The New York herald., 1868-06-02
The Outrages of the Jacobin Cabal N
Washington.


Washington.
Hon. Robespierre Butler met with an unex-
pected rebuff on Saturday last in the House Of
Representatives. A telegram that had been
received by the prisoner Wooley was laid be-
fore the House, when Butler moved that no
further kilograms or letters should be sent to
the contumacious witness until they had been
opened and inspected by the Speaker. To this
Mr.. Colfax objected, giving as his reason that
he possessed no right to open closed envelope
directed to another person, either with or with
out the order of the House. This was simply
with the recent meddlesome, prying, outrageous
conduct of the Impeachment Managers it ad-
ministered a severe and merited rebuke to
Butler and his associates, who have violated
decency and law by seizing upon the private
telegraphic messages Of individuals and subject
ing them to the noses of the smelling COM
mittee.
The atrocious and tyranical conduct of the
Jacobin cabal affords us a foretaste of what the
government would become in the hands Of such
mon under the Presidency of General Grant,
who has avowed himself mere tool of Con-
gress; fgurehead without brains or ideas;
a machine whose only province, if elected,
would be to swing the sword and with closed
eyes cut and slash according to the will of the
radical majority. The sacred right Of every
citizen to his private correspondence has bee q
disregarded witnesses have been badgere d
<ct u.
been thrust into damp dungeon under ths
national Capitol and kept in solitary cor fine
ment for refusing to divulgo his pc, soma
affairs before Buffers committee. Yer littl,
more ia needed to restore the days of .he In
quisition, with their thumbscrcws, ra cks am
redhot irons, and their masked tort ;urers Il
apply the test to unwilling witnesses. 1t is nj
wonder that Colfax finds 1t necesse ry to dis
connect himself from such men on the eve o
the Presidential canvass. But VIII lie the Jaco
bin conspirators are thus rebuked and snubbe,
| in, their own household their Law viless violenc,
remains unpunished. When they seized upol
private telegraphic messages tn ey became Law
breakers, and their character as Representa-
| tives affords them neither exc nse nor protec
ton. For these acts they sho uld be Furnishes
| by civil and criminal proceeding Their gull
was shared by the telegraph company who's
officers betrayed the confidence Of those VIII
had entrusted private messages to their keep
ing. BY voluntarily exposing the telegram
in their possession to Butler and his associate
the Western Union Telegraph Company for
feited their charter, which expressly prohibit
such gross breach of confidence under tn
penalty of forfeiture The parties whose mes
sages were thus outraged should proceed a
once against the Impeachment Managers an
the telegraph company, and should prosecut
them to the extent Of the law, both criminal
and for personal damages. This is matte
in which the whole community is interested
Colfax has put upon record the fact that tn
House has no business to order any of II
members to pry into private correspondence
Butler and his committee have done this o
their own responsibility. The Western Unio
Telegraph Company's managers have volur
teered to aid them In the consummation of th
outrage. Let them all be punished to the u
most limit Of the law.