The weekly Thibodaux sentinel and journal of the 8th Senatorial District. [volume] (Thibodaux, Lna. [i.e. La.]) 1875-1898, 1885-12-19
The Thitodaux Sentinel,
SATU DEC. 10, 1885.
INTEGRITY.

Moral >%"undness or purity is a thing
which, We are sorry to say, is not gen
orally cultivated. The press may
thunder against corru ption in high
places md Petty thieving among lower
Oficials, but iG has no etfrc: in purify,
ing the States. One official who has
been detected in fraudulent dealings
or downright stealing is removed, but
only to make way for another, who.
empty handed entering Office, has Il
greater grab to make into the public
treasury. Detection and exposure may
stop for Il short time systematic plum
der,..b"t in Il .kort Whsle it is fund +"
be as great AS ever. What is the cause
of this state of affairs, which ever the
heaviest penalties of the law and the
Indignation of alllrighteous men are un
able to reform, and which threatens
the very safety of the Republic :! 1t
must be that We look for it in the gen
eral culture which the. young men of
our age receive. not alone in the
schools for instruction in letters, but
also in that greater school of the
world.
Public opinion has been corrupted
The petty thief is held in Indignation.
and is regarded as deserving the full
penalties of the law, while the great
crimina. who by trickery or a flaw in
the law is enabled ito rob his conntiy
of millions is looked upon by the mass
of the people as u shrewd man Of bust
ness. Trade has of late years in many
cases ceased to BE- an honest means Of
acquiring a competence. 1t has be-
come depraved, and in many cases a
gentlemanly means tor gambling.
Boards of trade and similar institu
tons. have become to a certain extent
the occasions for men, by sharp manip-
ulations. 10 acquire fortunes which are
no more honestly acquired than those
obtained at the taro-bank. The young
man is Taught to look upon these bust
ness exploits Of spectators as honest J.;
they are held up to him as things wor
thy of imitation. TIE stock gambler,
the gold gambler and the grain gam
bier is regarded as the most respect
able man Of the town, and all fall down
to worship him. The man who by
trickery and fraud acquires wealth, ut
the same time acquires respectabillty
and the reputation of being a shrewd
business man. Is it any wonder, then,
that the official who sees the dishonest
business man succeeded, is tempted to
be dishonest and initiate their acts in
his dealings with the public treasury 2
In order that the people Of our coun
try map return to the path of honesty
which for tho last sixteen years they
have deserted, it is necessary to have
corruption, fraud and trickery in all
business transactions frowned do w
to have young men educated to look
upon the man of integrity, and not the
man Of success, as his model to hold
up the Fisks, the Jay Goulds and Jay
Cookies las men unworthy the admira
ton of their fellow. citizens /; to edu
cate them up to a standard which can
brook nothing that savors of trickery
or fraud ; to make them understand
that money is not the sole thing wor
thy mans struggle for in this world.
but that a good honest name is far
above call the wealth of Ormus of Ind"
To stem the tide of corruption it is ne
cessary that the people recognize those
high principles of morality which the
Church demands of all men, and to fol
low them.-Ex.