The Republican journal., 1876-05-18


There is a well established code of pro-
tessional etiquette which is generally rec
ognized by gentlemen Of the press, there
fore the editor pro tenn Of the Journal
determined to keep silent regarding the
vagaries Of the Progressive Age as long
as the editor of that paper observed the
courtesy toward him, which would rea-
sonably be expected during the absence
OF the regular editor in Philadelphia. But
the editor of the Age has assaulted us and
our position regarding the corruption of
the administration, and it is apparent that
pr fessional pcliteness is one of the '.un-
known quantities" to him. Indeed it
would be vain to expect, and foolish to
desire courtesy from a journalist who has
printed attacks on all the clergymen of
this city who have dared to protest in the
name of God. in their pulpits, against the
appalling corruption at Washington.
The Age editors comparison Of Grant
with George Washington and Thomas JEFF
ferson will not ''hold water The time is
long past when our abcst statesmen reach
ed the Presidency, and there could hard
ly be a worse satire upon our mediocre
President than this attempt to place him
on the same pedestal with the predeces-
sors named above. And because Thomas
!offn.-or ~, bo
81 his time is no argument toward PROV
ing that the democratic press of to-day
does not tell the truth about Grant That
Jefferson did not fear and hate the news
papers, severe as they were, as Grant
does, is certain. for he wrote g.
"Nere it left for me to decide whether we
should have government without newspapers,
or newspapers without government, | should
not hesitate il moment to prefer the latter. But
l would Insist that every man should receive
those papers and be capable Of reading them"
And now the revolving exposures Of the
peryading rottenness Of republicans in
power have occupied the public attention
for months But the editor Of the Age
has stuck his head under his wing and has
nothing condemnat0ry to say against Bah
cock, or Avery, or Luckey, or joyce, or
Macdonald; nothing severe about District
Attorney Harrington. and the prominent
actors IN the saie-burglary conspiracy :;
only sweet words if any, for Schenck ''the
fallen minister; nothing disagreeabo
about the Lcet and Stocking revelations.
nor about Boss Shepherd and the plum
derlng Washington rings; nothing to
say against Grants unlawful interler-
ence with the course Of justice, through
Pierrepont, to exclude testimony against
Babcock. But why continue this list .
When the Age editor says that the
current charges Of official wrong doing
are not proved, he does violence alike to
truth and to what must be his own con-
victions. 1t is almost beyond belief that
our venerable contemporary, dares to fly
50 directly in the face Of acknoW edred
facts, as he does when he attempts in his
partisan zeal to deny that the present adj
mlnlstration is corrupt one The most
respectable republican papers, of his own
political color, frankly acknowledge the
evils of Grantsm and his system of per-
sonal government. And every school-boy
knows the facts regarding the infamous
system by which this Government has
been run in the interests Of huge monopo-
lies, theying Rings and corrupt corpora
tons. backed by an organized army Of
venal ot1iceholders. 1t does not require
ga man of maturity Of mind to draw the
attention of the people to these things.
Even republicans have deplored them on
the floor OF Congress a cry of Indignation
goes up from people depressed by starry
ing times and oppressed with taxes be-
cause Of the misrule Of this government.
When the editor Of the Age attempts, as
he now does, to cover up with his obscure
sheet these enormous public ulcers, he
trys to perform an impossible feat, and
only makes himself ridiculous in the ewes
Of the world
In New York city there is much excite
ment among those interested in nayiea-
ton, regarding the prospective crippling
OF commerce by the completion Of the
Brooklyn Bridge. The distance between
the proposed roadway Of the bridge and
the river will be only 1875 feet. A great