Fairhaven herald. [volume] (Fairhaven, Wash.) 1890-????, 1891-08-25
INSIDIOUS BOODLETSM

Francis Bacon, Lord Verulam, 1.-THE !
greatest, wisest, meanest OF mankind"
was a bribetaker; and in admiration
for his genius and pity for his fall, we
find in our hearts some little room for
excuses for those lesser men who have
let the love OF gold outrun their per-
ception Of right and dim their discre-
ton. Public plumber is scattered
among rulers, lawmakers and public
officers all the way down the path Of
ages from earliest recorded times;
and the detected boodler cries with
Wolsey:
"'Tis the account
Ofall that world of wealth have drawn
together
For mine own ends"
Who knows but what 1t may have
been the very sOul-wrung exclamation
of Bacon himself?
When the New York Times put
lished its first instalment OF the evil
dence IL had accumulated against the
Tweed gang OF Tammany Hall, the
unofficial citizen and outside tax
payer stood aghast. And when,
piling Pelion upon Ossa, more
and more OF the gigantic scheme of
public plumber became known, the
gang broke up and scattered like
autumn leaves before the gale of popu-
lar Indignation. Tweed, the idol OF
the populace, fled to Spain, and was
brought back TO die in prison.
Hundreds Of banks have been broken
by dishonest presidents and cashiers;
and today there are inthe pcnitenti-
aries OF this country scores Of men In
stripes, who have moved in the highest
circles of society, shone as philanthro-
pists and posed as churchmen. Federal,
state and municipal officers, serving in
fiduciary capacities have betrayed
their trusts and expiated their crimes
behind the black and chilling bars.
No walk or calling in business or pub
lie Office is exempt from that high
toned species Of theft, which depre-
Gates vulgar stealing and condemns
highway robbery, but is not proof
against the temptation to help ones
self from money deposited for safe
keeping or entrusted to respected
care.
1t seems, therefore, as IL the
craniologists should introduce a new
bump In the charts and call IL grab "
Even in Canada, whose political
system was supposed TO be entirely
free from anything like political cor
ruption, there has recently been pre-
cipitated a parliamentary inquiry,
which is sweeping In its inclusion Of
noted men in games OF public plumber
The chief sufferer by the inquiry, SO
far, is Sir Hector Langevin, Sir Johns
Lower Canada factotum, and so Dear
his door has the imputation OF NAL.
feisance come, that he has resigned
his seat in the Dominion cabinet, and
is looking pretty closely to the mend
ing OF his fences, and putting up Of
defenses.
But this is not the first time there
has been a financial futter among oul
provincial neighbOrs. Something ovel
thirty years ago Rev. Egcrton Ryer-
son was Superintendent OF Education
for Upper Canada, as Ontario wa.
then styled. On the first day OF each
January there was deposited, In the
Bank of Montreal at Toronto, $4,000
government money for educationa
purposes; and, the bank being pub
lie depository, government money
drew no interest, while individual de
posits were worth per cent. So
on the second of each January, Eyer
ton Ryerson, Superintendent OF Edu
cation, drew his check IN favor OF the
Reverend Egerton Ryerson fol
100000, which the latter gentleman
protited by to the extent Of 5000