National Republican. (Washington City (D.C.)) 1872-1888, 1874-03-03
LYING As 4 FINE ART

I NUN cuitoiiafiS anu III HIS uiSINtClcS hoiii
this city, adds fresh illustration of its
ability 10 lie Systematically, persistently
and maliciously, whenever it alludes to
District affairs. 1t charges that the private
property of Attorney General Williams was
graded at the public expense, and that the
cellar of his house was dug in the same
way, and prints an order from an inspector
Of the Board of Public Works to the con-
tractors on the work by which it attempts
to sustain the charge. 1t further says, in
its dispatches, that statements have been
made "to members of the committee" to
this effect. Editorially the Tribune 'tsecs'
its correspondent and "goes him better, -
by putting it that "by testimony before the
committee, Gin its investigations, these
things have been developed.
Let us once more deal with this reckless
mendaeity plainly and briefly. The sole
object seems to be a malevolent desire to
connect the name of high Government
official with transaction which it seeks to
make corrupt wholly by reckless lying. The
records now in possession Of the Commit
tee show the assertion 10 be wholly false.
No such thing as is charged was done. The
grounds around the Attorney Generals
house were graded and terraced, the con-
tractor was paid for it and the extra expense
assessed upon the property. This is legiti-
mate, proper and correct. 1t is done every
where in the city when required. 1t is of
necessity done when street is finished.
The charge about the cellar is equally false.
Instead of being dug under the order men,
toned, which is dated last October, as the
Tribune editorially states, it was dug nearly
a year ago. And suppose some contractor,
for the sake of filling up street he was re-
quired to fill under his contract, did take
the earth from that cellar for that purpose,
without expense 10 the Attorney General,
whose business is it? Who but man with
a small, mean and malicious soul would at
tempt to transform it into q crime? The
contractor saw his interest in it, no doubt,
if it was SO done. and it was entirely proper
on all hands that it should be so done.
But we come now to the most fragrant lie
Of which the paper in question has yet been
guilty. And to this we call the particular
attention Ofthe members of the committee,
because it concerns them. We ask Mr..
Boutwell, and Mr.. Wilson and their COL
leagues especially to note how they, are
sought to be used by this newspaper and its
reckless correspondents to misrepresent and
malign the case they have in hand in ad-
vance Of their investigations. They know
that not a particle of testimony has yet been
taken; they know that the memorialists
have not even yet presented their charges;
they know that not a regular meeting for
the formal commencement of the investiga-
ton has yet been held. Notwithstanding
this, they can sec for themselves by con-
sulting the Tribune of yesterday that that
paper editorially asserts, and by its dis
patches directly implies, that they hare taken
testimony grarely ineuipating the integrity
Of the attorney General! And if they will
watch the opposition press for the next ten
days they will find this lying statement of
this lying correspondent and this lying paper
floating over the country as an established
fact, by sworn testimony, garnished with
the comments naturally inspired by the
sadly shocked virtue of the independent
press" Lest there should be forgctful-
ness as to who is personally responsible for
this fresh outrage against truth and dcccncy,
we beg to remind the committee that the
responsible editor of the Tribune is White
law Reid, and his responsible correspondent
in this city is z. L. White. Let their names
be kept before the people as the authors of
of these malignant ISLANDERS. That seems
to he their chief business and they should
not fail to reap reputation accordingly.
II is not month since that paper confessed
itself The dupc of a set of forgers.