New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1878-06-01
THE PAIN DTTI or PIrEIOrS.

A notorious craftsman, who had served two
or three terms at Sing Sing, if caught cutting
through the floor into Il bank, with full set
of burglars tools ready for opcning the safe,
would hardly have the impudcnce to assert
that he did not mean TO steal anything. But
burglars cannot be expected to have tac hardi
hood of Democratic leaders. The leaders are
caught in the act of cutting through the pro-
tecting partition built by the Electoral Com
mission and the last Congress. They are
caught with q full set OF tools for aNsailing
the Presidents title; a memorial from Mary
land, pretended confessions from sundlY OH
Gals, and letters purporting to be from friends
or advisers of the President. Yet some oil
these Democratic leaders have the phenomenal
effronteIy to assert that they do not mean TO
raise any dispute about the title of the PrcSl-
dent In the face OF the formal demand
made by the very memorial from Maryland OH
which their resolution was based, they hope TO
escape all the deserved odium of disturbing
the peace and paralyzing the business of the
country, until they can get together men
enough to Dust the President and Mcxicanzc
the Government. After they have mokcn
omen the safe and cartcd OH the booty, we can
call them burglars as much as we like; until
then, they insist that they are merely vlrtuous
citizens, trying to find out whether the paItl-
ton wall is hollow, and not at all to burglary
inclined.
The common sense Of the country instantly
rejects this prctcncc. Scll-rcspecting and pa
triotic Democrats admit that ii Is shallow ana
fraudulent In truth, there is no room Tor
argument or doubt The title of the Prc>i-
dent is assaed by the very terms OF the res
olution adopted. That resolution does pro-
duce. and was intended to produce, serious
dispute az to the lawfuncss and validity of
the election. 1t does cause, and was intended
to cause, strong feeling among Democrats
that thew have been cheated and robbed, ana
that any method of OuSting the President sad
to be improperly inaugurated, however vIo-
lent. lawless. or revolutionary that method may
be. is ONLY sort of rude iu.tice-mcrc " TIT
"tor tat" Thus it is hoped that the minds Of
men will be prepared for the extreme meas
ures contemplated hereafter. This calculation
is correct Human beings are so constituted
that the majority are prone to believe what
they want to believe. Because Democrats
want to find reason for declaring that the
President was not duly elected, they are
certain to lean the more strongly to that be
lief the more the question is disputed, to at
tach undue weight to testimony sustaining
that claim, and to ignore or undervaluc cvi-
dence on the opposing side. In short, the
very discussion of the subject reyivcs all the
intense, bitter and malignant paitsanshp
which it was the object of patriotic men to
allay after the decision of last year. Mr. Pot
fer only contradicts himself when he says that
he does not mean to assail the President
title. He actually did assail that title the
moment he rose III the House and offered his
resolution he did all that was in his power
70 cause doubt and disbelief, and to cnc0ur-
age men 10 look hopefully for measures, how
ever reckless or revolutionary, by which what
they are led TO think a great wrong may be
rjghted. II is a well known and just rule OF
law that every man must be held responsible
for the natural consequences OF his acts.
Experience within the past fortnight mas
taught how surely and swiftly this rcvolu-
tonaiy attack upon the title OF the PRESIDENT
gains strength from party feeling ana dlscl-
pine. Very recently scarcely Dakci s
dozen Of Democratic representatives couid
be found who dared to cOuntenance any
dispute of the decision OF the Eiec-
toral Commission. owe demanded that
arbitration" they confessed. land are III
"honOr bound by 1t. We wanted peace and
"order, which could be assured in no other
"way, and we have now no right to renew
"sirife and disorder because the settlement