The prison mirror. [volume] (Stillwater, Minn.) 1887-1894, 1889-10-24

in the realms of human activity governed
by moral honesty. A political mugwump
joins his fortune with the party or individ-
ual that will in the greatest degree serve
his personal interests regardless of others,
or the means used to attain the end. That
is exactly the creed of the moral mugwump..
He is honest or dishonest according to i'm.
mediate surrounding circumstances. But
dishonesty and deception of the meaneSt.
kind is the true definition of his character.
When he is honest it is simply because it.
| is to his personal interest to be honest for.
used only as means to more securely cover
up his real intentions. He will 60 to church,
pray fervently. elOngate his visage. shed
| brine-laden tears for poor, down trOdden
humanity and in other ways play the pure:
and simple worthy wight that he may
the better pave his way into the confidence
of his fellowmen whom it is his premedi-
tated intention to rob as soon as he has duly
impressed them with his amiable qualities.
Men of this ilk are the most deSpicable
creatures that infest any community. They
are more to be dreaded than any other class
of thieves and can only be compared to the
wretch who will deliberately kill human
being for his money. The moral mugwump
is not particular in the choice of his prey.
| He will rob his best friends in preference
to others for the simple reason that he can
more easily deceive them. and if detected
compromise with them.
| hale
reformed criminal; that is. he had probably
been arrested at some time for a miSdeed
and in undergoing punishment formed the
idea to thencefOrth do his stealing in a man
ner that would enable him to avoid punish
ment. Some such men have left this prison
and their intentions for the future, as eX-
pressed by themselves, were to obtain EN-
plOyment in some particular place, and as
soon as they had gained the confidence of
their employer to beat him." Could any
meaner or more Infamous design be pro-
jected? Is it much to be wondered that eX
cOnvictS are looked upon with such i'll favor
if any of these designs are successful?
Another specimen of this class OF individ
uals is the man who works right along, but
is ever on the alert to pick up ''sure'
thing" who waits hungrily for chance to-
defraud another without running any risk
of being found out. When Victor Hugo
depicted Jean Vatican as rObbng his good
friend. the bishop. he unintentiOnally no
doubt. showed to what low moral stand
ard it is possible for man to sink. But
Jean Vatican is not to be compared with
the miserable individuals we are now deal
ing with; it is SacrilegeuuS to make such
comparison. | cannot at present think of
any characters in fiction that at all resemble
this class unless it be Dickens Brass and
| sister.
We hear of these moral mugwumps every
day. They do not cOnfne themselves to
defraudng others of money alone; no. they
do what is still more ineXcuSable. In the
role of the wolf in sleeps clothing they
violate the closest bonds of triendship:they
SANDER and besmirch the good name Of
their benefactors: they break up families
and ruin regulations, blackmail is their
strong card. and women their particular
prey; like the jackal the dirtiest and filth
lest is good fish in their net; and if favor
is done them they will repay it in the OPP
pOSite coin.
1t will probably be said by some that
a convict has no right to speak of such
things when it is presumed that he may be
himself one of this kind. AS far as l am
personally concerned l do not go much on
convict preaching" or 'One- month in
prison want-a pardon reforms" But when
simple IactS are Stated tnat must recall act-
ual examples in the minds OF the readers.
it is not of much difference whence they
come. And. moral mugwumps are not all
half reformed cOnvictS." l merely men
toned examples of the latter kind because,
they were literally true as far as the ex
pressed intentions of the parties mentioned
were concerned. We all have our faults
but would no more charge the generality
of cOnvicts with being SO thoroughly de-
PRAYED than l would any ordinary class of
well meaning people.
But making excuse or inserting innuen-
does will not help the matter particle.