The news & observer., 1905-07-16


Post Office Department, the dismissal
of experts from the Agricultural De-
partment because they "manipula-
ted crop reports for pay, the ex-
posure of the Philadelphia aldermen
and the evident growth of graft
In public life has shaken the
faith of many men and women in the
honesty of men in the public service.
There is no doubt that the increased
determination ito make haste to be
rich" and the eager desire Of syndi-
Gates to grab franchises that belong
to the public have put temptation II,
the way of public officials that many
have been unable to resist, but 1t
would be "A very great mistake TOT
any one to jump to the CONCLUSION
that most public officials are corrupt
or could be corrupted The same in
fluences that have made private lnd1-
viduals water stock and sell green
goods and take other short cuts 10 De
rich have operated in lessen1ng the
virtue of public officials. The private
citizen who is doing questionable
things has no right to criticize the
public official who is practising graft.
They are both in the same class, and
if a majority of the people oppose
trusts only because the other follow
in getting the illegal gain. public Of
fcials will partake of the same low
civic ideals, and gather graft from
every possible source. Burke told the
simple truth when he declared that
there never was long corrupt gov
ernment of a virtuous people. he
meant a really corrupt government
and he was right The truth is that
public officials partake of the tone OF
society at large. The big fortunes by
dishonest means which the Rockefelr
lers have piled up--keeping out of tho
clutches of the law by the advise OF
able lawyers who ought to have Scorn>
ed to sell their talent to enable meh
to violate the laws of their country
has turned the heads Of thousands OF
men who wished to emulate them
upon a smaller scale. The virus Is in
our system. 1t has touched every
calling and profession and become
acute in municipal offices where there
is the most opportunity for graft
This moral malaria has caused many
to believe that "every man has has
price" and that 1.-The honest man Ii
the man who has had no chance TO
get rich by dishonest methods But
these notions do injustice to the peo-
pie in America. You find them pre-.
valent in the circles where men make
or lose money by gambling or specula-
ton of the sort that is twin brother
to gambling, but they are libels upon
the great body of the American peo-
ple. AS always, the mass OF mankind
are honest, not because it is the best
policy, but honest from principle. They
get their bread in the sweat OF their
| face. and would Scorn to feither CAT
the bread of idleness or to be In the
possession of tainted money They
wish to make money easier than their
fathers. and why not? Inventions
and labor-saving machinery have
made that possible, but the most OF
them are clean-handed, deal honest
| ly and live uprightly. just as the
large majority of the people are. hon>
est and straightforward, SO are the
great majority or4the public officials
honest and capable. Look about
among your neighbors in private life,
and you know that most of them are
worthy of your confidence, and you
know that the same thing is true OF
your public officials. The thief or the
CRATER is the exception. Public money
is handled with scrupulous honesty.
few public officials would take bribes,
and justicei seldom sold.
Most private citizens are honest,
Most public officials are honest,
that threatens good government, and
| that should receive serious considera-
ton. 1t is a situation that has come
about so gradually that few have fel,
it's approach until they have seen It's
many-sided evils and danger to good
|
The private individual has too Of
ten come to feel that participation In
politics was a bore and that he owed
no duty to fight against public wrongs,
particularly if it required him to leave
his cheerful home at night or 10
ieopardize his business interests, OF
cause him annoyance. And, as he has
shirked his public duty, men with an
axe to grind have taken control or
conventions and put men OF their own
stripe in office. If you were to tell
them that they were 'shirkers, that
they were not honest, they would be
offended. They would not steal dol
| lar, oh, no, but they will sit still while
the public is robbed and will be glad
to get a slice from public contracts at
extortionate prices. They would not
vote for a corrupt man, but II called
upon to fight to drive out the thieves
who pollute the civic temple, they