Official Corruption by James White

Seventh-day Adventist Publishing Association · Battle Creek, Mich. · Aug 8, 1871

Official Corruption.

By James White

We consider it an indication of the lax morality of these last days, that very few men can be found who will retain their integrity when public money is placed in their hands. Our legislatures are, very often, scenes of unparalleled bribery and malfeasance; and stealing in office is passed by as a “defalcation,” to which is attached no penalty, although the officer was sworn to the faithful discharge of his duty. It has long been claimed that New York City was the worst governed city in America, and lately there have been exposures made which have caused even the political friends of the officials to stand aloof. As the articles coming to us deal largely in the political bearings of these exposures, we refrain from publishing them, but the following extract from a brief article in the Methodist will show somewhat the state of things:—

“The financial corruptions of the New York City government, as declared by the Times, are more stupendous than any similar crimes ever known of any municipality in the history of the world. There is no exaggeration whatever in this assertion, and yet the Times says that it has still more appalling revelations to make. “Our quotations [from the Comptroller’s books] have,” it affirms, “only scratched the surface.” The figures given by the Times, however, already amount to nearly ten millions of dollars. Nobody now doubts the general truthfulness of these astounding charges.”

J. H. W.