco
of tax money is Involved, and which
they must repay sooner or later in
some way This dishonesty is bad
enough in private life, but how infnte-
ly worse is it in one holding an office OF
trust and honor by the voice of his
fellow citizens,
No corrective can be applied which
will serve "a an absolute safeguard,
cntil money is robbed of some of its
power by subtracting from its considers
alton. Other things, truth, honor, lidel>
ity, ability and devotion to the public
good must find more favor in the eyes
of the masses, and worth must weigh
against money, however obtained.
Our state, aye, indeed our entire sec,
ton has heretofore been singularly free
from the vice of POPULATION. But few
southern men of prominence have ever
betrayed an important public trust.
Their presence is already being felt in
restoring tone to the national govern
ment, and since our own state govern.
ments have again fallen INFO the hand,
OF our own people, these disgracelu1
scenes have ceased in great measure
to occur ltwould be double Grim,
OF the deepest dye Tor II southern officer
to fall, since we are striving to ma Ike
the contrast between them, and those
Iolstcd upon us 10y military reconstruc,
ton rs strong rs possible.