Belmont chronicle. [volume] (St. Clairsville, Ohio) 1855-1973, 1878-05-23
The Investigation Fraud.

Mr.. Clarkson n. Potter has been held in
the past q fair and candid member of the
House of Representatives. He has often
shown genuine independence Of his party,
and at times been more feared by it than
trusted. He is lawyer of ability, has a
clear head, speaks with intelligence and force,
and commands the attention of the House.
He is almost the last man to whom the coun
try would have looked for the authorship of
q partisan, one-sided resolution, upon ques-
ton of such National importance as investi-
eating the legality of the election of the Pres
ident of the United States. But MIR. Potter
can no longer be classed among statesmen af-
ter the exhibition he made of himself in the
House on Monday. He sinks at once to The
level of the common politician, shows him
self to be governed by the narrowest partisan
motives, and leads his party to commit a
brazen fraud upon the American people. Ad-
mitting that be has no design Of attacking the
legal title Of the President; conceding that
Congress has no power to interfere with his
term Of office, whatever may have been the
unlawful actions of the Electoral Boards of
Louisiana and Florida; hi, only idea is by 3
one-sided investigation to impeach the action
Of those Boards. and so prove that President
Hayes WAS not fairly elected Chief Magistrate
of the country.
No fair-minded man can read the arguments
and proceedings of the Democrats in Congress
on Monday without feeling that they were
utterly contemplate. The Democratic law
makers Of great country seek to impeacL
and destroy the confidence Of the people in
the right Of their President to hold his office.
The expen sc attending such work will be
great, and must be borne by the people with
out distinction Of party. II is question
which interests all citizens alike, and good
faith, common decency, the simplest justice
and fair dealing, all demand that such an ex-
animation should be made in the interest OF
no party. We are glad the Republican mem
bers 50 regarded it. Knowing that frauds of
the gravest character, violence, murder, in
timidation and corruption had occurred in
other States besides Louisiana and Florida
during the Presidential election, whereby the
votes of those States were unlawfully counted
against the will of the people, the Republi-
cans simply asked that if the subject were to
be investigated at all, the whole matter
should be examined, the entire case heard,
the testimony on all sides given, and then the
committee should report its findings to the
Rr.f -, %
Potter and his party. To treat the subject
fairly, and enlarge the powers of the commit
tee 80 that justice could be done in the prem
ises, was precisely what they did not want
and would not permit. They were determined
to hear only one side, to narrow the range OF
inquiry by carefully drawn resolution, so as
to shut out the facts and keep the public ig-
norant of the truth. The object was to help
party, to make capital for political cam
paign, and to throw dirt at prominent Repub-
iicans. But they were not willing the sh0csks-
ing tales o. fraud, brutality, inhumanity and
villainy committed in the interest of their
party shonld be investigated. That rosuery
and rascality and scsndalous record they pro-
pose shall never be known. Hence the Dem.
ocratic majority, blindly following MIR. Pot
ter, voted down all propositions offered by
the Republicans, and insisted upon passing
their one-sided resolutions at the earliest
moment
The people are not blind or fools. They
will hold this conduct in contempt. 1t will
do no harm to the President, nor will it bring
any new strength to the Democrats. Men
who could plan and carry out in cool blood
the Oregon fraud, who could furnish the
money to enable such an atrocious outrage to
be committed upon the voters of that State.
may pull the wires behind the scenes that
move these puppets in Congress. But the
people know who they are, and know the
spirit of bitterness, disappointment and re-
venge that actuates their conduct. Nobody
will be deceived. Mr.. Potter and bis follow
ers cannot blind the people by soft words or
sophistical arguments. "Wo unto you hypo-
critics, for ye pay tithe of mint, and anise.
and cummin, and have omitted the weightier
matters of the law. Ye blind guides, which
strain at a gnat and swallow camel
ICleveland Herald.