New Orleans Republican. [volume] (New Orleans, La) 1867-1878, 1876-03-11
TIE MOTE AND THE BEAM.

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The little dogs and all worry the wires
with every incident tending to indame
public excitement against the knaves who
have dishonored the nation. They dis
played the same yelping vigilance while
the trials went on duplicating Mckee,
Macdonald, Joyce and numerous other
knaves who had defrauded the revenue
Our Democratic moral reformers inveigh
against these offenses in high places, and
urge the prosecution of all Republicans
offending with the most unsparing vigor.
In this We approve and applaud them.
But while the commission of these ofenses
by political official is rendered SO visible
to the observation of our local press, his.
tory will scarcely chronicle from their COL
umns that charges of revenue frauds have
been going on under their eyes, and that
they have neither manifested Indignation
at the possibilities of fraud, nor lent their
aid in its investigation. For the first
weeks Of the grand jury session it really
seemed to our mind that the local report
ers of the Democratic press so published
every day the probable action of the pros
ecution as that it might have operated
notice to the accused to be on their guard
and to provide against the effect Of such
action.
This extraordinary interest in the
prosecution, which extended to almost
hourly interviews, was doubtless due to
the proverbial activity of the unmuzzled
reporter, who goes for all news indis-
criminately; yet it really wore the appear
ance of that design attributed by the
Democratic press to the Republican ad-
ministration-to protect its friends by
timely advice of what the prosecution in
tended.
We however found pa ragraphs compli-
mentary of persons impeached of having
defrauded the revenue and general line
Of sympathy for the parties impugned,
and ridicule of the prosecution, not con-
sistent with the severe hostility to public
frauds announced by the Democracy.
When it has been supposed that the gov
eminent retired bafled in its attempts to
protect the revenues, We have even heard
such voices as these, "Adios aguadiente"
the Spaniards write it aglar diente-the
last of the crooked business:
It is evident these indictments are the
last kicks on the part of the internal reve-
nue. department. and that New Orleans will
not be favored with sensational trials and
spicy kilograms.
What does such language import? 4 just
indignation at the possible escape Of
public robbers? A virtuous demand that
all suspected citizens shall be court
martialed for the vindication of the COM
mercial good name of the city? We fear
not. Is ''the last kick" on the part of the
internal revenue department, an injury
and ofense to an honest determination to
bring all public offenders to punishment?
We fail to read in such language shame
for the imputation, or regret for the failure
to investigate.
It may be the belief of some that any
trick by which the federal government
can be beaten out of the common revenues
deserves applause. We do not think So
The whole people Of the South are again
voluntarily under the obligations of the
American constitution. The obligations
Of the government are ours. The honor
and credit of the government are ours. If
the government be defrauded of its dues,
even to build up the private fortunes of
those who evade its laws, the taxpayers Of
the South must make good their part of
that which the fraudulent distiller or
vendor puts into his own felonious pocket.
In Ireland there was public sentimen.
unfavorable to the execution of the
British revenue laws, which we have
considered peculiar, because we do not !
think the Irish people party to the !
British government. In the play of
"Arrah ma Pogue" one of the characters
says he might have been worse than
a murderer or a robber; he might have
been base enough for 'tan informer."
Public sentiment here does not regard the
offense of protecting the common reve-
nue. as criminal, nor those who officially |
participate in its prosecution as worse
than criminals. We should attribute this |
extreme numbness of distant vision on the |
part Of the Democratic press to a party OBJ
ject, and to an unwillingness to afford an
advertising patronage of much profit. 1t
is for this reason that we would advise our |
contemporaries to first pull
The beam out of their own eye, land then
shalt thou see clearly to cast the mote out
Of thy Republican brothers eye" |
a NATIONAL BLESSING.