Those who corrupt the public mind are just as evil as those who steal from the public purse.

Stevenson’s line equates two kinds of civic harm: material corruption (stealing public funds) and moral/intellectual corruption (degrading citizens’ judgment through propaganda, demagoguery, or dishonest persuasion). The comparison implies that a democracy depends as much on an informed, ethically grounded public sphere as on clean administration. If the “public mind” is manipulated or debased, voters cannot reliably hold leaders accountable, and the damage can outlast any single financial scandal. The quote thus frames truthfulness, responsible rhetoric, and integrity in public communication as core public goods—violations of which are not merely distasteful but politically criminal in effect.