The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1897-05-02

The American people are so often told by
pessimists who claim to be reformers that
this is the period of degeneracy in public
affairs that the impression prevails quite
widely that this is the fact. With these dis
NAL cynics the early days of the Republic
were it's best days. That was the golden
era; every public man was a patriot who
served his country with singleness of pur-
pose and devotion to the public welfare.
That there were many such men during the
earliest administrations it would be an in
justice to deny; that there was a consid-
cradle number who were not, it would be
an untruth to affirm. AS a matter of fact,
there was a vastly larger number of official
delinquencies during the earlier administra-
tons, in proportion to the number of Off
Gals, than there has been in recent years.
In the administration of the affairs Of the
army, for instance, a real delinquency is
very infrequent, and a positive case of
venality has been so rare in recent years
that it may be truthfully said that none
has occurred. 1t was different in the days
of Washington. A quartermaster general
who had held a high position in the patriot
army during the revolution was discov-
cred to be a partner in a firm of which he
purchased supplies. Between that official
and his partners correspondence was car
ried on in cipher. The man who was
Washington's attorney general and subse-
quently his secretary of state was caught,
while holding the latter office, in receiving
a bride from France to thwart the foreign
policy of the administration, which he rep
resented in all foreign matters. He was
let go. Hamilton, to escape charges re-
hecting upon his official integrity, confessed
to the country a personal dishonor. He
retained his position, but a member of 81
Cabinet making such a confession in any
recent administration would have been
compelled to resign. John Adams, when
President, sent to the Senate the name of
an unworthy son-in-law for a high military
position after he had been detected in a
breach of public trust.
The greatest land scandal in the history
of the country occurred in 1898, in connec-
ton with the Yazoo lands, through the ac-
ton of the Georgia Legislature. The tract
embraced about 5000, 900 acres, which, by
act of the Legislature, was sold to COM
panies for $500, 900. In an investigation it
was made clear that every member of the
House and "a large part of the Senate were
bribed. The next year Congress revoked
the sales. The lobby, led by Jefferson's
postmaster general, sought to have the
fraudulent sales confirmed by Congress-. 1t
was said that seventy members of the
House were bribed to confirm the fraud.
These are samples of the Irregularities
and corrupt schemes in which public officials
were involved during the first administra-
tions. The worst feature of these affairs
was that public men and the people seemed
to regard them with Indifference compared
with the general denunciation of such Of
lenses in recent times. Not many years ago
a secretary of war, whose wife had received
money from persons for two or three post
sutlerships, was impeached and convicted.
In Washington's time the secretary of
state, who was bribed to defeat the policy
he was pledged to carry out, was simply
dismissed. A President who should name q
son-in-law for d public position would be
sharply criticised, but it would ruin him to
name any man guilty of a breach of public
trust for any high office; yet John Adams
was not specially criticised for so doing.
And yet John Adams was regarded as a
man of the highest character, and doubtless
he was, judged by the STANDARDS of the
time.
The fact is that the conscience of the peo-
pie is much more intelligent and active in
these days than it was in those earlier
- I14%o, I,x- - H. Da--IIsoss r. -
we hear so much. What would be regarded
as a grave offense now would not have been
considered a bar to public position then.