National Republican., 1877-12-22
About Investigations.

In the absence of o subject of more i'm
portance, the Democmtic press is talking
glibly about what II calls the refusal of the
Republicans Of the House of Representa-
tives to permit investigations to be made
If the people read nothing but Democratic
papers they would probably be convinced
that the Democrats had made one of the
most inviting propositions in the world, and
that the Republicans had resisted it out Of
pure "cussedness," and with malice afore.
thought, and that they had been instigated
thereto by Old Nick himself The NATIONAL
REPUBLICAN repeats what II has often said
before, that the Republican minority in the
House Of Representatives does not shrink
from any fair and legitimate investigation
of given subject 1t Indignantly re-
fuses to plead guilty by implication.
But what was the resolution reported
by Mr.. WOoD, from the Committee OF
Ways and Meansp Did it allege q single
act of omission or Of commission that should
have been legitimate subject Of inquiry
Did it specify any point to which an fn-
quiry should tendp No! Not at all We
defy any Democratic paper to point out
one. II did not have even the customary
preamble alleging that such and such a
state Of facts existed. But it went head
foremost into the drag-net business, and,
withouta preliminary allegation, directed
sixteen Of the standing committees of the
House to make general and sweeping in
quiry into anything and everything that
the whim Of a member might suggest. They
were not even limited as to time, but each
committee was authorized to cover such
period of time in the past as 1t might deem
necessary.
We dare to say that parallel to such a
proposition cannot be found in any civilized
legislative body. Where was it to begin
attempt to figure out the amount of money
that resolution would have cost the Govern
ment?
The Republicans resisted it because there
was no justification for il because they
were not amenable to such criticism, and
because its drag-net character was too ap-
parent. The experience of the Forty fourth
Congress had demonstrated that there was
no use for this. In that Congress, rs all the
world knows the Democrats had unlimited
power and authority to investigate. Com
mittees obtained leave to sit during the ses-
sions of the House, and there were so many
of them at work that when n quorum was
necessary, or an important vote was to be
taken, the pages were hurried all over the
Capitol building to bring in the members
Officials, high and low, were summoned
from their desks books and papers were
hauled from the Departments to the Capt.
tol bank accounts, public and private, wore
pried into; the purely private business OF
individuals was exposed in the committee
room; and what was the result? One man
was persuaded, for domestic reasons, to resign
his Office That was all After all their in
quisitorial prying, and afterall their expend-
iture of thousands and thousands of dollars,
one man was found against whom appear
ances were such as to make him prefer to
resign rather than that he and his family
should run the gauntlet Of the partisan mud
singing that was menaced. When the facts
were presented, was there single Republi-
can who attempted to shield that man {?
MOI but there was an extraordinary una
nimty in voting articles of impeachment.
And when the case came to a trial, Repub-
lican managers on the part of the House
made the very strongest speeches against
the officer.
With what sort of fairness did this null
ttude of committees conduct the investiga-
tionH In nearly every case with closed
doors, until an outraged public sentiment
compelled some Of them to open them. In
the majority of cases they struck in the
dark. They groped about blindly for some
peg upon which to hang charge While
they groped the doors Of their committee
rooms were closed and kept closed until
they found what they thought to be the
peg, and then II there was enough, rs they
thought, to create scandal enough to, give
q Democratic newspaper an excuse for an
attack upon Republican official or Re-
publican Administration the doors were