Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1884-09-11
1he Great New brunswick Bank DO
~ falcatiOn.

~ faIcation.
TO me Editor of The Dispatch:
The continued deialcations which have
80 often recently been shown up among
bank officials must, in the very nature OF
ttings, have been caused not by want OF
iudlyidual honesty, but from some cause
which tempted such individual honesty be-
yond what men wanting determined and
tSfd principles could stand. This
being so, ii Il pertinent to look for
tie cause which has developed such
widespread rascaIify among bank Off
cials. No one who i posted about
TIE Affairs OF the country since the war will
! deny the fact that numerous men, by ras-
cally means, have become very rich. and yet
not one in ten Of such men has ever been
punished. They simply have by stealing,
or other means which amounted to the
same, got possession OF such vast sums OF
money as in our system OF trials to put IL
beyond the power OF the State or the United
States Government TO procure verdict OF
condemnation. hence The parties who have
swindled the Government by railroad bulls,
star-route contracts. whskey thieves, and
Other big Tascaity, have held on to their
pIundcr, and that. too. in general eases,
without the slightest punishment. Not
only this, but the facts indicate that men
high in office-say j. O.. Blaine, as
an illustration-so acted as to con-
vince a very large portion OF his coun-
trymen that he traded his Off cial position
TO bring money to his purse. How men
who have received from 5000 10 s., 900 per
year from the Government Of the United
States could manage, as in the csurse OF
some twenty years, to be worth a million
or two Of dollars, is hard TO explain. except
upon the ground that they used and ioOrked
their official position in such a way as 10
bring much money TO their purses. So
far from such men losing cast in
the community, or, more properly
speaking. with their party, that sort OF sue
cess seems rather to have increased their
good standing. Who can tell the profits
made on the great al black Friday" which
took place in New York some years ago!
knowledg beforehand as 10 what sort Of
the public debt Of our own State
Virginia): II the great firm Of Grant &
Ward could play the part it did
Calling for millions upon milhons),
who can think hard OF some sma-potato
firm. or many weak bank officers, that heg
too should want. and did play a game that
bankrupted both tue bank and their char
gcters. II an eX-President OF the United
states. II a candidate for the high position
Ct President Of the United States,
and II senator's in Congress have
played the parts they have. why should
not some bank officers try their luck,
even il in trying such luck 1t was neces-
sary TO respond very literally to the wants
OF 1.-the party" as seems to have been the
ease with the late cashier Of the New
Brunswick bank? Aye, more; il must be
remembered that our own Governor Cam
eron) seems 10 have tried his luck by get
ting money Of the deiunet Planters and
Mechanics Bank of Petersburg on stock,
TO say the least. which was n relation TO
some EXTENT OF the wild-cGt order.
By the acts oi some OF the great
leaders Of the grand old Republican party,
too many men have been tempted to play
at the game "heads win. tails some hon
est fools lose" There is no question
about 1t, that II Blame wins in tie coming
election stockholders and depositors in
banks must look after their own inter-
ests. unless they know that their bank
officers aIe men Of such stuf that no
temptation OF Tascals or tour party " will
ever cause them TO swerye from the right
path. In some sections the tariff Is tried
10 be made the great issue in the canvass.
In other sections prohibition seems to have
a prominent place, but. in perfect candor,
] will say to my countrymen that the great
issue is, or should be, for "such change
as will enable the people 10 look at the
books which the Republican party
has kept for the past twenty-four years"
one grand cause why Tilden was cheated
out Of the presidency was from the Repub-
lican leaders not wanting the people to see
INTO their books. Had that been allowed,
much rascahty would have been prevented,
but far more exposed. fe.. the great
fight now is lin very truth between
honesty and dishonesty. and IL the
great reiormer. Cleveland, Is defeated
by that bic iobber. J. q. Blaine, then it
will be bad dat for men who labor for
what they get and who want to pay one
hundred cents on the dollar for what they
may owe. while it will be grand day for
jobbers, Spectators in State stocks. star
route thieves, whiskoy thieves. railroad
manipulators, and the swindlers OF
the Government generally. We see
now that man who has
great deal OF money (even though
he got il next to stealing) has too much
power and too many admirers; but II
Blaine is the coming man to pattern after,
then may God have mercy on the people,
for il would seem thst they were not dis
POSED to have any mercy on themselves.
When you hear OF banks in New York,
New Jersey, and Virginia failing by the
iascality OF its officers, don't forget the
tompistions they were led into by an
eX-prcsident, or his partners. candidate
fer President, to say nothing OF senators
and Governor or two, OLD FOGY.