The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1904-12-30
Sympathy With Criminals,

Sympathy With Criminals "
q IT ts said that. The surety companies,
which provide bonds for persons holding
places Of trust have been hard hit d.
Ing the past year, especially BY the dis.
honesty OF bank enrloy yes. 1he Salite L OF
Iowa furnishes one Of the worst OF the
records no less than forty banks ,having
been wrecked. at q loss y Of $40, 90 900 TO
the depositors. entirely through the dis.
honesty OF cashiers. ~ II
This is nh alarming exhibit. and IT lis
3G,ie In large part. we elieye, to q Ia
Of wholesome public sentiment. II q th!cs
sneaks into your room and steals the
purse from your trousers, the police are
put OH his track at once, and Il hee IS
ca ught and tried and found guilty, ne N
co,demned to punishment and everybody
saws that he received what he deserved.
No effort is made to got him off no
sympathy for him is expressed; \ ne IS g
sneak thief and n sneak thief Is an OBJ
iiect of public contempt. But let q man
IA high life rob bank In which he Is q
trusted official, and TINT Is simply "eln-
beazlement. \ II possible his relatives
Will come forward and make up the
amount, which he has stolen, and The
whole affair hushed up II this be not
done and the emhezzler Is brought Into
court he Is sure to have q degree Of
sympathy tho degree being in proportion
to Ills popularity, and strenuous efforts
will be made to save him from conv.c !
ton If lie be convicted. however. and
sent to prison, long before his term shall
have expired there will be q mum erourly
signed petition to- the Governor for par
don. }s q ,ii - I iii f2S3S III "a {,t3 t&
lit Is that sort Of criminal sympathy
that is largely responsible for el1bez-
element. Young men who follow : such y
cases naturally come to the conclusion
that embezzlements is not a great crime
sinTiSthc eyes Of the nublio and young men
are apt to be more or less influenced In
their ideas Of morality by the estimate Of
the general public. ~ ii. !.
In point OF fact, the trusted official
who .em beetles commits greater
crime than the sneak chief who steals
your purse. The sneak thief Is guilty
Of ono crime only; the embezzler is guilty
Of a twofold crime, for he not only steals.
but he abuses sacred trust. Moreover.
the sneak thief$is usually a person lack
ing In moral training and lacking In those
moral Influences OF society which q man
q, 10 I u n
in good standing enjoys. The trusted Of
5ficial Isl generally speaking, n man Who
has had the best Of moral training, whose
moral sensibilitles are an active force
with him, or SHOULD be, a man who Is
3hedged about and restrained by moral en-
vlronment. ]. The sneak thief steals because
1T Is his nature to steal, and because he
does not realize the full mature of his
crime; the enlbezzlers steals In spite Of
his restraints and training in spite Of lis
moral sensibilities and in spite Of all the
restraining influences Of his situation.
The sneak Iefsmay be an object OF pity;
the embezzler cannot be a proper jcct
Of sympathy.
Society has its obligation and when So
ciety sympathizes with embezzlers and
attempts to screen and protect them and
to palliate their crimes society iii a sense
becomes pardceps crimlnls.sgs