National Republican. (Washington City (D.C.)) 1872-1888, 1877-05-16
DEMOCRATIC DISCOURTESY TO THE
PRESIDENT.

DEMOCRATIC DIStOtRTESl TO THE
PRESIDENT.
If there Is anything in the world that
fills the soul with disgust and loathipg il is
to see the robes of honor stained and
drsggled in the saliva of shame to see the
slime of the viper, whether reptile or hu.
man, vomited for,h upon the victim of it's
design, to enable dcglution or TO accom-
plish pollution. And, yet, in the moral
world We witness such exhibitions almost
daily. Men who do not succeed are wont
to treat us open enemies those who do, and
to engage every agency of evil TO mAlign
and ,raduce them. SO with parties.
Those who fail, apparently regardless of
private honor or public dcctncy, and with
no soicitude for the safety of the
State or the welfare of the people,
assail those who win, charging fraud and
villaipy as the means Of their triumph,
when if they would II feet for enc moment
they would behold themselves the de-
spoilers of the national honor, rather than
its protectors, and see in such course
certain degradation of the public virtue.
To teach the children of the United
States that the President holds his Office
by the contamination of crime beyond the
power o. the Government 10 prevent, Is
to ismiliarizo their minds with vice in
such connection as TO lead them TO the
conclusion that It's practice is both pleasant
and profitable, and TO produce the i'm
preston that the Influences of honesty and
patriotism in public life must be feeble in.
deed where such wrong could occur and
go upredrCss,d; and TO inCulcate such
lesson is TO undermine the morals of the
people ard set up fraud as goal TO be
reached in the attachments Of lie, whence
its prelerments are TO be distributed.
We are quite conscious that 10 write thus at
the present time is to subject ourselves to
the criticism of the mob, including, as it al.
ways does the larger part Of the Demo.
cratic party, ard 10 be written down by
that authority as a moulher of morality,
essentially insncere and hypocritical; but
nevertheless we enter our feeble protest
against the education of the present gener-
alton in the secrets and sucCes SEES OF cleo
ton frauds, by instructing them that the
Chief Executive of the nation is not enti.
tied to his office, but holds it through the
commission of felonies.
The visit OF the President TO New York
affords another opportunity to the De-
mocracy of that city and State to go to the
people with the allegation of fraud and to
attempt 10 fas,en the conviction upon the
public mind by studied insult. The pre-.
tense will not work to their advantage,
however, for nothing is better known than
that 1t is not at all necessary that one should
be infamous to be outraged by the jCers of
the Democracy. On the contrary. it is
pretty generally understood that virtue
and not vice meets with their condenna
ton and reyilings.
But aside from the motive of the dis
courtesy practced toward the President.
when its methods of display are contem-
plated by the public what will be their eff
feet upon It's Judgment Does any one
suppose that the attendance or non attend
spce of certain New York officials or pri.
vate politicians at u public dinner given to
the President can have any weight with
our people or with the world as affecting
his title to the office when all are informed
of the source wherce 1t comesT Or does
any one imagine that one person, more or
less, Is TO be influenced In his views of the
question of title and authority by such
puerile exhibitions of spleen? That Mr.
AID ~ attnpl hn E,r
ther than that in private life he is gentle.
man of good taste, Undcr the circum.
stances of the case, the taste displayed IN
inviting him is questionable, IT, in
iact, he was formally invited.
That Governor ROBINSON did not al.
tend evinces his want of appreciation Of
the duties of his position. He bad no
right to be absent. except in consequence
of pressing official duties. Nor will the
people of New York fail, at the proper
time. TO place the seal of their displeaSure
upon the insult offered to the nation by
his remlssness. The courtesies of official
life required his presence, although per,
sonally indisposed 10 attend, and he will
live long enough, we hope, to be taught
the littlencss of his conduct 1t is certain
proof of the moral dwarf.
1t does seem strange beyond belief that
the Democratic press should see in the
absence of some Of their leaders who were
invited the evidence of anything but their
own want of civllity. This is all that will
be seen by any one when looking back at
the present from an advance Of years