New-York tribune., 1875-02-23

newspapers of high character would cease 10
blacken the character of public men, and TO
demoralize the youth of the country by per-
suadng them that their rulers are rogues anu
incapabes. This letter is evidently from q
gentleman of honor intelligence. public spirit
and integrity. There are many thousands OF
Republicans who think and feel just in this
wav among the constituency of THE tribune
They ace as plain as day the short
comings of their leaders. AS to mat
tcrs of detail. they will probably admit
every charge which we are compelled to
make against the men who have recently
controlled that glorious and historic party for
their own selfish purposes. They see clearly
enough the low greed and reckless disregard
for law which lie at the bottom of such out
RACES as the President and his following have
committed in Louisiana and threaten in
Arkansas. And yet they shrink from any cx-
posure of thesa desperate gamblers as IL 1t
were species of blasphemy. The very words
Credit Mobilier, lobbying, Third Term scheme,
affect them as if you were touching an ex-
posed nerve. 1t may all be true, they say,
| but why dwell on anything 80 painful Why
teach the boys of the country that the only
great men we have are such shabby fellows
| And then consider, they continue, how much
worse the Democrats are, on the whole what
an Augean stable was flooded out when the
| Republicans took possession of the Govern
| ment in 1861 what blood and treasure it cost
to undo their perniciOus work during four
terrible years. We cannot trust them, these
| sincere people argue therefore let us make
| the best of our own party, be little blind
| to its faults, and very kind to its virtues, and
try to worry along without 80 many exposures.
| We repeat that the men who talk in this
way, and who write these letters to u.s. are
| among the best citizens we have. Their un-
| shaken faith and their devotion TO the voice
| of their own cOnsciences gained that enormous
battle which began in 1854 and ended in the
election of Abraham Lincoln. the greatest
triumph of pure conscience which has ever
been seen in the world of politics When the
war came as the result Of that election, their
steady faith carried it through to victory. 1t
is altogether natural therefore, that this habit
of faith should have grown so fixed with them
as to survive the party and the cause which
it served They willfully refuse to see, what
| an honest newspaper must see or abdicate its
functions, that blind faith in the Republican
leaders Of to-day is ruinous to public honor
| and civil freedom. We have arrived at that
period of reaction which always follows re-
markable efforts. No nation can with i'm
punity engage in great wars and food the
| country with vast issues of iTedeemable paper
money. An era of corruption and OF
reckless extravaganza follows such events
rs surely as night follows day. The
party name which has attained a sort of sa-
credncss in the trials of war, covers multi
| tude of knaverios in peace. The men of
| thought and of sensitive honor gradually sink
into the back ground, and the loudest takers
| and sharpest intrigueTs come to the front.
The general honesty suffers by the example
of Government which spreads its promises
| to nay knee deep over the country and the
| lower and more questionable forms of specu-
| latiOn not only become popular among the
| masses, but infect as well the law makers and
| the leaders of party. Now, unless we are to
| surrender our own freedom and our own con-
scientious judgment TO the dictates OF eau
causes, it becomes necessary for lis at such
times as these to lay aside our habit of falh
| and reverence for party names, ana 10 con-
slider seriously whether the men who have
| been controlling our organizations are men OF
| clean hands and houcst minds. This IL n
| time for criticism, for the most relentless in
| vestigatiOn. We cannot afford to take indi-
| viduals or committees on trust any longer.
| The circumstances OF the time make a
Jealous care the duty Of every citizen, and II
| constant and energetic vigilance the fist
| function of every Independent newspaper.
This is not a matter in which we can con-
suit our feelings or our prejudiccs. 1t is an
unpleasant thing to consider that you have
| is nj an
subject to think OF nor to talk about. But it
! would be madness to hide it away and try to
| forget it, when prompt surgery might remove
it and cure you. TO deny the existence of the
| pernicous elements which exist in the Admin
| istratiOn organization would be merely to give
| ourselves and the country up to be dealt with
| as they choose. No tenderness for the party
| name or its traditions should induce us to
| shirll the duty of getting to the bottom of
| every piece of knavery or bad policy which
| seeks to cover itself by the vindication Of
caucus. THE TRIBUNE is not free from the
influence OF those old associations. 1t has
Just pride in the history OF the
Republican party. If it is to perish,
We do not know who would have
the right to dispute 70 The TRIBUNE the
place of chief mourner. But We are sure we
have never rendered more necessary service
to the principles of the party than in denOunc-
ing its corrupt leaders and showing the
dangers which threaten it. 1t may be, as many
believe, that its defeat is already assured. If
not, there is only one way of preventing it,
and that is by convincing the honest and in
telligent men whose votes defeated it last
Fall that they, and not the other kind shall
bnr rnuId hp