Smyrna times., 1873-04-09
Party Virtue.

The vote in the House of Representatives at
Washington, a few weeks ago, by which that
body refused the appointment of a committee |
to prepare articles Of impeachment against the
Vice President Of the United States, was one |
Of the most unpleasantly suggestive votes ever
recorded in this country. Either the Vice
President was evidently deserving of SO high a
proceeding against him, or he was not There
was not fact of his case which was not as well
known to one member as another. There was
not a member of that body, unless he had
deliberately chosen to be ignorant, who had not
come to an intelligent conclusion concerning
the Vice President guilt or innocence of the
charges that had been preferred against him.
1t was a plain question of fact, on which an
unbiased Jury OF ordinary intelligence could
have had no difficulty in coming to a Just con
cusion; yet one of the highest deliberative
bodies in the land voted upon it almost exclu-
| sivey according to party prejudices and afflia-
| tions. Half a dozen republicans, whose
motives, at least, were open to suspicion, voted
with the solid array of democratic members
against the Vice President, while the republi
cans, as an overwhelming and controlling
majority declared by their vote that that officer
had done nothing to deserve the disgrace
sought to be inflicted.
The country is thus left in doubt as to the
real merits of the case, and knows no more
concerning them from this vote than it would
from the decision of debating-cub Of boys.
One of these parties has evidently lied, or
borne false witness for or against a man
hitherto considered eminent for his personal
virtues.
1t is sad to conclude that so high body a,
: the House of Representatives is entirely un
Trustworthy in its dealings with a question o
: public morality and personal rectltude The
country may well ask, in view of this vote II
they do these things in the green tree, wha
4 will they do in the dry?" If such vital ques
n tions as the incorrupubeRess and veracity 0
j one of the heads of the government is to h
e settled by party vote in the House Of Repre-
:, sentatives, what are we to conclude conc1rnn
It the whole Credit MobHier investigation
- Indeed is it not fair to judge that this invest
rs cation was 'put-up job, " intended exclusive
l. " for political purposes? A delightful set {
ll men, these, to pass up)n the moral standing
each other, when the guilt of doing it
at accordance with party interests is blacker tina
as anything charged against any one of them
be Ay, pretty set of men, these, who stand sci
lie recorded as maligners or defenders of publ
ut reputation and a private character, accordiI
ne to party preiudices, to pass judgment upon Il
moral standing of their fellows! We prOte
lie that, whether tue men implicated by this
nd vestigaton are guilty or not, the men into who
IS hands investigation fell convicted themsev
)w of their moral unltneSS to settle 1t justly. Y
lis have lost all faith in the investigation and
in results We do not believe the country know
i'm after all the reports, who the guilty ones a
nd or that it ever will know. Each party,
ey. seems to US, has simply tried to see how mu
ity it could make or save out of it; and the pC
lay devils who have come from the scrimmage W
soiled linen and unpleasant adjectives sttacf
to their names, will at least have the conf
of knowing that the country thinks as much
them as of the most of those by whose pa
ng. votes '1ey We're 1eISnucp OF Gon1tlnneu
cen DT u. u HOttUtu, CCFto"eT " JoF -1Pf"