National Republican., 1876-12-12

Dana 5. ne WoulQ nave given uyLulnS
in reason, then, for an honest and true
Returning Board, clothed with power
to purge the returns from the dis
graceful frauds invented by aud per-
petrated under the direction (ss.
alleged) Of the late Senator John Slidell.
Who has changed, the Democratic party
or Mr.. Dana2 Years after the Tribune
was full of denunciations of Hon. Fer
nando Wood, who aspired to the then
honorable and lucrative position of mayor
of New York. Under the inspiration of
Dana, who, even then, was deeply imbued
with the curiosity of Paul Pry, the report
ers of the Tribune unearthed lot of Mr..
Woods commercial transactions in which
it was alleged that he had swindled his
capitalist partner named Arvine or Mar
vine out of many thousands of dollars by
having duplicate sets of invoices made OF
the ventures purchased, one of which was
to settle with the seller by, and another at
higher valuation to settle with the cspi-
talist partner by. Mr.. Wood writhed and
wriggled under these exposures like
skinned and sslted eel upon hot grid
iron. and, we believe, finally adjusted
suit which his partner brought against
him for fraud, by pleading the statute Of lin
itation in full settlement as his friend Tl-
den did on his Potter Compsny's furniture
claim. Just now Mr.. Dana, the very same
Dana, is cheek by jowl with this same
Fernando Wood in sustaining the Demo
cratic frauds in Louisiana, the bull-dozing
of the South, and in abusing the President
and the Republican party, in order to place
that sometime old rotten and corrupt Dem
ocratic party, with Tilden at Its head, in
control of the Government. Who has
changed, Dana or Wood3 Which of them
presents the most consistent record? When
such men as these conspire and take the lead
in an effort to impeach the President of the
United States, with record like General
Grants, should they not be looked upon
with suspicion2 Just now these fellows
are 'tss thick as thieves"
In 1874 the New York ESpress, edited
by James and Erastus Brooks, was Clay
Whig American journal. The late James
Brooks was the chief editor and Erastus
was the Washington editor. The columns
Of the paper teemed with anti-Catholic
articles of the bitterest kind. The record
of the members of the Empire club of that
day, presided over by the notorious Captain
Isaiah Rynders, and composed chiefly of
States prison birds. blacklegs, pocketbook-
droppers and thieves, was printed in the
Espress also, and Rynders and his gang
went down to the old office, No. 112
Broadway, one day in an omnibus, to bull
doze "Jlm' Brooks, or "Booby" Brooks,
as he was then called, into taking this
record back. Rynders stalked proudly in
at the head of his bullies, and approaching
the railing which separated the desk-room
from the outer office, he sccosted pale
gentleman who sat writing at desk 'front.'
ing the entrance with: 81 wish to see
Editor Brooks "I am Mr.. Brooks -
replied the pale writer. "Well, am Cap
at tain Isaiah Rynders, by God and we've
"come down here, me and the boys, to
"make you take back that d--d lie in your
paper this morning"
Mr.. Brooks raised his right hand from
the desk and, behold, in it was q cooked
pistol instead of pen, and looking the re-
doubtable captain sharply in the eye and
covering him with the pistol he said,
Come one step nesrer to me and you are
ga dead captain" Rynders quailed, though
he was not deficient in personal courage,
and turning to his crowd said, "Boys, 1
reckon we are in the wrong place" and
he marshaled his bullies back to the
omnibus without another word to Brooks.
A few years later when Mr.. James Brooks
desired to enter political official life, and
found that his district was hopelessly
Democratic, he and his paper drlfted over
into the Democratic ranks, and the same
Brooks and the identical Rynders might
have been seen nightly at Democratic
primaries and conventions as co-workers.
The Democratic party has not changed.
1t is the same panderer to Catholicism for
the purpose OF securing the Roman Catho-
lie vote now that it was in 1874.
AS the Democratic party did not change,
and the Erpress is one of its staunchest ad-
vocates and supporters, it follows that the
Egpress has changed. 1t is now the de.
fender of the Louisiana frauds, when, In
1874, it could scarcely find language sde-
quste to the expression of its wrathful
hatred and disgust for the perpetrators of
the PlsquemiDe iniquity. 1t is now the
advocate of Tilden, and was the panderer
to the faith of the New York foreign ele-
-, rIn 60 ito Co..
den in the late election. In 1874 it was
the most vehement Of American journals
in its denunciation of all people of foreign
birth of the Romish faith. We have seen
that the Democratic party is the same in
all these respects as it was thirty two years
ago. 1t follows, then, that the Ezprsss and
Erastus Brooks have become the eaters of
their earlier words, and have Joined the
ranks of their old enemies. If they were
right then they must be wrong now.
Such, in brief, is the character for con-
sistency of some of the present leaders of
the Democratic party, who are denouncing
the patriot President in the most infamous
terms and demanding his impeachment by
the Confederate House. Are they fit men,
aided and abetted by the ex-rebels of their
party, to accuse and prosecute Gen. Grant
for high crimes and misdemeanors? Are
they of the character to command the con-
fidence of the country3 If they think that
the people will take the accusations of
such changeful demagogues and slanderers
in preference to the brilliant military and
civil record of the President as evidence
of his fidelity to public trusts, they had
better proceed with their attempts at i'm
peaching him. But we warn them now
that in such an effort they will find them
selves in the end ''hoist by their own
petard."