Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1890-06-26
The Law and the Gotta ge.

tomorrow the Jersey coast Will be
the scene of an unpleasant spectacle
The family Of the President of the
Z lited States, even to the second aud
| third generations, will move into q
seaside cottage which they have Meth
er pure = ased nor hired for the summer
This establish ment is, in plain words,
ali eleemCsynary institution. Certain
gentlemen have subscribed to pay for
the land, the building, aud the Interior
| furnishings, even 10 the brass wana-
! makers ia the billiard room. On the
part of some OF the subscribers the gift
is matter OF disiD terested although
mistaken charity. Other contributors
| to the fund, as there is reason to ap-
prehend, were inspired by motives not
quite so unselfish.
There is probably no law in the Re
vised Statutes under which Gen. Har-
! rison could be punished for this dis
| graceful proceeding. Sections $500
and 5,501 come as near 70 his case, per
haps, as any. These sections contain
| the following provisions:
| every officer of the United States, and
every person acting for or on beha of the
| tnited states, in any official capacity under
| or by virtue Of the authority of any Depart
| ment or office of the Government thereof,
who asks, accepts, or receives any money, or
any CDItIdtI, promise. GDttItakliE, thi II d
! ton, gratuity, or security for he payment OF
money, or for the delivery or conveyance Of
any thing OF value, with intent to have his
decision or action on any question, matter,
cause, or proceeding which ma at any time
be pending, or which NAV be nv law brought
before him in his official capacity, or in his
place of trust or profit, influenced thereby
shall be punished by a fine not
more than three times the amount asked ,ac-
cepted, or receiyed. and by Imprisonment
not more than three years.
We suppose that an attempt to pun
isb Gen. Harri son under sections 3. 500
and 5,5ll of the Revised Statutes could
be met successfully with technical
defence on these grounds:
l. The nominal receiver Of the
gratuity is not Gen. Harrison. but Gen.
Ha!risOu'5 wifi; and she is not an Of
ticer Of the United States. On the 9TH
er hand, il might be shown that this
is mere evasion, since Gen. Harrison
is the head of the family which now
possesses the cottage at Cape May
Point, and il has been fitted up with
special reference to his occupancy.
The billiarj room, and the brass wan
amakers that adorn that apartment
were certainly not designed for the use
of Mr.. Harrison or Of Baby Mckee.
=. The cottage is not conve Ted with
intent To have Gen. Harris ms decis-
Ion or action influenced in any ques-
ton which may come before him in
his official capacity. If that defence
were raised, it might be exceedingly
difficult to prove the contrary. Where
dsintersstcd motives are loudly pro-
claimed, and perhaps, where the con-
sIdpration expected by the donor is a
matter of the in lefinite future, con-
victiou would be very hard to pro-
cure. And yet, at the same time, no.
body can doubt that every subscriber
to the HarrisoD-M Mckee fresh air fund,
with the possible exception Of Mr..
George Washington Childs and Mr..
Anthony Joseph Drexel, expects to-
obtain sooner or later, through the in-
fiueuce Of Gen. Harrison's official sta
ton, a return in some shape tor his in
vestment.
such Ii line Of defense might be suf
ficient TO save Gen. Harrison from q
fine of three times the value of the
Ca >e Nay Point cottage. and likewise
from imprisonment for the pre scrihed
term of not more than three years. |
We do not think the President could
tie convicted under the statute quoted
above, or under any other statute. |
We have 10 idea that he will ever be |
p osecuted in the United States courts. |
He s on the safe side of the law con- |
ceTnIng bribery.
Nevertheless, there is another and |
an unwritten law which prohibits Pres
ideuts while in office from accepting
gratulties of any sort, no matter how
ingenoiusly they may be disguised. It
is based on weIl-d efined principles of
public morals. as well as on considera-
tions Of personal self-respect, which no
sensitive Intelligence eau fail to recog-
nize. Most Of the men who have pre-
ceded Gen. Harrison in the office of
President have understood this I'M
written law of honor. and have scrup-
ulously obeyed it. Whenever the law
has been violated by a President in Of
flee. that President has disgraced him-
selfand his Office, and the nation which
elected HIM
We are sorry for Benjamin Harri-
sou .-NeW York Sun.