National Republican. (Washington City (D.C.)) 1872-1888, 1874-04-09
"REBURING THE ADMLNISTRA-
TTOK"


This is the way the malcontents phrase
it now. The Administration is to be re-
buked for sins of commission and omission,
yet we fail to find any one able to particu-
larize and to describe those sins. The
principles of the Republican party remain
the same to-day as they were when the
Administration came into power, and it has
never faltered in its loyal support of them.
The new questions that have arisen have
been grappled by it with signal ability and
a determination to reach their solution in
the most speedy, practical and beneficial
way. Whenever the President has spoken
to Congress or to the people regarding
these questions or those of standard char
acter 1t has been to some purpose and with
a maturity of thought which even his enc
mics have been forced to acknowledge.
His messages have not been frequent, it is
true, but they have been sufficient, both in
number and the character of their recon-
mendations, to free him from the imputa-
ton of neglect of duty. Their reception
by the press and the people, and the conse-
quent criticisms of them, are of too recent
date to be forgotten. When we remember
that those criticisms were in the main favor
able, we have added all that is required to
acquit him of acts which require rebuke.
In short, from the admissions of his oppo-
nents he has received verdict approving
his conduct, so far as it relates to questions
Of national importance. The Administra-
ton, of which he is the acknowledged
head, is therefore guiltless of any derelic-
ton of duty, and if the people are really
discontinued, as it is claimed they are, we
must look to other sources for the cause of
their discomfort.
The prolonged control of the affairs of
the Government by the Republican party
has had the natural effect to create some
dissatisfaction among the ofice-seeking
class Of its supporters. who have become
soreheaded through repeated failures to OBJ
tain a satisfactory recognition of their de-
mands. To this class the "independent"
press of the country has appealed for sup
port in its abuse of the party, while the
lukewarm and captious support of number
less so-called Republican journals has weak
ened the faith of the people at large in the
integrity of our leaders. The independents,
prompted by wicked malice, have seized
upon all kinds Of pretexts for the purpose
of destroying the party, while but few, very
few, of the party journals of the country
have had the honest and straightforward
boldness to contradict their falsehoods. In
significant topics, relating to the details of
Executive authority, have thus been magni-
fed into questions of great importance.
SANDERS without the slightest foundation in
fact have thus been allowed to travel broad
cast increasing in malignity with each
stride, until the country has been fairly de-
luged with lies regarding corruption which
never existed. The acts of the party in
purging itself of corrupG leaders and pre-
venting the corruption Of the Government
by the Democrats have been ignored in this
hasty and cowardty fright Of some of its
friends at the insidious onslaught Of their
enemies. The result is an unparalleled
political condition, in which the people,
scared or discontinued with some underlined
belief of something they cannot themselves
explain, are amenable to in1ueLces which
under other circumstances they would re-
pudiate with earnest scorn.
We are, therefore, compelled to trace the
source of their discomfort to the party
managers and to the party newspapers.
The responsibility rests upon them and
alone upon them. As we have said, in
stead of rebuking the ISLANDERS, exposing the
misrepresentation and defying the calum-
MES of our enemies, they have played the
part of moral and political towards. They
have remained quiet or frightened observers,
while mountains have been built from
mole hills, and have stumbled over imagi,
nary obstacles when they should have been
actively engaged in teaching the people les
sons of patriotic or partisan duty. For in
stance. the Sanborn business, which was
nothing more nor less than an effort to re.
cover unpaid taxes to the amount of $780,
| 900, 900, has been misrepresented by the
opposition, and the Misrepresentation have
been repeated by our own friends, until the
| original and innocent intent has been Tor
gotten. It might have been summed up In
a single sentence The Government tried
to protect honest taxpayers by compelling
dishonest or neglected. taxpayers to pay
their taxes. But the opposition began
hue and cry about the detectives, asthougl
detectives are not always useful and neces
/ sorry M agents for the execution of the laws
and by appeals Of the most unreasonable
kind have raised false sentiment Of dis
approval of most ordinary, and, as W
have said. an innocent transaction. Again
the vexatious Louisiana question has beef
subjected to the same misrepresentation
The people have not been generally In
formed, rs they might have been, that tn
relative strength of the white and blac