New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1873-08-23
THE CASE OF SENATOR CARPENTER.

| some DAYS ago upon ID IIdH>aOuoh shdihClW
in itself and disgraceful to the American
people. in which the third officer In the Gov
eminent was dishonorably implicated, several
Administration organs have taken 1T upon
themselves to define with great precision the
motives which actuated the publication some
| of the NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS. organs have seized
the occasion for adding to the original
Indictment charges of their own which
NAV or may not be susceptible of proof, while
ouite a number have called public attention
TO the circumstances, and suggested that Mr..
Matt H. Carpenter, the President pro tenn. of
| the United States Senate, cannot afford to let
them pass unnoticed. But not one undertakes,
| in the most general terms, upon the authority
of the gentleman referred to, or on the
strength of his previous good character, to
deny a single syllable of the charge.
Among the specially pertinent comments of the
press are those of The Milwaukee Erening Wiseon-
sin. published in THE TRIBUNE of Monday last
That journal is published in Senator Carpen-
penters own State, district, and town, and is
a supporter Of the present National Admins
tration, in which Mr.. Carpenter holds the
third place. These charges" it says, " are
too grave TO pass unnoticed.n 1t adds, with
a truthfuness to which we bear cheerful wit
ness so far as THE TRIBUNE is concerned, that
" they are uttered by journals of ample pecuniary
responsibility which "can be made to suffer
"most seriously if they have given currency
"to reports that are false and libelous." We
| hone The Wisconsin is correct when it says
" the people demand that the Senator of their
| "choice should vindicate his character There
| could not be more reasonable demand. JUS
| tice to himself, to his constituents, to
the whole American people, demands
that he either "vindicate his character" or
cease to make that character representative.
The journal quoted expresses its confidence
that if these charges are proven false, any
d" iury would award such damages as would
6" be a lesson to all future journalists" We
should hope so, certainly. And as the propo-
sition seems incomplete as it stands, we beg
leave to add the hope that if the charges are
true the "lesson" will be needed by all "fu-
"turen statesmen.
We desire to be distinctly understood.
| THE TRIBUNE makes no charges that cannot
be substantiated. 1t does not burrow for
| scandal, nor set any drag-nets for unclean
gossip. There is no man in public life of
whom it would not rather speak well than i'll,
nor any man whose faults or fOllies or bad
example it has the slightest interest to pal
late, cover, or defend 1t extenuates nothing
nor sets down aught in malice. 1t has
been too much the custom of politi-
cal journals in past years to attack
wildly and Unfortunately the private
lives and characters of opponents, while
defending political associates with slavish
subserviency and unreasoning zeal from the
Just consequences of their evil acts. The re-
suit has been that public men have been
shielded by their own party, there has been no
fair and impartial criticism, and wrong-doers
have enjoyed comparative immunity. To what
extent politics and politicians have been cor
rupted by this condition Of things the shame
full disclosures of the past twelve months
testify in part, while the unpublished scan
dals of the national capital, familiar to every
one who has spent any time in Washington
during the sessions of Congress, illuminate
the subject still more largely.
1t is not necessary to dwell upon the spe-
cial case in hand. Our object is answered in
directing the attention of the people to the
unclean life of the brilliant but unprincipled
man who occupies the chair of the United
States Senate, and who from his high position
should be an example to the youth of the
land. The politics of the country need
cleansing and purifying. The politicians who
debauch public sentiment and defy public
opinion, who mock at virtue, scout
all considerations of honesty OF honor
and flaunt their vices in the nations face need
to be held up to public gaze and reDrobation
Under cover of loyalty to a righteous cause,
rapacity, lust and greed have had full sway
for years, and the result is the country is
honeycombed with all manner Of corruption.
In such a state Of things the only way of es-
cape is to lift the vail and show the honest
decent, truth-loving people of the country
what manner of men their rulers are. That IS
the work of pure and upright journalism. Ii
is the work of THE TRIBUNE, in which
it invites all its cotempOraries throughout the
land to cooperate. And to all the super
serviceabe organs (Which, we suspect have run
before they were sent in this matter) which
are calling for libel prosecution, we have
only to say, IN the words of the Wisconsin
paper, that THE TRIBUNE is journal of
"ample pecuniary responsibility" If Mr.. Car
penter has been aggTieved by any pub-
LEGATION in its columns, he has his rem
edy at law, and whatever damage a Jury
of his countrymen shall say his character
has sustained will be promptly paid More
than that THE TRIBUNE will gladly pay any
sum that may be SO assessed IN damages to
be convinced that the character OF Mr. Matt
Carpenter is such that he does the Senate no