New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1876-04-06
MEN THO KAOU.D

MEN WHO KAOU."
There was a certain vigOr of expression In
one of the utteranceS of the pennsylvania
Republican Convention which must have struck
every one who knows the trials and grIcfs
and vexatiOns of spirit undergone OF Late
by the Republican leaders, as uncomnonly
happy The particular phrase referred
To followed the demand for honest
"men in Office" and has somewhat the char
meter of q definition. " Honest men in Office"
they say, and add with an emphasis born OF
bitter and repeated disappOntments, men
"with brains enough to know dishonesty when
they see it," The habit of politicians has
been-not less in Pennsylvania than elsewhere
to put men in Office who in the slang OF the
street "know good thing when they see
ait" and do not care much by what means
they reach it. What they want now is
"men who know dishonesty when they see
cit" and we presume who will not plead the
Baby act when caught in questionable trans
actions. There's heap of disgust III the read
ing between the lines of this remarkable
passage. The phrase is so full of Indignation
that it almost swears of itself. You
may read in it the processes IN the minds OF
its authors by which they reached their con-
clusiOn. Before these men, sitting In council
together over the condition of the party, the
causes of its less of public confidence and the
means whereby to regain it, there unrolled
itself n long array of names OF trusted
men who had been caught III dis
honesty, and when aTaigned before Con-
grcss by committees, or before the
people 10y the press, had put their thumbs
in their mouths and hung their heads, and ,aid
they did not know there was anything wrong
in what they had been doing. These Penn
sylvania Republicans were sincerely de-
sirous of party success. To that end
they labored they were ready to ap-
plaud whatever brought popular favor,
and equally ready to dcnouncc what brought
weakness. They saw that the dishonest prac-
tees of some officials for whom the party was
r, responsible had put in jeopardy ITS fortunes,
and they expressed themselves with profound
feeling upon the subject. And in the phrase
quoted they packed unuttered and unuttcrabe
disgust for the pleaders of the Baby act.
Think for n moment of the long line of
statesmen which, before the minds eye OF the
PENNSYLVANIA Convention, must have slouched
along in snuous procession to provoke this
burst of anger. How tho Credit Mobilier
SPECTATORS lifted ut once their eye
brows and their hands, and said. ave
didn't dream there was anything crooked IN
"it!n How ex-senator Harlan. with the $4,000
checks brought homo to him, said "Wby. bless
me, was there anything unusual in that 7"
How the Indian contractors and Indian agents
and all that lot Of supplemented persons said,
"Wly, this was only business; how could we
"know thee was anything wrong in It3"
How Mr.. Robert C.. Schenck assey-
Grated that if no had done any
thing wrong he had been duped by designing
men and used by them when he had no pur-
pose under heaven except to act honestly and
turn few thousand honest pennies. How
Bahcock was imposed upon. and Be.knap
tempted. and the President himself, who we
have been repeatedly told, and are glad
to believe, "is personally honest" has
been mislcd and deceived. How III
short the whole lot Of them have meant well,
but have been led into scrapcs by their ieno-
rance of the world, by not knowing dishonesty
when they saw it. We may imagine all this,
and the modification and chagrn with which
the Pennsylvania Republicans took in the
retrospect Never since schoolmasters came
IN vogue did 40 long and so sorry
line Of schoobOys with their pockets
full Of surrepttious sour apples stand
up before the masters fcrule and say
with one accord. 81 didn't know as
they was anybody's. only took 'em cause
"they WAS lying round" And the Penn
sylvania politicians, tired out with re-
peating, ooh these men mean well; they
didn't know there was anything wrong
Gin it," got right up and said, There !
"there's been enough and too much of this ;
"enough of men who mean well but don't
"know any better enough of simple-minded-
"ness that takes such good care of Number
Gone enough of men who are imposed upon
" and who plead the Baby act Now let lis
have men in Office who know dishonesty when
"thcy see it,"
II is an uncommonly wise IA well rs UNI
commonly forcible utterancc. There's great
deal of able-bodicd curslng and swearing con-
densed in it, and we have no doubt that the
average voter who appreciates the situation
will feel as the Quaker did toward the profane
person who damned the offensive dog, and just
rise up aud thank the Convention for saying
it. "AIen who know dishonesty when they see
ctr That's the kind that's wanted.
A TUOFOLD BLUNDFR.
The Senate has rejected Mr.. Dana, MS was
| notur,l We know of no reason why sucl a