Richmond planet. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1883-1938, 1902-10-11
GAMBLERS MUST GO.
Secretary Shaw Makes War on
Sporty" Treasury Clerks.
iowa Man. for the Good OF the serv-
Ice, Has Instituted Some Notn-
BILE Moral ReformA In His
Department..
Especial Washington letter.

HERE is a black sheep In every
flock. There is an Arnold OF
an 1scariot for every age and
nation. There is dead fly for every
ointment.
All along the shores of the great
ocean OF life, driven far upon the
beaches of the coasts, are the wrecks
and remnants of those whose en-
oarkation seemed to be under the be-
nignant rays of the very star OF
hope. They seemed to take the tide
at the flood, being led on TO fortune
But. alas, they knew not the shall
aows, shoals and quicksands of life
Just as a little leaven leayeneth
the whole lump, SO one pervert OF
misdirected entity malodors a whole
class or caste The embezzling, alb
sconding Sunday school superintend.
ent taints an honorable hundred
thousand Jealous workers for mo-
relity and religion. In like manner
the thousands who serve the govern.
ment in the executive departments
OF the national capital sometimes
have their reputation injured by per
verts In their midst; albeit the num-
Der OF those who walk not IN the
straight and narrow way is small
II is so in all ages, and chimes.
Even the brilliant Cassius was an
Office holder reputed Ito have an
itching palm" During President
Jackson's incumbency some govern
ment clerks failed TO pay their board
bills, and gave their class a bad
name In those days il was easy for
any citizen To see the president, so
one landlady called and informed the
president that an employee of the
patent Office owed her for two
months board. The president told
the lady to go and get the young
mans note for 30 days. That was
easy. When she brought ii back To
the white house, the president took
1T and wrote his name on the back
of IL. Handing ii back TO his caller,
he said: Put that note In bank, and
AZ the young man don't pay IL 1 will"
1t was paid by the young man, of
course; and the news of IL went ali
over the city, SO that thereafter gov
crnment clerks became accustomed
10 paying all of their debts.
During recent years government
clerks have been given bad name
locally, because sufficient number
of them have been INDUCING In gam
bling TO give cause for general sus-
picion. This condition of affairs was
emphasized recently when the dis
bursting otiicor of the census office
was found short in his accounts, In
the sum of upwards of $4,000; and
when this criminal lapse was fol-
lowed by the discovery OF short
age OF a similar amount in the &C
counts of the disbursing officer of an
executive department. Inasmuch as
the paying officials of all of the de-
Partments have to get their cash
from the treasury department, that
department naturally made inquiry
into preceding conditions which led
up to these defalcations. 1t was dis
covered that in both cases the tidu-
ciary officials had been betting ON
the races, and that their gambling
propensities had ultimately caused
them - reach into the government
Golfers and take the moneys intrust-
ed TO their honor.
Although the laws AGAINST gam
bling are rigidly enforced in the