Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1897-12-13
SHOULD GIVE Us PAUSE.

| ter from Prof. White IN the MorSaHto"n
monaghan (Rep), on very import
| ant subject:
| The facts are as follows:-Mr. Kendall,
like all State officials, judges of the courts,
members of the Legislature, etc., Is given
free pass by the railroads OF the state
| as a personal compliment. The almost
| universal custom with the officials COM
| posing all of the various State Boards IS
! to charge for travelling expenses, the same
| as the usual railroad fare would be II
paid, since the pass is regarded as per-
| sonal favor and the individual having the
same is under no obligation to use it While
| travelling on the States business He
| can purchase a ticket if he SO chooses,
and most certainly would, if he is to be
branded as dishonest for not doing so, and
in that event where would the State save
any money?
The writer is not the keeper of other
peoples conscience but he thinks that in
view of the fact Mr.. Kendall is only doing
wh,s practically all other good citizens
or/our various State boards have been
i6ing for years, as well as the judges OF
four courts, also in view of the fact that
| position, he should not be singled out
from among hundreds of other good and
! honorable men in the State who follow
the same plan, and are not conscious OF
robbing the State treasury. 1t is a ques-
ton of ethics which each individual must
decide for himself, and, having so decided,
| think it but justice to Mr.. Kendall,
against whose personal honesty not
breath of suspicion can be raised, that his
action in the premises should not be con-
trasted to his discredit with that of an
other who might decide differently for
himself.
Understand l am making no defense of
the custom, but simply giving some facts
not generally known, so that Mr.. Ken
daPs actions may not seem to stand alone
or be misunderstood by our readers.
L. C. WHITE.
Morgantown, December 8, 1897.
Prof. Whites defense in this case, that
they all do it, will not be recognized as
valid. A wrong is a wrong no matter
how many people are guilty of it. Pass
ing over that point, however, the fact
that it is a very prevalent offense is
what the Register wishes to call special
attention to.
The Registers criticism is not for the
purpose of singing out the State Treas
urer 1t happens, however, that the
press of the State has taken cognizance
of public act of this official, which is
alleged by the above letter to be quite
common. The Register, therefore,
simply arraigns public officials gener-
ally as violating the spirit of the law
who are accustomed to charge for items
of expense which they did not incur.
Perhaps it is needless to remark that
they hold their passes by virtue of their
Offices.
Verify, we have fallen upon strange
times when such things can be. We
seem to have entered a period noted
especially for the moral obliquity of
the chosen servants of the people It
is time to once more put the query in
dead earnest, Whittier are We drifting?
when public officials, even those Acrv-
ing in high places, boldly and
without halt or blush, proclaim
themselves superior to considera-
tons of the peoples rights and
not only free from any obligation of
economy, but at liberty to appropr ate
to their own use as much of the peo-
pies money as they can without COM
ing within the actual pale of the law.
In this condition of things there is
food for very grave thought for the
sociologist. We are supposed to elect
the best among us to our high positions
of trust and official responsibility in
the government; yet when these fail 10
appreciate and even boldly ignore the
commCnest dictates of honor in
dealing with the people, it is
high time to look about US and inquire
what part of the machinery, which gees
to make up the American social fabric
and the greatest popular government on
earth, is at fault There is surely some.
thing radically wrong when public Off
Gals can thus openly disregard the in
terests of the people-their masters.
There was a time, and not so
very long ago, when such con-
duct would have caused SO Indignant
and widespread a protest that the Of
Tending public officials would have been
forced from place and power at once;
now, it is the subject of little more than
desultory, or smart" comment in the
press, while to all intents and purposes,
the public at large take it, if not as
matter Of course, as something that
must be endured. All of which calls
forcibly to mind Pope's familiar and
powerful because truthful-lines on
Vice. The application is direct: