The Washington times., 1905-08-02
Time to Go Slow.

1t is time to go slow in this busi-
ness of accusing everybody of graft.
Unless We 90 go slow we shall be
rewarding backbiting, SANDER, deceit
anu cowardice. at the cost Of repu-
tations which good men have earned
by long lives of honesty and faith
fulness.
The whole country looks TO see the
thief in Office discovered, arrested,
punished In Washington that spirit
is particularly strong, because the
executive departments are of Wash
ington and whatever affects them is
not only of Importance to the Capital
as an affair of the nation, but i'm
portant to the people of the Capital
as an affair of the neighborhood.
But discovering, arresting, punish
ing, are portentous processes. Their
consequences are irrevocable. We
smile among ourselves when a man
goes to Jail, as Fernando Ward went
TO jail. and comes out of it apparently
contented TO spend the money which
sent him to his cell But we know,
deep down in our hearts. that that
mans life is a ruin, that he has in
fiicted the most dreadful suffering on
all his intimates, and that he has
stained, grossly and unfairly, the
name he has given to his children.
His punishment was particularly de-
signed so TO crush the offender that
the thought of it would deter others
from the same ofense. What an awful
thing is the possibility then, that an
innocent man shall suffer this same
degradation:
Yet, even If no innocent man is
'discovered,i' arrested and punished
it is possible 10 do him an injury
almost as dreadful. Slanderous
tongues will whisper charges against
any fair mark. Aristides was but a
type of the men whose honor and IN
tegrity arouse the yenomous to calum-
ny. And the danger just now is thai
in our eagerness to uncover what
wrongdoing may exist we shall pro-
vide an ambush for the shelter Of this
same groundiess Venomy and calumny
This is no imaginary danger 4
dozen good men of upright lives were
charged with crime in the course ot
the postoffice tigation-charged
with 1t unwarrantably, basely. Most Of
them We're able TO fight their way out
But at least one-James T. Metcalf-
was caught in the eddy of slandeI
and carried under The charges
against him were so fiimsy that they
did not even go to a hearing. Yet foI
two years he bore the yoke of crime
and all the good faith and great
ability with which he served the
Government for the thirty years pre-
ceding did not save him.
Already the latest campaign against
graft-that in the Agricultural De.
partment-has maligned honest men
The Secretary and the head OF al
least one bureau have been assaiIed
without the slightest tangible evil
dence TO support the accusations
against them. A days fair inquiry
the examination of half a dozen com
petent witnesses-and the accusation
is fiouted But what of involving
those names in charges of fraud? Wa:
that fair? Was it not just as dis
honest as the graft we are all SC
anxious TO punish?
Let us keep our heads. Let us have
no more star chamber testimony
against our neighhors. Let us make
the man who pretends to serve the
Government by uncovering theft come
out in the open when he does it. Lee
us avoid being "raddled' Above
everything let US be watchful not Il
repeat the awful injustice which wc
have meted out TO James T Metcalf