National Republican., 1878-01-10
A Corruption Fund.

corruption tuuu.
The New York Tribune is becoming des-
peratc and bold, if not corrupt, in its action
on the question of silver remonetization.
1t substanti ally recommends to the Presi-
dent that he shall make use of the public
patronage to corrupt our national legisla-
tors and induce them to vote against the
silver bill, and also recommends to the New
York bankers that they provide fund TO
secure the support of men with Etching
palms'-meaning, Of course, Senators of the
United States.
The following, which we clip from the
Tribune of the 7th instant, tells its own
tale:
The leaders in the movement to stem the
silver craze must be prepared, not only with
facts, arguments, and logic, but also with q
magazine of plain Anglo Saxon terms, ready
for drafts upon 1t for men troubled with Itch
ing palms. Through the lack Of united and syste.
matte effort and through too sanguine con-
idence in the power Of the right, the friends
of honesty had almost permitted the cause to
go by default.
There is no mistaking the tenor and pur-
pose OF this desperate exhortation to the
anything, and IL is not without emphatic
meaning, it is that Wall street shall make q
raid upon the Senate of the United States,
the measure having passed the House of
Representatives, not only with facts, argu-
ments, and logic, but also with that which
will influence those with etching palms" "
which is gold or its representative. This is
the boldest and most outspoken attempt
that has "a yet challenged public attention
to approach the Senate of the United States
with corupting influences that will crafty
the itching palm"
Not satisfied with urging Wall street to
subjugate the Senate by corrupting inhu-
ences, it turns to the President, and de.
mands of him, with an air superlativcly in
solent, that he shall make use of the public
patronage to induce the Senate to go back
on the wishes and interests of the country
and defeat the silver measure. That our
readers may see that We are fully justified
in making this allegation, VIC copy from its
own language on this point:
Are offices more sacred than public faith
as true to Republican pledges ~ to finance, II
they know that their truth will mean favor as
to appointments. Their motives are low, dc
we say? Well, the motives of those who
saved the Union were not always unsCllish. II
II was right to make loyal men feel that favor
waited for fidelity, Is ii not right to make those
know the same who hesitate between right
and wrong as to public faith2 Shall not the
| President stand before all men honored, IL, by
making II known that loyalty now means
| stern fidelity to public faith, and that the Ad.
ministration knows as its friends those who
| stand by the nations honor, he strikes down
the most deadly foe that now threatens the
country? Nobody thinks of buying votes by
| naming bad men; Abraham Lincoln did not
| that, and yet welded great power for good
| Between good men there is choice. The
| friends Of those who stand by the public
credt-should not the President give them Z
prelercncet
We do not either misintcrpret or misrep
resent this appeal to the President when we
charge that it means just this: 1t substan
TALLY urges upon the President that HI
shall say TO the representatives of the peo
pie in the Congress of the United States
here is the public patronage; those who op
pose the silver bill can share it; those whC
suSltlin u tiiihOt NiiJOs iaNoi 40 " al'P''i'
mcnts." This is the open tender to the Pres
ident of a bold scheme of corruption. AM
then as if to lull the conscience of the EX
ecutivc and those of the Senate who are aI
! proachable, it presents the case in this sc
ductive form: "7'heir notices are ioT, zee say
WcI, the motires Of those lchO sdred hC UHiO
iccrc not dirdys unSelfsh. II it was right t
make loyal men feel that favor waited 70
fidelity, is it not right to make those knON
the same who hesitate between right an
wrong as TO public faith p
1t must be n desperate cause that wi
lead its advocates to suggest, even, such
bold and shameless assault upon the il
tegrity of the law-making power. Al
Senators to be esteemed rs a mcrchantabl
commodity, to be bought and sold it
patronage, like cattle in the shambles
We think not; and when they discover tn;
the gold speculators, and bond-holders an
their organs esteem them by so low standar
of respect they should turn and kick the
out of the national law-making temple, al
teach them the lesson that insolence weigh
nothing against right, and pretension on
rs II feather against integrity.