The Irish standard., 1886-12-25
DISHONEST OFFICIALS.
Why They Are Not Deserving Of tAl
Sympathy Of Nonest People.

| DISHONEST OFFICIALS.
why They Are Not Deserving Of tAs
Sympathy Of Hsnest People.
There seems to be some danger that
the healthy sentiment which denounces
fraud and roguery whom committed by
men in positions of trust may be weak
ened by the tendency to attribute such
cases to some mysterious influence
emanating from Wall street. It has,
in fact became almost . custom to
say of every new exposure of defalca-
ton or forgery that the criminal is an
other victim of the ''Street." Now
no doubt Wall street has plenty to an
swer for. Many of the influences and
agencies at work there produce con-
sequences against the public interest.
Much of the speculation there is mis-
chieyous and wasteful. But it will not
do to set up the abstraction known as
Wall street for a scapegoat. All ar
rangements of that kind tend to con-
fuse the public mind as to the actual
responsibility for crime and swindling,
and the net result is to make things
much easier than they should be for
the people who violate trusts and rob
their neighbors. A clear understand
ing Of the true relationship Of Wall
street to such people is needed in order
to do away with misleading and
rather insidious fallacy.
When bank official whose position,
or the carelessness OF whose directors,
colleagues OF superiors, enables him to
steal the funds in his custody, yields to
temptation and enters upon the career
of speculation which is certain, in the
nature Of things, to involve him more
and more deeply, it is not the specula-
tion which is responsible for his dis
honesty. What he really yields to is
she promptings Of his own greed, and
what facilitates his fall is the absence
of integrity in his character The
schemes which Wall street presents
hav, no seductive force for the honest
man who knows he has no money of
his own to play ducks and brakes with,
Such a man simply does not dream of
taking other peoples money to gam
ble with. But the defaulter is always
"a criminal potentially before he be-
comes SO actually. He has no moral
stamina. His ill-discipllned or undis-
ciplined mind can not subordinate the
lust of wealth to the love Of honor,
reputation, sef-respect. It seems to
him that it is every thing to be rich,
and so in time he is willing to do every
thing TO enrich himself. At first he
may try to cajole himself by pretend
ing an intention to repay his stealings
when his speculations succeed, but it is
doubtful whether any such idea is more
than side consideration with him.
Plainly speaking, the defau}ter is d
.a'ascal who has not shown his rascality
in his earlier life because the oppor-
itunity to steal was denied him. Bat
when he finds that opportunity present
he employs it; not after desperate
struggles with his baser self, as writers
of fiction commonly put it, but just SO
soon as it seems to him that there is a
III lighting chance to make pot Of
money by risking the money which
poes not belong to him. After the
FIST plunge every rag Of compunction
generally vanishes, and the best proof
Of this is the utter recklessness with
which the average defaulter pitches
away his stolen funds in ventures
which the most innocent ''larub'
sporting with his own capital would be
sheep enough to avoid. The defaulter
kakes desperate risks, not because he
is filed with remorse, but because he
is utterly Indifferent to the eufferings
of his victims. In fact, the defaulter
10 not at Ill an ideal character, nor is
4. wholesome for honest men and
women to waste sympathy on him or
to look on him as in any way the dupe
or victim of Wall street, or Of any
thing else than his own base, dishonest
and vicious tendencies. Ho is gem
orally one of the worst of rascals, and
nobody knows better than he the inev-
itable outcome of his stealings and
forginga-M. y Istbune.
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