The Portland daily press., 1870-02-11

One Word More About the Paper Credits.
No one who has read the report of the Com
missioners on the equalization of municipal
war debts can doubt that frauds were COM
mitted during the war by parties who sold to
towns at very high prices names instead oil
men. No one can doubt that the towns that
were victimized and the government thai
wanted men and not shadows suffered in con-
sequence.
Although attempts at investigation nave al
ready been made, the new Developments Oh
,bis winter demand that the whole subject be
reopeped, and the guilty parties beexposed
and punished. To those who are in posi-.
ton to press new investigation we wish to
aG dress few suggestions which we are sure
will not be untimely. Some members of the
House of Representatives started out with
great eagerness and courage on new crusade
against the paper credit barons, bu. if we are
not mistaken the same mysterious blight has
fallen upon them that seems curiously enough
always to attack legislators that for few
weeks breathe the air of the State capitol-
The suggestions we wish to make TO them
are simply these:
First, you are often told that "investiga.
tons will be ruthless" and that when it has
done its work "the public will be no nearer
. the truth than ever" Do you believe this ?
What is there in the nature of these paper
credit frauds that defies the usual methods OF
ascertaining the truth Is it not in the power
OF the Legislature of Maine to invest por-
ton of its members with such powers of sum-
moning and examining witnesses, and to give
them such il.quisitorial efficiency as will en-
able them to drag this long concealed iniquity
to lightp We might almost say that it is law
Of nature that everything aids in the discov
cry OF chime, and that even unorganized, I'm
intelligent physical substances, obeying some
reconcile law, are impelled to give their voice
less testimony against the unrighteous.
What are these paper credit barons, then,
more or less than human, that they are en-
abled to set at naught the memorable laws
that il other cases are operative in the gov
eminent of the universe? Are they magi.
clans, demons, conjurers, wizards, masters
Of occult and unholy wisdom that enables
them to nullify the statutes of Heaven, as wei
as those OF Maine? If not, it is mere idiocy te
talk OF the impotence of a legislative investiga
ton. 1t is no use, certainly, to have an in
quiry that is no inquiry, bat the genuine
thing can hardly fail to produce results.
In the second place we most earnestly adj
jure members of the Legislature to pay no at
tention to the insidious appeals for fcrbear-
ance on the ground that an Investigation will
hurt the Republican party! Nothing can
hurt the party so much as the elevation to
office of bad men and keeping fellowship with
robbers. If the prosperity of the party in
Maine is dependent upon the whitewashing O
TIE wretches who speculated upon wha
seemed the death agonies of their country, il
is better that the party yield to destiny ant
retire. There can be no question that indi
viduals belonging to that Republican party
would suffer from the investigation, but the
party itself would be infinitely stronger after
casting out the seven devils, more or less
that have possessed it. Besides,-if any OF
the weakened feel the necessity of so poor
and mean an incentive to proper conduct-a
wen conducted investigation would be likely
TO catch some pretty prominent Democrats
before it was concluded. But to most of the
Republican members of the Legislature the
injunction, "Be just and fear not" is sufi.
cient.