The Redwood gazette. [volume] (Redwood Falls, Minn.) 1873-1940, 1923-11-07
Modern Jean Valjeans,
Editorial in the Philadelphia
Record.

RCCOIQs
The sad story of the mayor of
Irvington, N. j., who committed sui
eide because of the revelation that
he had served time for forgeries and
theft committed when he was a boy
of 10, will cause general regret that
man so successful in living down a
painful mast had not the moral cour-
age to defy his blackmailers and
make known his misdoings, if neces-
sary, to the world. For the public,
it seems to us, does not hold it seri-
ously against man that he has been
convict if after his release he shows
a desire to live down youthful mis-
deeds and make fresh start along
new and better lines. This the mayor
of Irvington had done, and his COM
munity would have thought little, if
any, the worse of him if, when
threatened with blackmail or expo
sure, he had taken it frankly into his
confidence and confessed his wrong
doing of many years ago.
This view of the leniency of the
public attitude toward those who have
manfully made atonement for their
errors is confirmed by several notable
cases of this kind. The mayor of one
of the oldest and largest American
cities, twice elected despite the public
knowledge of his record, served a
prison sentence because of his i'm
personation of friend in civil SER
vice examination for a public office.
The fact that for friendships sake he
ran serious risks, in which he was de-
tected, seems to have strengthened
rather than weakened him politically.
Philadelphia supplied remarkable
instance of the same kind half a
century or more ago when Charles
T. Yerkes, local stock broker, was
accused of conniving with faithless
city treasurer in specializing with
municipal funds, in which they lost
heavily. Both were convicted and
sent to prison. When pardoned af-
ter serving year or two, Mr.. Yerkes
transferred the scene of his activities
to Chicago, where, backed by Phila-
delphia capital, he became the lead
ing street car magnate. From there
he went to London, where he built its
first underground railway and was
prominent for years. So far was he
from seeking to conceal his past that
in sketch of him printed in Who's
Who and presumably written by him
self, he gave the facts of his convic-
ton and Imprisonment at some length,
from his point of view. The story of
his career was told in a novel of por-
tentous length by well-known writ
er.
1t is not so many years since
Western state sent to Washington as
a United States senator a man who,
as bank official in the national
capital a quarter of century before,
had been an embezzler and been sent
to prison. 1t was an act of extreme
temerity in him, after having started
life anew in the West and made good,
to return to Washington, where he
was, of course, promptly recognized.
His resignation soon followed.
1t is regrettable that Mayor Folsom
of Irvington, fortified by his know
ledge of quarter of century of
blameless living, did not view the I'M
happy incidents of his youth in their
proper perspective. He should have
exposed his blackmailers and sent
them to Jail rather than shrink from
a revelation whose Importance he ex-
aggerated. The world will adjudge
him a good man despite his early
errors.