Fayette County herald. [volume] (Washington [Washington Court House], Fayette County, O. [Ohio]) 1860-1???, 1878-08-15
are rhero No Honest meme

TWO pFOpOSlClOnS
'sThere is no man who will ultimately
resist the temptation to use funds which
are absolutely in his control for a long
time; and in using them he does so with
the most honorable Intentions, trusting to
secrecy until he shall have paid back ev-
cry cent?
Both of these statements are objection
able, because they are nOtOfounded in
truth. It would be in the highest degree
/ discreditable to the human race, if the
first proposition were true, and exceed
ing dangerous to admit the justice of the
second. Let US look at them separately /:
l. l. "There is no man who win Ultimate
ly resist the temptation to use funds
which are absolutely in his control for a
long time.'' Is that so? Then there are
no honest men living; then we may not
put confidence in anybody; then charac-
acter is no basis for trust, and defalca-
ton or robbery is but a question of time.
/ Give any man time and opportunity and
he wifi prove himself to be villain. Now
we do not take so sad view of society as
this. We bear in mind that in proper
ton to the vast number of trusted men,
the breaches of trust are very few. In
such . community as New York, Boston
or Philadelphia, the number Of men hav-
ing absolute control of large trusts, as
executors, agents, guardians, trustees of
estates and minors, is to be counted by
tens and hundreds of thousands. Scarce
lily man of position and character but is
in some way made the trustee of money
which he is to handle and guard for 9TH
ers. Some of these men are treasurers of
great Institutions, with large sums lying
in their hands, subject to their individual
| direction, and at any moment they could
hypothecate securities, raise money, and
on it depart out of the city, or speculate
in stocks. This is the temptation which
| overcomes weak and wicked men. But
to say that F'no man will resist this temp
tation'' is to Ignore the fact that the inn
mense majority of men do resist; that
Che defaulters are only as one in thou
sand, miserable exceptions to the general
rule, which is honesty. not robbery. The
facts are bad enough, without making
them worse by exaggeratiOn. We would
not increase general distrust by impeach-
/ ing the many who are entitled to the
more confidence because others forfeit
character and drown themselves in the
perdition of dishonest men. Good men
would shrink from holding trusts, if it
were held as fact that all men will be-
tray their trusts with plenty of time and
opportunity, <|3 @~ p n sars
2. iButthet second statement is even
more dangerous than the first. The one
excites distrust; the second stimulates to
crime. The writer says: SIN using them
| (trust funds) he does SO with the most
honorable intentions, trusting to secrecy
until he shall have paid back every cent. -
The point we make is that the word hon
orabIe in such a connection is unfortunate
and injurious to good morals. The tnten-
tiOa is ia the highest degree dishonOrable
i which encouragessa trustee to peril the
money of another for his own advantage.
The intention to restore is the salve to his
conscience, or rather the mask that he
wears while he robs his innocent, unsus-
pecting and hel pless Victims Honorable
intentions, indeed A man being entrust-
! ed with the money of another says to him
self: 81 Will take this money and go up
| on the street with it and operate till
have doubled it; then viii put it back
where it now is and the trust will be as
| good as before. 1 will be so much richer
and nobody will know how it was done. y
Is that honest? The trust was safe as il
/ stood. Or it was where the law and his
judgment directed him to place it. Bu
he resolved to put it in peril for the sake
of making himself rich. His intention
to put the money back was part of the
scheme which he formed for his own ad
vantage at the hazard of the trust. The
resolution was dishonest. The intention
was no palliation, but was cloak for the
crime, and, therefore, was in no sense
honorable. The moment that he decided
to violate his obligation as a trustee the
man was lost. Having no better right tC
take that money for his own use than h
would have had if it were in the keeping
of another, he was thief at heart as soor
as he determined on its appropriation.
We are the more explicit on this poin
because it is just here that men decefv,
, themselves, and are deceived, by sucl
D reasoning as we have cited. They vainly
imagine that restoration atones for tn
: appropriation of what was not their own
as if it were sufficient excuse for high
, wav robbery that the rObber intended tt
restore, and actually did restore, at SOM
future time, the purse he took. The trus
tee who misappropriates the funds in hi
hands is as much worse than thief, as
thief is meaner than robber; the mean
: ness being greater as the risk of detection
is diminished.
q These are times when this subject ough
: to be fully understood. It is well to Sc
i before the best of men the dangers G
temptation when facilities are so grea
and the standard of morality is so feal
= fully low. So many have been the breach
! es of trust on the part of treasurers an
= directors and presidents, as well as {
! private trustees, that men have come
look upon these offences with a lenienc
Il that is exceedingly unfavOrable to publ
virtue. 1t is now very hard to make
# tsbreach of trust'' a crime punishabl
" with imprisonment. The honorable il
tention" to restore palliates the sin an
a wipes out the shame in the eyes of MI
q ney-getting generation. But it is not
E. in the sight of Him who seeth in secre
W 1t ought not to be so in the eye of the lay
re or of any good man.
IL Hon. Mills Gardner, of Fayette count
s. is favorably spoken of as a Republica
d. candidate for Congress from this Il
IN Ninth district. Governor DennisOn,
ID Ewing Miller and Lorenzo English, a
al spoken of as candidates before the CO.
r vention for this county, while Pickaw;
ne county presents the names of Hon. Nels'