Belmont chronicle. [volume] (St. Clairsville, Ohio) 1855-1973, 1860-02-23
Tho Third Party Movement Ac-
counted For.

A development was made before the Sen
ate Inyeptigating Committee, at Washing
tom la11 week, which should cause the peO-
pie hereafter 10 regard with suspicion and
distrust The efforts periodically made in this
country to organize what are called third
parties While the avowed purposes of the
leaders in these movemen may be plausi-
BILE enough, they are in reality gotten up as
a political speculation by interested persons.
Before the Investigating Committee, Mr..
Megarge, a Democratic paper merchant of
PbiludelPAfa, testified. among other things,
that he ba4 feceived between four and FIVE
thousa I'D dollars from Mr.. Wendell, in '56,
to be applied to the purpose of organizing a
third party in the city, the object Of which
was 10 operate on the Presidential! and
GubsrnatIorial elections. aud which was
considered essential to the success Of the
Democrats in the State. This general fact
says a Washington correspondent ,swas well
understood at the time, hut it was not known
then that The public money was thus shame.
fully appropriated to a pa tisan object. The
funds So used were derived from the profits
Of the public printing and other jobs, SO that
it may be said they we're virtually taken
from the treasury and corr uptly distributed
TO affect the elections. While honest men
in Philadelphia and the eastern part Of the
States supposed they were sustaining a
principle in supporting q third organization,
it turns out they. were only the dupes Of
vile tricksters, who had been purchased to
set the bal! in motion under tho inspiration
of managers at this capital, and with money
provided by assessments levied upon Office
holders and contractors. The whole scheme
was conttiveH here, and while tens OF thou
sands Of dollars were subsequently .%contri-
buied by New York to aid in these infamous
operations, the inception Of that fraud and
vlllany and be traced directly to the plum.
derers who had and still have their head
quarters in Washington, and directly under
TIE patronage ofa Democratic Admiaistra.
tion.'
The North American comments upon this
disclosure in a proper spirit, and advances
very sensible views in regard 20 the forma.
ton of these outside organizations. We
quote a portion Of its article ON this subject,
This disclosure ought to furnish some
warning in regard 10 political organizations
which are intended Us q sort Of balance O.
power between the great parties, and which
can only be effective in turning over u mega
tive vote at the critical moment, as interest
or expediency may suggest. Especially i.
this true, when such movements may be
started by those who have no particular
claim on public confidence or respect, ant
who, in q certain sense, are mere nJven.
t%urers, without stake or character, relying
solely upon during audocity Us u cover for
their selise designs. The testimony before
this committee may furnish the basis of a
moro extended investigation ny the House,
because it is very evident that the crsst has
only been broken. The abuses aud cjrrup-
lions which have grown up during the last
and present administrations, ure appalling
to contemplate, and unless they can be
checked by some radical correction, thus
reforming what has becume u system viii
the priyity and participation OF those ia
power, this downward tendency will be pre-.
cipitated into a lrishtful and fatal ab ,ndJn.
ment of all integrity and ustice in admins
tering the government, 1t has n ready be-
como the pr'y of venal sharpers, and when
high functiOnurles are seen conserving with
such a crew, and palceling out the spells
aud jobs within their gill, us is proved
under oath, before the committee, the people
may as well take the alarm, and believe the
republic is in danger. Our in ,ti,utions and
this fabric OF free government are more
likely to be undermined by bud government.
than to be overthrow by sectional strife.
Pittsburgh Gazette.