The Emporia news. [volume] (Emporia, Kan.) 1859-1881, 1876-03-17
The RepubIIcan Attitude.

The RePubIIcan Attitude.
The eager zeal and gloating TIRE
umph with which the Democratic
papers greet the Belknap scandef
expose the heated partisan spirit
which animates them. It is not the
dishonor of the nation which stirs
them-thdt will not seriously troub.
lie the party which was ready to let.
the nation be destroyed. It IL not
the revelation of corruption VIII ich
arouses them-that will net pro.
duce a single pang in the party
which sustained Q Floyd in Wash
ington and q Tweed in New York.
But it is the thought of turning the
disclosures into political capital
against their adverssries and Of COW
ering up in this excitement the in
herently vicious character and the
prolonged misdeeds of their own
party through twenty years Of un-
varying historY-it is that which
stands out above everything else in
their treatment of the question.
The Republican party 10 ready to
face the issue. 1t is willing to sub
NIT the whole subject to the candid
judgment of an intelligent people
aud to accept their candid and de-
liberate verdict. If the misconduct
of the disgraced Secretary was of
such q nature so involved the the
completely of the Administration /;
1t his corrupt acts had been known
to the representatives of the party
aud had been connived 1t or tOlers-
ted it they were not secret, person
al and exceptional but fairly repre-
sented the general spirit and course
of the party ; or if, when disclosed
at last, there were any disposition
to shield the recreant officer, then
the party would justly be held re-
sponsible and would deserve both
the Odium and condemnation which
fall upon him. In that case no hon.
est Republican would ask for q stay
of the popular judgment against
it. But if, on the other hand, the
misdeeds of the secretary were
wholly his own; if they were OF
such a character that they could not
be known to his associates; if they
were alien to the general impulse OF
the Administration and the party 0s
evinced in their predominant action ;
and if, upon their revelation, the of
fender is Immediately cast out in
disgrace, and every step is taken to
punish him, then clearly the party 10
not implicated, and should share
neither the obloquy nor the rebuke.
A party is responsible for the ini-
guilty which it knowingly tolerateS
and for the course of wrong which
is the outgroWth of it's general spir-
| "a A1xk Sc .
nable for the personal infamy which
is as much an act eff treachery to it.
self as of perfdy TO the public wei.
fare.
Upon these manifestly just prin.
ciples, the Republican party unhesi.
tatingly submits the case of Gen
Belknap 10 tho Intelligent popular
| Judgment. It is case of personal
bribery. It was q secret and care
fully cOucealed wrong. It is an OF
Tense which in its very essence could
not involve the completely OF the
Government. There is not an intel
ligent American so lost to all hon
Orable instincts SO to suppose for
single moment that if the fact of thu
personal corruption of one of thell
associates had been known to tn!
President or other members Of TIM
Cabinet, they would not have driver
out the tainted being As promptly
as they would have driven outs lep
Ter. II the delinquency had beeI
lone which involved general mis-
management of the War Depart
ment, then it might have been sus
Ipected. But it was simply Q cor
j rupt bargain between the Secretary
and a cutler which in its very na
ture would remain concealed unit
one of the parties betrayed the gull
Ity secret. It was the personal pros
tltution of the SecretarV-one o
the moral lapses which come occa
, sionallV to shock mankind. The,
sometimes appear in the most I'm
expected quarters. A clergymal
f long distinguished for his virtues
t his talents and exalted standing
+ suddenly stands unmarked as . pro
q found hypocrite. 4 banker VIII
, has always possessed the A0solut
!. confidence of the community is ex
posed to his startled friends As Ion
engaged in g secret course of theft
Such chapters are not 80 nneommo
that we should be altogether SUI
prised at the fall even OF q Cablne
Minister in 8 high place. 1t 10 on
of those sickening development
q which come to show US the weak
ness of humanity, and to prove thG
the best appearances sometimes fai
Nor was there anything in thi
: act which was naturally generate
q by tho general character of the A6
Y ministration. On the contrsr!
= while stimulated by the social vice
of Washington, it was utterly fol
eign to the prevailing rule OF til
Government The rule of the RI
= publican Government is to pursu
and punish frsud-not to encourag
it. 1t is stamped in the trial an
e punishment of offenders on ali side
1t finds it's expression in the Wi
e against the Whisky Ring and j
Grants watchword, 'let no guilt
d man escape" That is the work i
which the Administration is engal
j. ed, and that indicates its charactl
and determination. As soon &c Il
infamy of Belknap was brought
light, no Republican anywhere he
q itated. The President directed b
g criminal prosecution. The Repul
= licans of Congress unanimously "
ted for his impeachment. Republ
= cans everywhere demanded his col
. dign punishment. And in the fa'
of all these, acts how monatrous
unjust and how utterly impotent
u involve the Republican party wi
BelKnap's disgracei
A RARE BIRTHDAY PARrY.-Tl
p Providence Press says that Edna .
a Rice, daughter OF Chief of Poll
ID Rice, and Eddie Carpenter, son