The new South-news., 1906-03-17

10oQ tioral. State and city
treasures has been reported recently
from variety Of sources. OD.y a few
days ago the Philadelphia treasury re-
ceived the largest donation Of this kind
In It's history; the Treasury Depart
ment at Washington had some months
before entered next to the largest item
In the history OF its conscience book.
while the familiar small attempts at
restitution have been more than usual
ly frequent If 10 the sums thus paid
into public treasures be added those
turned back by officers Of iiduciary cor
porations, 1t is I-etty certain that con-
science never commanded SO high a
money value as at present.
The general interest which exists in
regard to this curious feature OF public
finance has been explained on the
ground that every human being either
has conscience money properly due
him, or else ought TO pay it himself
At all events. there has been a good
deal OF speculation as TO the causes
for the access Of ex post .acio honesty.
Some say it is due TO new standards Of
militant honesty in public life. and cite
the fact that, of the additions made
TO the Federal conscience fund during
the last ten years. more than two
thirds have been recorded since 1901.
Others, more cynically, point out that
the fluctuations in these returns cor
respond almost exactly to the success
sion Of good and bad years IN business.
People listen to inward mo.itlons, only
when they can easily 1ford TO. and
the conscience fund is more trust
worthy barometer of prosperity than
the iron trade itself. The effect OF
religious reylvGis is also said to be
discerniDle in their older records,
though no one puts this forward in
explanation of the present activity.
All this could be decided If there
were only clues to the motives oper.
ating in the individual acts of repara-
tion, but In the majority of cases
there are none. The man who has
falstied his assessments. smuggled
goods through the custom house. over
charged Oh en- t-pense account when
in public employ. is more than likely
merely TO put the money in an envel-
ope, write conscience money" on a
clip, and send it to the Treasury. SO
the majority of items are not merely
anonymous, but Blind. Those who
are brought to repentance through
religious feeling are naturally most
likely to furnish details, and therefore
probably would figure more conspicu-
ously in compilation of the letters
of transmttal than in tie entries of
the fund itself. The twoI largest items
at Washington, however,, were evil
IDENTIFY sent in by perso1s whose soul
searching was due to \ religious i'm
pulse. In 1896 Consul-C{eneral Collins
of London sent S14,225l15 which he
had received from the Rev. Prebendary
Barff, Vicar of st. Giles Church. in
suburb of London. The Vicar himself
would say only that one of his parish
toner's had handed him the money with
the request that it be sent to the
United States Government. This, the
largest contribution up to the present
time. still remains as mysterious as ii
was at first. The $4,000 contribution
last year. which was in new 500. 500.
and $1,000 bills. was accounted for
ago l defrauded the Government of
money, but have returned it all. and
now am paying fourfold. in accordance
with the teaching of Scripture. The
way Of the transgressor is hard, and
no one but God knows how l have suf-
fered the consequences, and | would
seek to do a bountiful restoration
May God pardon, while the United
States Government is benefited"
The signature of "A Sinner" is
favorite one. though "a Penitent' and
"A Lost Soul' are common enough to
bear out the idea that religion is
frequent motive. A good many sums
are forwarded by Roman Catholic
priests.
The morbid sensitiveness of some
consleences, as revealed in these let
ters, is only less extraordinary than
the periods for which their pangs have
been endured. Stamps are constantly
being sent, for instance. to pay arrears
of postage. which presumably had al
ready been collected from recipients
of mail matter years ago. Il enclose
one-cent stamp" wrote a woman.
"for having sent q letter with only
: one-cent stamp on it, not knowing
1T was wrong" Enclosed find nine
cents said man. which | wish TO
refund. as l used cancelled stamps
when it cost three cents to send a let
ter" Two-cent postage WAS essab-
lished a generation ago. The people
who send these postage stamps never
stop to think that the easiest way of
making the Government a small pres
ent is to buy stamp. of tie appropri-
ate denomination and tear it UP.
From these the progress is gradnal
to the actual freak" donations. ION
bill forty-hv years old. right parry
pannos be found" and "for fruit stolen
when a boy" are typical of this class.
Anything so husiness-like as the con-
due, of the man who drove over from
Canada sold his horse hrrreSS and