New Orleans Republican. [volume] (New Orleans, La) 1867-1878, 1876-04-23
A BRIGADE OF MERoENARY 1HFoRMERs.

4 BRIGADE OF MERCENARY INFORMERS.
The dead beats and bummers of the
Democratic party have succeeded in get
ting considerable amount of patronage
out of the present House under the pre-
tense of having important information to
sell. They hang around the capital like
flies around molasses barrel, inventing
the most impossible ISLANDERS against
decent Republican officials, relating them
to such gullible old pumps as Holster
Clymer, and getting them sent out through
the country by the congenial spirits of
Newspaper Row. This, we suppose, the
Democrats will call cleansing the Augean
stables" this the grand work of retrench.
ment and reform, of which we hear so
much promise and have SO little perform
ance.
Congress has now been in session four
months and half During that time,
there has been on an average at least one
new charge per day brought against pro-
minent officers of the government, but
not single conviction. In most cases
the witnesses have been paid off and dis
charged, and sent out to other parts of
the county to hunt up information
enough to base fresh charges upon and
thereby enable them to go in again, re-
ceive summons from the committee and
save the country and its honor by draw
ing more money from the treasury for
nothing. The moment an important
official is accused, hundreds of these
vagabond spies by profession mysteri-
ously give out that they know enough
about the assailed man to hang him or
send him to the penitentiary. A
convenient go-between intimates this
to the chairman of committee, and sum-
monses are issued with one hand and Or
ders on the treasury with the other. The
American people will be called upon to
pay large sums in the aggregate for this
species of dirt throwing and blackmail-
ing. For there has been maintained all |
winter perfect army of idlers and gos-
sips under the empty pretense that their |
testimony was necessary in certain pro-
jected investigations. More money has
been squandered on this kind of patron
age than was required to pay the expenses
of short session of Congress few years
ago, and not the least good has come out
of it, or is likely to. On the contrary, by |
bringing discredit upon faithful, honest
officials, there has been temporary injury
to the credit Of the nation.
The Democrats have two objects in
keeping up this scandal agency. One is
to pension off on the public treasury the
employees of the party; the
other to impair as far as possible the
popularity of the Republican leaders.
They have already failed, and failure is
known to the country. The attempt to
deceive the people was made too soon, and
The result is already seen in the contempt
in which congressional investigation is
held. Belknap will not be even seriously
Klbourn, a witness, was
pulled and badgered till he was compelled
% seek protection in the courts from the
Star Chamber tyranny of the House. 1t
IS not improbable that the Democrats con-
;emplated the possibility of his escape by
egal means when they pushed him to
Perhaps they adopted this
means to get rid of him. They had made
such an outcry, and proclaimed so loudly
in advance what they expected to prove
~ him, that when they found out they
lad gone too far in their manifesto, they
ct scheme on foot to get rid Of the
witness without mourning the respon-
Utility of his discharge.
Aside from the temporary annoyance
o the Republicans of lifelong integrity
ccasioned by seeing their. names linked
nth alleged disreputable charges which
ave no possible foundation in truth, this
usiness of SANDER will not inflict any in
nry upon anybody but the base creatures
ngaged in it. Time has already, to a
reat extent, indicated the right and ex-
osed the malice of the mercenary brigade
professional witnesses who have been {
obbing the treasury and blackening the
haracters Of good men. II
THE BOARD OF HEALTH. Ii
The action of the Board Of Health last