The new dominion. [volume] (Morgantown, W. Va.) 1876-1904, 1881-09-03
WHY N Change Was Needed.

ton in the calamity to the President,
the New York Times Rep. has con-
tinued from week to week it's start
ling history Of the post route frauds.
The details are simply Supplying,
and under any other circumstances
they would set the country adame
with indignant protests against
system under which such things
could be fostered. The story incul-
pates agents in several departments
of the postofiice-not even excepting
Key himself--who was at first re-
garded rs too much of simpleton to
comprehend the rascalities carried on
under his very nose. From Brady
down to the most irresponsible con-
tractor, the robberies of the Treasury
were carried on by regular system
demanding the utmost confidence Of
the thieves in immunity from the
head of the department, With all its
admirable work of exposure the
Times loses sight Of the meaning of
such state of things and the meth
cd of its correction. 1t believes or
Processes to believe, that there is
nothing needed to bring about a pu-
ritication in the service but the pros
ccution of the culprits.
Such reasonings as it gives are
based on fallacious arguments. No
change for the better in any of the
great departments Of the government
can be brought about until any party
that encourages fraud as well as be-
ing responsible is driven from office
as an evidence of popular indigna-
ton. 1t would have been just as
reasonable to expect pure admins
tration from the Tweed ring in 1870
as from the Brady-Dorsey republi-
can ring in the postoflice. For it
must be borne in mind that these
overwhelming evidences of systema-
tized far-reaching theft are not CON
fined to any one branch of the gov
eminent. The same characters that
dominated the postofiice ran the 9TH
ers They were just as potent with
the contracts of the War, Navy,
Treasury and Interior Departments
as they were shown to have been
with the postofliee.
Ofcourse when it is seen that crimes
like this can be committed and the
wrongs glazed over in the attempt to
make few persons the scapegoats
the encouragement is irresistible to
continue the thefts so soon as the
storm is blown over This govern
ment can never reach state of any
thing like pure administration until
parties are made to see that they real
~ cannot prolong their tenure by
theft and malversaton. For the
many years that we have been put
ting premium on every species Of
political rascality by turning from
the culprits and elccting their tacit
superiors to office. We did it in
1872, after the Credit Mobiler cx-
posures, which in any other civilized
country would have ruined party
and decorated the prison houses with
scores of it's members. We did the
same thing under more disreputable
circumstances after the whisky ring
exposure. The rcvel of the rascals
was resented for a moment in 1876,
when the majority against the prac-
ticc reached quarter of a million;
but they found means of protecting
themselves against an inevitable pun
ishment by defrauding the country of
its chosen functionaries.
Something like pure government is
maintained in England because the
public conscience is not scared ard
party symbols are not accepted in lieu
of fidelity to public trust. There the
greatest leaders and most popular
parties are turned out, as Gladstone
in 1873 and Bcaconsfield in 1879,
because the people thought it best
that new hands should get at the
books. Even a term of Democratic
rawncss and folly might be preferred
to the practiced chicancry and skill
fully covered rascality of party that
is now come to be little more than
mere crowd of office holders and Of
fice-seekers. No arguments for
change could be stronger than those
put forth unconsciously by the very
organs of the party that are most res
ponslblc for its long catalogue of ag-
gravated misdceds. - Philadeiphia
Times.