Eureka daily sentinel. [volume] (Eureka, Nev.) 1871-1887, 1884-04-24

pnblic buildings-were improyidently
made. and so made by a combination Of
members from the beneficiary States to
that end. The purpose in these cases does
not appear to have been to rob the Gov
eminent or appropriate unlawfnlly the
revenues of the country, but simply te
give the members advocating them the
prestige influence in their districts, which
come from their supposed ability to hell
their constituency. This tendency 70
~improvidence in the use Of the public
revenue aver when it ultimately issue'
To the public use and convenience, Is q
bad one. There is a disposition among q
class of Congressman, and a large class o.
respectable journals, not only to c%riticise
and censure this alleged ~extravagant leg
islation. but to denounce and Willy the
men who favor them. Motives are i'm
puoned and a great deal of u~ngenerous
insinuation and unjust vituperations IN
dulped in, and that quite indiscrim-
inateIy. This tendency in the critics
is even worse and more to be deprecated
than that recklesspess which they assume
to censure. because it is not exercised
occasionally and upon proper subjects,
but breeds a habit Of fault finding that
extends to all Legislation, wise and un.
wise; and creates q settled and general
suspicion of integrity of public officers.
A grave Senator recently, while con-
ceding our naval helplessness, refused TO
vote the necessary money for the con
struction of an adequate navy because
the money would be handled by the
President of the United States; and
leading Journals Of the country are now
keeping up a senseless howl against ap-
preparations for public buildings-charg-
ing, by inuendo or ~insinuation, the repre-
sentatives of 90 great States with ignoble
or corrupt motives, because they propose
to appropriate 81, 900, 900 to build public
structures for the benefit Of the people
whom they represent. 1t is hazarding
nothing to say that these Congressman
are the peers Of their critics in every re.
spect. and this wholesale villiication OF
public men is d~iscreditable to the jour-
mails that engage in it. Delegated, or
Republican Government, implies not
only intelligence and integrity in the
voters, but in their representative agents,
and when the mutual confidence neces-
sary to this relation disappears good gov
eminent ceases to be a possibility.
Watch the public servant, but also
trust him and do not fail to give a conf
dence or trust needful to the public de-
fence or public convenience. because it
may be betrayed or perverted. The true
philosophy Of good government is to
trust the public fu~nctionary and give
him all the power and appliances neces-
for the public welfare, and if he is
recreant, then punish him. No matter
how high or humble the servant OF the
people, there is in law, in public opinion,
in society, some adequate provision
and power to punish every infdelity.-
New York Evening Stock Report.
The above article is a generous defense
of public servants against the criticisms
and, sometimes, the abuse Of the press.
If, however, the voice Of the people is
the voice Of God. the severity Of the
press is proper. The press often falls
short Of voicing the sentiment Of the
people in this matter, but rarely exag-
their views regarding the conduct
of public affairs.
What the people cry aloud for is a
clean, business-like administration of the
affairs Of the Government. They demand
that their representatives and agents
shall, in their official capacity, act just
as carefully and as uprightly as though
they were t~ransacting the same business
for themselves. In this the idea of Re-
form is crystallized.
Public buildings should be built when
they are needed, as, for instance, at the
capital Of Nevada. But when these
buildings all over the United States are
finished and ready for use the people
ought to be able to view them with the
same satisfaction that a man feels who
has had a private dwelling erected. They
should be built according to plans and
specifi cations and every dollar expended
should be represented in the brick and
stone and wood and fnishings and furni'
ture.
So, also, in regard to appropria
tions for the construction of war ships
that may be needed any day to save oul
coasts from devastation by a foreign
enemy. Nobody makes any rational OBJ
lection to the outlay of money needed
for this purpose, but every taxpayer il
interested materially in knowing that al
the money SO expended goes right.
When a private citizen has a skif, q
yawl or a yacht built for himself he sees
to it that he is not cheated; that the
money laid out is realized in the craft
ordered.
Why should not this business idea
prevail in every department of the Gov
eminent? Simply because the interests
of the people are neglected by their pub
lie servants, or, worse still, because
their representatives sell them out for
personal gain.
That this, as a rule, is the fact is uni
versally recognized. 1t should be en-
phasized by the press and repeated over