The Rutland daily globe. [volume] (Rutland, Vt.) 1873-1877, 1874-03-06
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NO STAR GtgAMBEFc PRACTICES.
If the investigation now being made by
the House committee on ways and means is
to take an iaqusitorial shape and issue he
tween the informcr Jayne and Tie m"r-
chants and importers OF New York, it
promises to be barren Of results. The first
move of the committee. if their action hos
been reported correctly, has been such that
their conclusions of fact and report, no
matter what it may be, will not command
the respect and confidence of the country.
We use the word "inqusitorial in its full
sense, as implying Investigation and secrecy.
ii is understood, so reported and not as yet
denied, that reporters are to be excluded
from the meetings Of the committee. DO
the committee, or any member thereof for
moment believe that an investigation SO
conducted, a report founded upon testi-
mOny so taken, will be accepted by the
country as final and conclusive? Ii is diff
ficult to convince large proportion Of the
people of the correctness Of the facts az
rived at by committee, when their en-
quirics have been conducted openly. Even
such reports, when made by men of fair
ness, intelligence and integrity, are usually
received with suspicion. All the reports
that could be made, for instance, would not
convince even a respectable minority that
everything was fair and honest in the man
agement of the New York custom house.
With what favor, then. would report be
received based upon an investigation N de
in secret? Is it to be supposed that man
could be found so bcrcft Of bis senses rs 10
stand up before an intelligent audience and
read from such report rs ,cadina prove
an absence of dishonesty ami corruption?
In one sense, and an important one too.
this investigation has had to do with thai
custom house, although it is called by
another name. 1t processes to be M in
Quiry into the advantages and di,advanta-
yes of the moiety system, but it turns al
most entirely on the honor or want oil
honor Of this Jayne and the bribery az non
bribery of minor custom house officials, OF
on the other hand whether the merchant.
and importers of New York are the hon
orable men that they have always bccn he
lcvcd to be, or are, rs class, scOundrc
of the first water, planning to cheat ans
defraud the government and their brothe
merchants, and aided in these schemes hl
the manufactures and leading merchants o
Europe This is the real issue If Jayn
is right, the merchants of New \ orli AM
Europe are all that is bad, becoming no
torious corrupters of custom house under
iiaes, while he and the principal official
of the revenue department are embodiment
of integrity, honor and every thing else tia
is lovely and OF good report,
This beng so-and is there any dOul
about it-who cares for the result Of
secret investigation The day for inqnis
tons, star chambers and their accessoriC
has passed. There are, except in times
war, no class Of beings held in such Mt,
contempt as spies-no decent man will "a
as one, nor an honorable man assoca
with one. These and secret investigation
are all of a piece, and the country i. hca
lily sick Of them. Secrecy, except in vo
Untary associations, is not tolerated in I'll
country save in two instances and Il
better sentiment of the country is CONN
tu believe in its abolition there. We ref
to executive sessions of senates and the !
quests Of grand jury. In the form
case, everything is made public in the en-
and even before tie seal of secrecy is ]
moved, the outside world know about
much Of their proceedings us do the ser
tors themselves Many years will not pr
before the secret executive sessions will
abolished, and their proceedings conduct
as openly as is the other business conf
before these bodies. The movement
abolish grand Jures has already tax
root, and in many states, the whole systC
is abolished. While it has been of vast |
to the country it has, at the same tin
been used as an instrument of oppressi
and wrong Espionage and eX parte ter
mony has provided the indictment of ma
respectable men in whose minds the il
of crime or wrong doing never enter
Secret, eX parte committee investigate
work in the opposite direction. Facts
suppressed, the guilty screened and
satisfying results are attained. 1t ma
no difference what manner Of men &C
pose committee. They are cropping
the dark, and if their report runs cour
to popular sentiment, the matt
conclusion is, either that the i'm
was not intended to be impartial, lie