Signal-Copiahan. (Hazlehurst, Copiah County, Miss.) 1885-1888, 1886-11-18
DISHONEST OFFICIALS.


DISHONEST OFFICIALS.
why They Arc Not Deserving OF the
sympathy OF Honest People.
There seems TO be some danger that
the healthy sentiment which deuounccs
fraud and roguery when committed by
men in positions of trust may be weak
cned by the tendency TO attribute such
cases to some mysterious influence
emanating from Wall street, 1t has,
in fact, became almost custom te
say of every new exposure OF defalca.
ticn or forgery that the criminal is an
other "victim" of the "Strect." Now
no doubt Wall street has plenty to an
swcr for Many Of the influences and
agencies at work there produce con-
sequences against the public interest
Much of the speculation there is mis-.
chicvous and wasteful. But ii will not
do to set up the abstraction known rs
Wall street for scapegoat All ar.
rangements Of that kind tend to con.
fuse the public mind rs 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 ncighborS. 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 q bank official whose position,
or the carclcssness of whose directors,
colleagues or supcriors, enables him to
steal the funds in his custody, yields to
temptation and enters upon tho career
of speculation which Is certain, in the
nature of things, to involve him more
and more deeply, it is not the spccula-
ton which is responsible for his dis
honesty. What he really yields to is
the promptings of his own greed, and
what facilitates his fall is the absence
Of integrity in his character The
schemes which Wall street presents
have no seductive force for the honest
man who knows he has no money of
his own to play ducks and brakes with.
Such Il man simply does moi dream of
taking other peoples money to gam.
bic with. But the dcfaultcr is AWAY
criminal potentially before he be.
comes so actually. lie has no mora.
stamina. His ill-discipllned or undis'
ciplined mind can not subordinate the
lus, of wealth To the love of honor,
reputation, self-rcspect. IL seems tc
him that il is every thing TO be rich.
and so in time he is willing to do every
thing To enrich himself. At first h,
may try to cajole himself by pretend.
Ing IN intention to repay his stcalings
when his speculations succeed, but IL is
doubtful whether any such idea is more
than a side consideration with him.
Plainly speaking, the dcfaultcr is a
rascal who has not shown his rascality
in his earlier life because the oppor-
tunily To steal was denied him. But
when he finds that opportunity present
he employs it; not after desperate
struggles with his bascr self. as writers
of fiction commonly put it, but just so
soon rs IL seems to him that there is II
fighting chance TO make pot of
money by risking the money which
poes not belong to him. After the
first plunge every rag of conjunction
generally vanishes, and the best proof
Of this is the utter rccklessncss with
which the average defaulter pitches
away his stolen funds in ventures
which the most innocent "lamb'
sporting with his own capital would be
sheep enough to avoid. The dcfaulter
takes desperate risks, not because he
is filled with remorse. but because he
is utterly indifferent to the sullerings
of his victims. In fact, the dcfaultcr
is not at all IN ideal character, nor Is
it wholesome for honest men and
women to waste sympathy on him or
TO look on him as in any way the dupc
or victim of Wall street, or of any
thing else than his own base, dishonest
and vicious tendencies. He is gen.
orally one OF the worst of rascals, and
nobody knows better than he the inev-
liable outcome of his stealings and
forgings NJ y. Tribune.