New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1877-02-17
THE GREAT Reform CAMPAIGN


The only defense of the Oregon kilograms
which we have yet heard from any Democratic
source comes in the form of feeble attack
| upon Senator Mitchell because he doles them
out in small patches instead of giving us the
whole collection at once, arranged in their
proper chronological order. We can appreciate
the difficulty of getting together out of the
mass of messages surrendered by the telegraph
company all those that are pertinent to the
present Investigation, and we understand that
| the translation of the cipher may he q work
| of some little time. Nevertheless the impa-
| tience of Mr.. Tildens agents to know the full
| extent of the evidence against them is quite
| natural, and we join in the request that the
Senators in charge of it will bring it out as
fast as they can. AS for the arrangement of
the dispatches that must be more or less a
matter of conjecture, and the public or the
newspapers can attend to it as well as the
committee The fragments of correspondence
printed the other day were furnished to the
press hap-hazard, without any attempt to place
them in their obvious order.
Whatever light, however, may be thrown
upon the Oregon transaction by disclosures yet
to come, the bottom fact is already established
beyond IA doubt, that Mr. Tilden's two agents
in Oregon, Patrick and Senator Kelly. tee-
graphcd to Gramercy Park for money to "buy
"a Republican clector" to act with CrOnin,
and that Mr. Tilden's nephew agreed to pay
the sum demanded, and even little more,
provided the obligation were made "cOntin-
gent on the result in March, Whether any
part of the money afterward sent from Gram
Grey Park to Patrick and Kelly was intended
for this purchase is a question not material to
the charge now brought against the Tilden
managers on the strength of this correspond
cncc-a charge that Mr.. lilden or Mr.. Til
denis nephew and confidential agent actually
did enter into negotiations for the Out-and-
out purchase of one of the Oregon electors.
From that charge there seems to be no escape
unless it can be proved that the kilograms
exhibited to the committee are bold fOrgeries.
What are we to think then of the amazing
mpudcnce of the Democratic statesmen who
with brides in their hands and perjurics on
their lips chose to fight this campaign against
the frauds of the Republican party ~ What
are we to think of Mr.. Hlden, who begged us
to contemplate in him the incarnation of hon
esty and reform, whcS his own house was a
hotbed of corruption What are we to think
of the candidate who proposed to put an end
to political immortality by buying his way into
the Presidency, and who qualities himself for
the publication of politics by attempting a
cheat of the most outrageous and vilainous
character If Mr.. Tiden was aware OF what
was done in his name and behalf, it is diff
cult to characterize his nauseous duplicity in
strong enough language.
In the face of these disclosures pray let us
hear no more complaints that the Electoral
Commission refuses to go behind the returns,
and that Mr.. Hayes is to be- awarded the
Presidency on a mere technically. Let us
have no more pretcnse that Tilden was the
real choice of the people, and is kept out of
his own by narrow and partisan interpreta-
ton of doubtful rules. The Democrats have