National Republican. (Washington City (D.C.)) 1872-1888, 1874-07-16


1t is a strong and an instructive document,
which will we'll repay perusal.
AN INDEPENDENT BALTIMORE
ORGAN.
The Baltimore American has become
suddenly enamored of Chas. A Dana, and
prints every article in defence of him as
the champion ofthe freedom of the press.
The journal in question says: CAS- our
readers know, we have had, in times past,
mo good reason for cultivating an especially
friendly feeling for the New York Sun. "
The ''times past to which the american
refers are, doubtless, those when q certain
family, not entirely unknown to the AHlsrt-
can Office, held nearly all the offices in the
Baltimore custom-house, and in various
other ways had "a soft thing" in the mat
ter of Federal appointments Then it was
pleasant, and. perhaps, profitable, not to
cultivate friendly feelings" toward the
Sun and its editor. That it was not so was
rather the misfortune Of the American, and
not the fault of the Sun, because the editor
of the latter journal had tried very hard to
put himself and his friends in another Gus
tom-house. Ifhe had only been as success
full as the Baltimore family had been what
charming accord and friendly feeling" the
world would have witnessed between the
two. Gen. Grant is, of course, to blame.
He refused to put one in, and having put
the other in, had the temerity 10 put it out
again; hence the discord and the str'f. in
the first chapter and the love and friend
ship in the second. To speak plainly, If
the President had given Mr.. Dana the posi-
ton of Collector of the port of New York,
the position for which he worked so long,
and to obtain which he wrote columns of
the mostfulsome eulogy, poetry and prose,
the Sun would to-day be his stoutest de-
fender and the defender of his friends.
Again, if the Fulton family had not been
summarily dismissed from Office in the
Baltimore custom house and the Revenue
Bureau, we should not now witness the
strange spectacle Of the americans people
currying favor with an outlaw, unfolding
him in his evil deeds, aiding and abetting
The American knows, or ought to know,
that Charles A. Dana dare not to-day set
his foot In the capital Of his country; that
he IS fugitive from justice IN Pennsylya-
MAJ that he is afraid to touch the soil Of
New Jersey, and that he has been indicted
for libel in the courts of New York. This
is the manner OF man it defends and up
holds for the sole reason that 1t and its
friends were turned out of their fat offices
in the custom-house. ID
Mr. Shepherd is nothing to US in this con-
nection. We stand by him because he is
in measure the representative of a prin-
ciple, and because in that principle the fair
fame and honor of our city is in measure
at stake. Before the late investigation was
even thought OF, he endeavored to bring
Dana to justice, to submit their cases to u
jury of his townsmen. If the Sun in this
community has been vindicated by the re-
suit Of the Congressional inquiry, the evil
dence upon its side is all the stronger and
more overwhelming. Now it has evidence
which was beyond its command year ago.
The Investigation by Congress has elected
facts which could not have been brought to
light in any other way. If they strengthen
any one they strengthen Dana. Dana main
tains that the great majority of the taxpay-
ers and citizens of the District of Columbia
are grateful to him that he freed them from
the grip Of an INSCRIPTIONS ring. Why is
he afraid to be tried by them? If they are
his friends they are certainly the enemies
of Shepherd. DanA's counsel will have the
right TO challenge so that the packing Of a
jury is impossible The more this wild out
cry is examined, the less the foundation for
the scandalous charges against our citizens,
which are now so freely made in sore and
aggrieved organs like the Baltimore Amer
lean. That journal wants to know why
Mr.. Shepherd does not bring his charges in
New York? Why he does not face New
York jury? Is not the American aware
that justice in New York is a mockery; that
1t is a standing cause of complaint that the
jury system is 30 rotten and corrupt that no
man dares go before the men who are usu-
ally selected; that bribery of juries is noto-
rious, and that IN a case Of this kind the
bare terror of villainous wicked paper like
the Sun, intimidates net only jurymeD, but
even the law officers and the judges? If
the Sun has told the truth, it need have no
apprehension that it will be condemned in
this city. Here the truth is justification of
the alleged libel. In the fourteen years of
the existence of this journal we have had
over thirty libel suits, an average of more
than two year, and in every case we have
won, because we published only what was
the truth, and we had the evidence to show
that it was the truth. If the Sun editor or
the american editor shOuldbe brought here
under the law, we assure him that we shall
insist upon fair play, and give to tire coun-
try verbatim report of the trial.