Decorah public opinion. (Decorah, Winneshiek County [Iowa]) 1895-1928, 1895-11-15
Except for These Bonds.

The most frequent, the most disas-
trOus and the most sorrOwful of all the
tragedies which have wrecked the
fortunes and the lives of men and fam
lilies i'm modern society are those which
have resulted from the friendly and
accommodating courtesy in name, the
heinous wrong i'm fact, of endorsing
another mans note or going upon an
other mans bond. Noman has right
to ask his neighbor to assume the risks
of his business or the responsibilities
of his conduct. And the man who is
asked has no right to assume the peril
Gus burden. 1t is a violation of every
principle of moral equity or of the
fundamental maXims of business pru-
dence to do it or ask it to be done. 1t is
essentially base and immoral to do
either. In view of all the ruin it has
wrought, the law should make it
criminal offense for any man to Oendorse
a promissory note in the proceeds of
which he has no interest, or Of which
he does not intend TO accept the full
pecuniary responsibility, or to put his
name on any bond which makes him
liable for pecuniary loss or penalty
through another mans misconduct.
But the state, so far from cOndemning
it, not only sanctions, but requires it in
all its own transactions with its SER
wants. Every official, whether federal,
state, county, city, or township, who
handles public money, is required by
law to get his friends to give their
bonds to secure his governmental en-
plOyer from loss in case he should steal
it or lose it through any fault or de-
linquency of his. The law eXacts the
same thing from every man who takes
a public contract. He must get other
people to become responsible for his
honest performance of the contract, in
a sum proportionate to the magni-
tude of the work. When the de-
faulting state treasurer of South Da-
kOta disappeared the first thing done
by the state authOritioS was to attach
the property of his bOndsmen for the
amount Of his defalcatiOn, about $780,
600. And for whatever balance of that
sum remains unpaid, after deducting
the amount realized from TaylOr's
property, they will be liable. 1t will
probably resultin the complete financial
ruin of some of them. Yet it is to be
presumed they had no personal interests
to serve in the matter. They received
no benefit from Taylor's illegal invest
ments of public money. They went
on his bond as his personal friends to
fulfill the requirement of law, which
compelled him to furnish men of sub
stance who would become responsible
for his faithful performance of his
official duties, or for any losses which
the state might incur through his dis
honesty or carelessness. They will
have to pay the penalty of his crimes.
But what shall be said of "A law which
Furnishes the innocent for the crimes of
the guilty? In the scheme of Christian
| redemption, to Christ alone was as
signed the sublime missioepf making
la vacarious atonement fokkhe sins of
| mankind. But since the Judaic
economy has passed away, no human
being can divide with Him the divine
but mysterious power Of redeeming
grace. AS rule there is no such thing
known in the laws Of civilized nations
as the principle of vicariOus atone
ment in the relation of citizens to the
state or to each other. That every man
is responsible for his own sins is the
| fundamental doctrine of all our laws,
and one of the chief ends of govern
ment is to protect the well-behaved
citizen from the wrong conduct of
Others. 1t is only in this one thing,
the eXaction of indemnity bonds from
the servants of the state, that the
ancient Pagan and Judaic principle
still survives, like the fossils of q past
age imbedded in the strata of modern
life.
And what is the good of it? 1t is
pregnant with temptations to evil
doing. The man who is asked to go
upon the bonds of public official
handling large sums of money, before
assuming such risk, will naturally
ask in what way he is to be compen-
sated for the risk or the favor asked at
his hands. The bondsmen are few who
will not expect some favor in re-
turn, either in deposits or in the use OF
public funds, or in some other way.
The bond system is the source of more
corruption in the administration OF
public finances than any part of the
machinery ofgOvernment. How many
people have been ruined by going on
the bonds of public contractors? How
widely the areas of municipal corrup.
ton have been extended by the obliga-
tons of reciprocal service growing out
of the system i'm contracts for city work:
When the bondsman receives any
DeDeIll ITOlll the laNOT ne TeilueTS 10
public official it necessarily implies q
corrupt favoritism i'm the administra,
ton of his office. If he does not the
law makes him the responsible guaran.
tor for the honest and proper admins
tration of an Office over which ht
exercises no supervision or control
The whole system Is as irrational rs
it is unjust and pernicious.
The state should be its own guaran
, tor. If either by election or appoint
ment it selects public official for the
exercise of responsible duties, or as the
custodian of public funds, it should ask
no private citizen to divide with it the
responsibility for the exercise of dis
eliminating Judgment in the selection
1t should pay the penalty of its own
, mistakes. If it requires insurance fol
any hazard involved i'm its choice o
public servants it should furnish it
own insurance or pay the price of it tC
, responsible indemnity companies.-St
Paul Pioneer Press.
FROM Patriotic Motives.
| a.