New Orleans Republican. [volume] (New Orleans, La) 1867-1878, 1876-05-20

great efforts have been made to obtain
their pardon, they have been compelled
to undergo an ignominious confinement in
q State prison. The impartiality Of the
government has been demonstrated by
the conviction and sentence of men who
may have covered themselves up under
an assumption of Republicanism. In
the prosecution of persons indicted in
New Orleans, the government will claim
to have acted with the same impartiality.
It may be THAT those indicted here are
members of the Democratic party. It
may appear that the government has pur-
sued the same memorable course toward
them as with Mckee and Mcdonald.
There has been one conviction. There
may be more. We intend to set our OPP
ponents an example Of impartiality by
treating the Republican investigation in
the Customhouse precisely as we have
treated the investigation Of Democrats
indicted for revenue fraud. If investiga-
ton shall show corruption on the part Of
a Republican, we shall return our thanks
that the party has been relieved of a faith
less member. We are no more bound to
know the possible previous misconduct Of
such persons than the Democratic Con-
gress were to have known that an officer
elected to place of high trust had been
tried for felony. We trust by Democratic
aid to be enabled to so purge and purify
the Republican party Of all worthless and
faithless officials who may be convicted,
as to present to the people ticket of
men against whom Democratic scandal
has never whispered breath of reproaah.
With nominees thus scrutinized by both
parties, and with the established prin-
ciples Of the Republican party, We ought
to have q walk over. We shall run the
reformers' ticket against the informers'
ticket.
We warned our contemporaries that
they treated the whisky indictments with
too much POPULARITY. When the key
hole reporter of the Picayene went up in
the elevator to find when the trial, which
he awaited with such impotence, would
come of, We ventured to intimate that it
was much more serious situation than
seemed to be supposed. When it was
said that the Withholding the revenues of
government was venial offense, justif-
able on the doctrine that no one was
bound to obey or pay taxes to govern
ment he did not like, we controverted the
doctrine. We admonished those who re-
garded the offense as venial or the gov
eminent as too weak to effect conviction,
that whether in peace or war it was not
safe to treat the government as timid or
inefficient The first verdict in the
whisky frauds has given more serious
complexion to the prosecutions than
seems to have been anticipated. Our
contemporaries do not seem to have been
as impartial as ourselves. They have
stationed lynx-eyed correspondents to re-
port the violations Of law in gather
ing" Of a couple of politicians.
Bijou telegraphs "there's music in the
air." because Of gathering" of few
politicians. The familiar of prices in
forms the Times of the awful limitations
against Republicans Illuminated by Seelye,
the detective. Why this distant Curl
osity? Why this ex parte affection for the
blind side of justice? Why not applaud
all investigations? We have accepted
this verdict of the Fehrenbach jury in no
spirit of party triumph. 1t is vindica-
ton of the law. We shall regard all
future verdicts in the same point of view.
To our mind the investigation of the
Customhouse and the trial of an indict-
ment for a revenue fraud stand on the
same platform. We will render impartial
condemnation to either as they may be
convicted Of having violated the law.