The Valley Virginian. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1865-1895, 1878-05-30
Mellowing Down.

MelloWing Down.
The following dispatch to the Baltimore
american, from Washington, shows that
there is marked mellowing down among
the reyolutionists Of the Democratic party.
Mr.. Potter says he IS only after frauds. Ii
he is sincere in this, why did he not allow
the amendment of Mr.. Hale to investigate
all alleged frauds in the Presidential cleo
ton of 1876, to be adopted? That would
have reached all the corruption about which
so much has been said, both of Democrats
and Republicans, and brought the guilty to
the bar of justice, whether OF either party.
The investigation proposed, based upon
what is called information from self-ac-
knowledged periured men, does not have
the appearance OF seeking the truth. Men
who have a proper moral perception and
are controlled by elevated motives, do not
seek such association, and base their reputa-
ton for fairness and justice upon the state
ments Of men who allege that they them
selves were parties to the asserted frauds.
There is nothing in the motive Or the facts
of this movement to excite anything else
than the disgust and aversion of honest men,
and the Democratic revolutionists who
have given it shape will sooner of later find
it out. They have s'white elephant Con
hand, and they will find out that they will
lose more than they will make by it's pos
session. The following is the American's
dispatch:
"The Democrats no longer so defiant and
demonstrative as they were two or three days
ago. and the howl of fraud to which ears
have become accustomed has grown so faint that
when it is heard issuing from some neigh boring
bar-rosm it sounds like the discharge of fire.
crackers on the 4th of July. The bagful of letters
from alarmed constituents has so subdued the
Democratic Congressman that they are
meek As lambs, and discaim all Intention of dis
turbing the Presidents tit lie or doing anything
else to cause the slightest uneasiness among the
business or agricultural community. They now
say that the country has become unnecessarily
alarmed, and attribute the commotion to those
literary fellows in. Newspaper Row, who are
always at the bottom OF everything mischiev-
Gus. GARRISON N. Potter declared to-day that
if there any scheme" i'll the pr opposed in
vestigation he was ignorant OF it. He secuted
the idea that the movement partook of a revolu-
tionary character No other object was contem-
plated than to probe to the bottem of the frauds
committed at the late Presidential election, ex-
pose the offenders, whoever they might be, and
bring them to Justice. If the President i'm
plicated he would have to take the consequences
the same anybody else, but there was no in
tentIon to di spute the validity OF his title which
was regarded just as irrefragable as if there had
been no contest concerning it, Mr.. Hayes would
not be treated differently, in this particular,
than President Grant would have been, 1t was
not question of the Presidential title, but of
criminal offence, and the purpose of the investi
cation would be directed to the detection OF the
perpetrators and an exposure of their crimes
Mr. Potter stated earnestly that the investiga-
ton wonld be conducted with perfect fairness
and would be as thorough and exhaustive as the
committee could make it. A leading Democratic
Senator said tonight that the title Of Mr.. Hayes
was just as safe from attack as that of Chief JUS
tice Waite, and assured your correspondent that
even supposing the investig resulted in i'm
plicating the President, and he was impeached
by the House of Representatives, found guilty
by the Senate. and removed from office, his sue
cessor would be Vice-President Wheeler. OF
course, it was the determination to investigate
the question of fraud thoroughly and submit the
facts to the people.
ga New York Congressman, one of the most
influential of the delegation, emphatically de-
clared that, whatever might come of the investl-
cation, it was impossibility for Mr.. Tilden to
be benefited by it. Even if the Democrats had
a majority in both branches of Congress at this
time, he felt certain that not halt dozen men
could be found who would vote in favor OF a res
olution declaring Tiden and Hendricks entitled
to the places OF Hayes and Wheeler. To Ido.so
would be to establish precedent that might in
the future with equal propriety be followed by
the Republicans under similar circumstances
These the sentiments uttered to-day by lead
ing Democrats here, and convey accurate idea
of the feeling of the members of the party gener
ally.
1.-THE resolutions of the Pennsylvania Democratic
Convention, that though investigation into
the electoral frauds Of 1876 should be made fraud
should be exposed, truth vindicated and crimi- |
nails punished ;butwe oppose any attack upon
the Presidential title dangerous to our insttu-
lions and fruitless in its results these point
/ ed at as expressive of the true Democratic |
doctrine, and it is asserted that the other |
Democratic conventions will reiterate the senti-
ment. The Democrats are really more anxious |
to dsabuse the public mind Of any intention to
question the validity of the Presidential title |
than they were to enter into the investigation, |
All privately admit that it great folly, but |
they must make the best of it, and get out OF the
scrape the best way they can.
"They are no less frank in concedng that their |
suit will not realize their expectations In fact, it
is believed that the astounding disclosures and |
revelations will be the same as the people are |
already familiar with the only probable differ |
ence being that they will be presented in new |
garb.