National Republican. (Washington City (D.C.)) 1872-1888, 1874-12-09
THE DISTRICT IN NATIONAL
POLITICS.

1 OLJ4 LNhJ.
During the last three years no city as a
city has occupied a larger share of public
attention than Washington. The terrific
rial form of government had scarcely been
formed and Mr.. Cooke appointed Governor
when the Opposition press began to ring
with charges Of fraud and corruption. We
were told about gigantic rings formed to
swindle the people, beside which the rings
and corrupt combinations of Boss Tweed
and his associates, now fugitives from jus
tice, were small and insignificant. Day
after day it was declared to the world that
the highest officers Of the Government,
half the Senate and more than half the
House of Representatives were directly or
indirectly interested in street contracts and
real estate pools, by which the General
Government and the city was robbed and
plundcred of millions and millions of dol
lars. The iercest crusades ever waged
against a set of men or party was carried
on in season and out of season against the
Washington ring" The men at the head
Of our affairs were denounced as thieves"
and criminals, who ought to be in the
penitentiary. We were told that they came
into power poor, and before they were three
months in office had stolen money enough
to make themselves millionaires. To sat
isfy the clamor raised upon the subject the
officers thus assailed demanded investiga-
ton after investigation at the hands Of
Congress, and when at the end of months
and months there came the verdict of &C
quittal, the wretched libeleTs and SANDER
ers. who failed to prove the truth of what
they had so vehemently asserted, turned
around and denounced the men who had
made the investigation as the friends of the
corruptionists, bribcd and purchased to
''whitewash' and cover up the misdeeds
of the city authorities, and to shield the
gentlemen ''high in authority, " who would
be covered with infamy if the truth were
told
In all these assaults of the Tribune and
the New York San the central figure of
attack was the President of the United
States The whole assault from beginning
to end, from first to last, was part and par
Gel Of the plot to defeat Gen. Grant. The
men who were responsible for our city
affairs, who dispensed and controlled the
thousands and millions of dollars which
have made Washington what it is-the
pride instead of the disgrace and dishonor
of the UniOn-were for the most part the
Presidents personal friends. He had ap-
pointed them to Office, and Endorsed in his
messages to Congress, again and again, all
that they had done in the rebuilding and
reconstruction of the capital To strike
them down was to strike him down, Mr..
Dana cared nothing about Mr.. Shepherd or
Mr. Cooke, or the Board of Public Works
or the citizens of the District of Co.
lumbia. He was pursuing the President
of the United States. That was the
animus of the whole assault And in
pursuance of this policy for the last
two or three years the District has
been made a text in national politics
In 1872 it entered into the Presidential
campaign as an offset to the misrule and
yiIIainv of New York city under Demo-
cratic control, and in the elections of last
October and November it was dragged in
again as a ground Of attack against the
Republican party. The last investigation
and the hasty and i'll considered action of
Congress in abolishing in toto the form of
government which then existed, sacrificing
the men who had done all that has been
done for the city, were pointed to as the
,,,;5o,,oa and the DrOof Of the truth of the
charges of the Opposition press and the
enemies of the President. What were these
cbarges7 That in the District of Columbia
there was perpetrated the most open and