National Republican. (Washington City (D.C.)) 1872-1888, 1874-04-16

tne cOTTSSpOnuenSO Oh the independent press,
under the head of news. Almost every.
thing she utters is gathered up with the
greatest avidity by the specials who pride
themselves upon their enterprise as news
gatherers, and without any attempt at veri-
ncation It is sped away upon lightning
wings to the uttermost parts of the earth.
Having at length. by their confident asser-
tons, gained the ear Of Congress an order
was passed for an inquiry into their truth.
A committee was appointed. and the few
respectable parties who had been cnticed
into the loan Of their names to solicit the
investigation were called upon to specify
their charges. They had none to make.
They had asked for the inquiry to oblige
others. Thcy desired to lave allegations
made by disreputable and irresponsible
parties inquired into, in order to discover
whether somebody had net made some
money Improperly.
A few old and highly respectable and
enormously wealthy citizens, who had got
ten rich by the purchase of claims and tax
certificates which developed into titles of
lands in fee, and by shaving notes and hand
ling Government loans at round commits
sions deprecated the improvement of the
streets and the establishment of the
grounds adjacent to their princely proper
ties, for fear that they might be called upon
to pay their full share of the legitimate cost
of such improvements. and. possibly, that
other people would be enticed by the en-
HANGED beauties of the place into the cree
ton of palatisl mansions in too close con-
tiguity to their own residences. Such in
trusions are always extremely distasteful to
those who have for many years reigned
supreme in their own little coteries and
circles, because they indicate an e-a Of
progress belonging to another age, and
waning of the power and influence of the
old-time lords of the manor. And, then,
sometimes the intruders smack of shoddy,
and exhalc an odor of Goldfish that is most
fearfully annoying to the olfactories of a
selfsatisfed aristocracy.
The readers of THE NATIONAL REPUB-
LIcAN cannot have failed to observe that
the DIRECTORS to improvements have been
mostly of the character above described.
They do not like to be jostled out of their
old, easy way of going on in life. 1t dis
turbs their digestion and causes an undue
amount of irritability. But it is lamentable
in the highest degree that all this display Of
bile, all the dyspeptic Immature and whining
which they have exhibited, has amounted
to nothing. Even the specials who nomi-
mated themselves detectives, spies, inform
ers and prosecutors are coming to grief.
Their constant and persistent garbling and
misrepresentation of the testimony has been
so fully exposed by our verbatim reports,
that no one any longer places the slightest
confidence in them. When placed on the
stand one of these delectable detectives of
the Satanic press, yclept Independent. in
emulation of his master on a similar occa-
sion, still fresh in the minds of all, with
draws himself from the character of witness
and declines to answer upon oath the ques-
tons which he has been so persistently as
severating that he was capable of solving.
Our readers are fully capable of making
their own comments upon such conduct.
1t is not necessary for US to insult their in
telligcnce by an attempt to characterize it.
Such men may well be left to their own
reflections and company. They cannot find
worse.
The evidence has developed some specu-
lations in lands and contracts, but none of
them have touched any of our District Off
Gals From the Governor down all of
them have passed thus far through the fire
without even the smell of fire on
their garments. That speculations are in
separable from all such enterprises as have
effected the magical transformation now
presented in this District compared with
its appearance four years ago, all are fully
aware. The animus of this inquiry may be
found in the fact that its instigators were
too dull or too slow to participate in them.