The daily union. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1845-1857, 1857-01-24
THE NEW YORK TIMES AND ITS CHARGES

We make room for the following article from the New
York Times with great pleasure 1t is not for us TO say
what may may not be the motives which have infu-
encsd the Times in the serious charges which has made
against the integrity Of members of Congress Few how.
ever win deny, after candid perusal Of the suboined
that in the prosecution of these charges the Times has
personal political consequences and that il evncss an
ardent disposition to ferret out official delinquency
the exposure should be followed by fatal injury that
party Of which it has long been of the conspcu
Gus and influential organs:
The REPUBLICANS In CosGREss-We have received OF
two letters, evidently from friendly sources kindly
ing us that the disclosures which will result from the la
bors OF the investigating committee at Washington may
fall with special weight upon the heads of members of Con-
gress belonging to the republican party Upon that
friends need give themselves special concern
account We probably knew quite as well any Of our
advisers where these charges would fall when they
made And we thought then, as think now, that the
editor who would hesitate to denouuce corruption because
of his party had been guilty Of it would thereby
make himself their accomplish
We have hesitation in going further, and saying
that far party relations make any difference in
opinions the subject feel special and peculiar
anxiety that whatever republican members have been
guilty Of corruption should be convicted and branded with
the gnominy which such conduct deserves Every citizen
must feel sufficiently degraded by the reflection that
bers of Congress OF party should be capable OF such
his general responsibility for them constituent they
should be with whom he acting in the closer
atons of political partisanshp The republican party will
find it for its honor well its interest to do thing
its power to purge its ranks from all those who open
just suspicion upon this subject it fail to do and
especially II it show any disposition to its members
from the most rigid and thorough scrutiny, from the
penalty which proved misconduct may deserve
will make itself responsible for Them and must share the
odium and detesaon with which the great body of the
people inevitably regard corruption in positions of respon
sibity and power One thing certain whatever others
may do in this respect we shall hesitate for moment
on occount of any political consideration whatever to
pose and denounce corruption and misconduct wherever
may have satisfactory and convincing evidence of its
existence.
We have very little doubt the Investigations of this
committee properly pushed and lead to the disclosure
of any considerable amount of facts that members of the
republican party WH be implicated in those disclosures
We have had facts brought within acknowledgement
by what would be technically legal evidence but by such
proof as leaves upon minds doubt whatever
of the conclusion which they overwhelmingly, that
beers claiming to be republicans have been parties to trans
actions which make them sharers in the pecunary
profits of bills they to aid in passing We believe
that among the witnesses who, according to rumor have
been summoned before the committee who can
establish this fact by legal evidence And we trust that
the republican members of the committee will feel it due
to themselves and to the party with which they
nected to omit nothing which elicit from such wit
nesses every fact which may have such bearing. We
take it for granted they not put upon that committee
Mr. Speaker Banks for the purpose of screening
body from merited If they have any special
duty republicans to perform the committee it is to
protect the party from any further communicating
nexon with men who may be guilty such offences as are
alleged to have been committed.