Butler citizen. [volume] (Butler, Pa.) 1877-1922, 1880-04-21
a PERILOUS "FASHTON"
IHarper's Meeklv.l


Kemble, the late State Treasurer of
Pennsylvania, having been convicted
of bribery, failed to appear for SEN
tence, and his bonds were forfeited
There was great surprise expressed,
because, according to one of the re-
ports, "He would have been sure of
lenient treatment at the hands of the
judge, who would have made the SEN
tence light, on the ground that Kem-
BILE did only what it has been the FASH
ion to do. In other words, bribery
has become so common that the uni
versatility of the crime would have led
the Court to remit or Tighten the PEN
atty. And what is the crime which
has become so much the fashion
Merely poisoning the springs of gov
ernment, and destroying the conditions
of public safety under our political
system. Nothing more than that. 1t
is merely boring holes in the ships
bottom when she is under way That
is all. 1t is an offense compared with
which the ordinary crimes of theft and
swindling are innocent. But however
fashionable burglary or arson may be,
the fashion is not generally supposed
to extenuate the offense; on the con-
trary, it is usually held that the more
frequent the crime, the greater the
| necessity of its repression. Which is
really the greater offender, the sneak
thief who ''prigs" coat from hall or
a handkerchief from the pocket, or the
plausible gentleman who coTupts a
| Legislature with bribes The latter
business is unquestionably with some
persons a fashion, and very general
one. But when it becomes the fashion
| of Courts to mitigate or omit punish
ment for such bribery, it would seem
to be favorable time to take a reckon
ing.
A similar case to that of Mr. Kem-
ble's occurred recently in England
At the last session of Parliament Mr..
Charles Edward Grissell merely as
serted that he could manipulate with
money a select committee of the House
of Commons, and procure certain ac-
tion upon private bill. Now it is
well known that the votes of members
of that House are not for sale; but
they did not choose to tolerate such
fragrant slander, and the House or
dered Mr. Grissell into custody. He
ran away to Boulogne under pretext
of his health, but returned, within q
day or two of the end of the session,
as the power of the House, he thought
ceased with its adjournment. When
he found that he was still in danger,
he sent petition Of submission, ask
ing the indulgence he House. But
he was ordered into the custody of the
sergeant-at-arms, appeared in the most
humiliating attitude at the bar OF the
House, and by unanimous vote was
committed to Newgate during the
pleasure of the Commons. Mr.. Girls
sell did not allege, nor did anybody
suppose, that he had actually bought
any member to vote as he wished.
His offense was slander and defiance
of authority, and the action of the
House was conside cred necessary to
show such men that its honor could
not be impugned and its authority
delied with impunity. 1t seems that
bribe members, nor to remit the pen
atty of bribery upon the plea that it is
fashionable.
1t is one of the worst signs of dam
ger to the Commonwealth that such
offenses should be regarded lightly.
They smooth the way to anarchy and
civil strife The maintenance of an
L nd
the only sure, guarantee of the public
welfare. Alexander Hamilton was
not considered to be political purist,
but he made the most humiliating pri-
vate confession and explanation rather
than endure the suspicion of tamper-
ing with his public honor The Par
liaments of Sir Robert Walpole were
notoriously venal, and they lie under
the ban of honest public opinion, al
| though even so honest a man as
! Thackeray makes a kind of plea for
them. But the "fashion" of corrup-
ton did not make it decent, nor ac-
quit it at the bar of intelligence and
probity. If the report that we quote
be correct, that the sentence of Kem-
ole anu MS dcCOlHpliCcS Wouiu Ha'O
been light because bribery or corrupt
solicitation is so much the fashion, it
is but another illustration of the truth
that the real peril of the Republic lies
in political dishonesty and the decay
of public spirit. The remedy for the
evil does not lie, however, in accept
ing it as unavoidable. There will al
ways be knaves and swindlers, but
sensible people do not for that reason
acquiesce in knavery and swindling
without struggle. Penal laws and
prison and police do not abolish crime,
but that is not held to be sound rea-
son for dispensing with judges and
iais There will always be kembles
and Grissells of every degree, but that
is not a ground for regarding them as
evils so inevitable that it is best to
abandon the contest with them. When
| it was fashionable" to garrote passen-
gers in the street, it was still more
| fashionable to pursue them relent-
| lesslv. and the result was not that the
| crima diSanneared but that ii ceased