Clearfield Republican. [volume] (Clearfield, Pa.) 1851-1937, 1881-10-19
HOWGATE'S CASE

Considering that Captain Howgate
is supposed TO have embezzled Govern.
ment funds to the amount of a hun.
dred thousand dollars or so, and that
be has manifested not unnatural dis.
position to get away, the public will
scarcely share the opinion Of his ooun.
sci that the requirement of ten thou.
sand dollars bail is unreasonable and
oppressive. There is no occasion for
any vindictivo treatment of Howgate,
aud there is little danger Of it. In
deed, the only danger IS that his case
will be allowed TO drag along until the
good effect that might result from his
prompt prosecution will be lost. Yet,
after all, even the most exemplary
punishment ofthis prctentious swndler
will scarcely make atonement for the
criminal carelessness that allowed him
for so long the unrestricted control of
the Signal Service funds at a time
when his immoral and extravagant
mode Of life was notorious TO all Wash.
ington, The story of Howgate's per.
sonal intrigues has been often repeated
with quite as much detail as necessary,
but the manner in which he maintain.
ed his official position and influence
has never been clearly explained and
it is difficult TO understand how a sub.
ordinate officer could have blossomed
out into such magniticence of vice
without the knowledge of his superiors
Howgato is one of a class common
enough in public life, who mako up in
etlrontery what they otherwise lack,
and with tho slightest Of proper quail.
fcations impose themselves on the pub.
lie as eminent men with such easy sue.
cess that they do not even find it nee.
essary TO conceal their extravaganza of
life. There arc mutitudes Of Just such
men not only in Washington but in
every one OF our cities. They occupy
more or less prominent positions, with
small salaries or perhaps with no sal
ary at all yet they wear diamonds
and drive fast horses and drink the
costliost wines, and an easy-going pub.
lie bows before them and allows them
to select its officers and TO handle its
money. Occasionally there comes an
unlooked-for change Of administration
and one of these men is tripped mp and
goes to jail but the game is not stop.
ed because one player has dropped
out.
Howgate's case is peculiar only be-
cause he was in the military service,
where we commonly expect-ior what
reason it would puzzle us to explain
to find sterner virtue than in civil
life. Otherwise he was an adventurer
Of the common sort. He pretended to
be q scientific man, and the public took
him at his own valuation and gave
him pre.eminence over the hard.work.
ing men Of science who knew the hol.
lowness of his pretensions but modest
ly held their tongues, The worthless.
ness Of his character must have been
equally well known to those about
him, but he knew the way to infu.
ence and favor, and il was not till his
mode Of life became an open scandal
in the newspapers that 1t seems TO
have occurred to anybody that his
official conduct was probably no bet.
ter, How many HowgOtes are there
at Washington and elsewhere who
have not yet been exposed? This is
question of deeper interest than the
precise extent OF this mans embezzle.
ment or the proper amount ofhis bail.
A rogue Of this stamp is not an isola.
ted phenomenon. He is the product
of his surroundings, and that which
produces one such is likely to produce
NOR Philadelphia Times.