New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1874-10-01
FEE-TAKING STATESMEN.

Let MS group few unulSputeu hlSIoIlc
facts. The legal official returns of the vote
of Louisiana in the State election of Novem-
Der, 1872, showed the election of the ticket
opposed to the Grant Administration, the
candidates upon which are now known as the
McEnery Government. 1t was urged by the
opposition that there had been intimidation
of colored citizens at the polls, and charged,
as it is always charged on both sides, that
there had been frauds in the registration and
the count But it was not denied that the
returns were formal, official, legal. q BY
methods too tedious to enumerate, and ma
chinery too complicated to describe, by the
jugglery of bogus legislation and the author
ity of a drunken Judge-whose impeachment
ia now pending-by illegal and informal
orders and the use of the machinery OF the
United States Courts, the members OF the
McEnery Government were kept out OF Offices
to which they had been elected, ! and
the members of the Kellogg Government,
representing the Administration party, were
by the cOuntenance and aid of Federal officials
installed in offices to which they had no legal
title. Out of the complications arising from
this conflict in the State, it was plain from
the beginning that there must come questions
which Congress must decide. For here were
questions of the legitimacy of two State Gov
ernments, of official recognition of one or the
other as the rightful and true, of recognition Of
the Legislature as legally empowered to elect
a United States Senator, and Of the compe-
tency and authority of United States Court
which in an unusual and unprecedented way
had interfered in the transactions. All these
questions grew out of the new relations OF
the States to the Federal Government under
the acts of reconstruction and the policy OF
the Administration. They presented features
of great gravity and seriousness to the
party in power. They involved very dis
tnctly the administrative ability, the trust
worthiness and capacity of that party. They
came to a Congress of prominent and influen-
tial members of party which had been in
trusted with power upon its claims of having
exercised and being able still to exercise the
highest wisdom and craftsmanship in the
conduct of just such affairs as the reconstruc-
ton of Louisiana. They were political ques-
tons; such questions as no man in active
politics, holding official relations with any
party, might safely take retainer in, since
they were in the very front of current politics.
Much less could Member of Congress accept
a retainer on either side, since it was beyond
speculation that in some stage of the cOntrO-
yersy he would be called upon to act judicially
in the matter.
Whether OF not the Kellogg Government
should be sustained by the Administration was
q question to be looked at from at least two
points of view; as a mere question of politics
by the politician, or as q problem in states
manship by the legislator. The Republican
party goes to the country with the whole re-
sponsbility for this business. If it was wise
party policy to sustain the Kellogg Govern
ment, then the Secretary of the Republican
National Executive Committee did not need
to be retained to use his influence with
Republican members of Congress to induce
them not to GUST from Office legally
elected member of their own party, in order
to put representative of the opposition in
his place. If it was not good, or wise,
or honest policy, Mr.. VIM. E. Chand-
ler.e with his thousand dollar fees for
advising his party to do an unwise
and dishonest thing, is not the man for so con-
fdential party trust as that he now holds.
1t hardly pays to put in that positiOn-a posi-
ton which gives by its prestige great adj
vantage to the lobbyist--a man who is ready
to sell his influence at any price. The public
will not long trust party 30 conducted
But there are far higher considerations tEan
those of mere party policy involved. The dis
position and ability of the dominant party to
restore good government, purity of elections
and honest administration to the States of the
South, are put to the test. Such men as Mr.
CARPENTER in the Senate and Mr.. Butler in
the House were elected by voters the mass of
whom are honest and sincere, because they
believed them not only competent to the func-
tons of legislation but honest in their exercise
They trusted them TO act In such cases
as this of Louisiana upon the facts
and their 4 merits, y for !. the common
good, and not as counsel or advocates of
either side for money. What shall be said of
the earnestness of these men in their profess
sions of desire to give Louisiana fair cleo
tons and honest government, when they are
found taking fees for sustaining in Court q
Government which from their seats in the
Senate and House they condemn as illegal
and denOunce as usurpation7 What kind OF
statesmen are these who take pay for repre-
senting in the Courts the side they pretend to
oppose in the Legislature And what shall
be said of political party which continues
in office men who have so little earnestness or
sincerity, SO little care for consequences to
their party OF their countryf
1t may be argued that this is all legitimate
professional practice, and precedents may be
cited in justification Of it. But no precedents