The Morning herald., 1876-03-23
WILMINGTON, MARCH %, 1875.
LET THE CHIPs FALL WAERE
THEY NAY.

Investigation into criminal practices
should take broad and sweeping track.
1t should apply the knife to the unsound
parts, and lay bare the defectionss, and
party, or personal thought should be no
rule Of consideration. Facts should be
the arbitrator to decide whether mans
head comes off or stays on. To those whom
belongs the investigating, is entrusted the
high authority Of prosecuting the work,
and should one swerve from the full per-
fsrnance of his duty; not laying all party
fealty, private consideration or secret rea'
sons, from the path Of duty, then he HIM
self, should become the subject Of investi-
cation.
The HERALD is Democratic paper, for
the safety Of country and its institutions.
1t lays no claim to party, if party prove
to be corrupt, declares that the chips must
fall where ever they may, and if there are
any Democrats up the chimney they must
be hit as we'll as the others. 1t desires
purgation from its ranks of all men who
have proved secretly or openly unworthy
Of party trusts. We have always con-
tended that the wedding of these grubs
from the political field is the only way to
get at healthful state of growth in all
the departments of the national govern
ment, and if the axe is applied to these
rotten trunks 20 matter where they may
be found, Democrat or Republican, we
will soon have the clear road to honesty in
the administration of all national affairs.
The work should apply to all. The
Pittsburgh Evening Leader in its advice
to our investigating Democratic Congress-
men eloquently and forcibly says: "While
it takes little virtue to cut off the small
dead branches Of the party tree, to lop off
the larger limbs which seem to give all the
life, beauty and hope Of fruitage, would
be revolution of virtue, soundness and
vitality, which would speedily bloom
forth in the addition of vigorous young
shoots and renewal of youth on the part
of the old trunk, such as would give pro-
mise of the best fruitage in the future.
When Mr. Clymer took hold of Belk-
nap, everybody thought he was in earn
est and meant business, but when he al
lowed his victim to escape, the common
conviction Immediately followed that the
investigation was mere party affair, ini-
tiated for the benefit of the Democratic
party solely. The intelligent citizens o.
this coantry know that all the knaves al
Washington have not been entirely of one
party, and the very.hour, the very minute
that Mr.. Clymer suffered the case to pre-
sent itself in an altogether political light
the moral effect of the investigation was
lost. We deeply regret to say that there
is cause for the general suspicion that thu
Democratic virtue Of our present Congress
is not equal to the task of exposing Demo
cratic, as we'll as Republican corruption
1t is not virtuous Democracy that expose
the crimes of political enemies and hide
the sins Of its political friends. Let ou
Democratic Congressional investigation
be for purity, and not for party. Whe
the RepublicanEparty, with all its sins an
faults, inquired into the district an
whisky rings; it exposed Republicans q
we'll as Democrats. When that part
attacked Schumacher, it did not spare KIM
and when it discovered Brooks, it ais
found Ames, Patterson and Colfax.
There are no less than thirteen speci:
investigation committees at this time el
gagged in unearthing the foulness of ths
which attaches to the present administr:
tion, and every one of them can find fu
employment, if the Democrats conductin
them have virtue equal to the task of e.
posing political friends as we'll as rolitic'
enemies. Let it not he said that DEM
cratic virtue is unequal to the task of e,
posing Democratic corruption.
There seems to be marvellous cham
in the appetites Of Democrats for inquiri
in certain directions, and the people, esp
cially the Democratic portion Of the pc
pie wish to know, if some of the Dem
cratic members have discovered more thu
they wanted. For three months and u
wards, the Democratic House has be,
investigating, and found nothing yet
report in the Navy. Conspicuous Dem