Belmont chronicle. [volume] (St. Clairsville, Ohio) 1855-1973, 1878-07-18
A DIRTY FRAUD.

papers that damaging disclosures are
being made by the Potter investiga-
tion Is an insult to popular intelligence.
The papers which indulge in this line
of comment are either very shallow
themselves or think the people very
shallow. More probably they think
the people shallow because they are
themselves. AS a matter of fact, the
people'are never fooled by q political
demonstration of this kind. They
have watched the Potter investigation
through all its phases, and have seen it
sink from the dignity of revolutions
sry movement to the level of low in
trigue. So far as we are able to in
terpret public sentiment, we believe
the intelligent and self respecting por-
tion of the American people, without
exception, now regard the whole affair
as disgusting farce, and not one in
ten Of the readers of the daily papers
is reading the testimony.
II required to state in few words the
reason of the poular disgust with the
Potter proceeding we should say, be-
cause it outrage5 the popular idea OF
fair play. No principle is more closely
interviewer with the Anglo-Saxon
char; cter than this, and it is one which
can be depended upon to assert itself
under all circumstances. The Ameri-
can people like to see fair play even in
politics, and will not indorSe any
violation of this Anglo-Saxon principle.
When it was disclosed, as it clearly has
been, that certain so-called Republi-
cans were in the scheme to aid in
blackmailing the administration into
favoring their recommendations for
office, and that these SO called Repub-
licans were to be used in making out
the Democratic case, hearty feeling
of disgust at the whole proceeding
took deep root in the public mind.
Decent Democrats as well as Republi-
cans felt this to be low political trick.
Then when every witness, without eX-
lception, who furnished or pretended to
furnish new facts in relation to the con-
test in Louisiana and Florida, was
shown to be guilty of perjury either
during the count or be fore the COM
mittee, the contempt for the whole
proceeding became unbounded.
The Democrats in Congress never
perpetrated greater outrage on the
rights of the minority or offered q
greater insult to the.publiclsense of fail
play, than in appointing General B. F
Butler as Republican representive on
the committee. This was done with q
full knowledge of the fact that he was
eager to assist in damaging the ad-
ministration. The committee osten-
sibly consisted of seven Democrats and
four Republicans, counting Butler at
one, But he was appointed by Speak
er Randall with full understanding
that he was to cooperate with the
Democrats in attacking t. President
and administration. Subsequent
events have shown this expectation tC
have been well founded. In fact,
Butler has led in this dirty business
His appointment asa Republican wa;
low, contemplate, rascally piece o.
business. 1t was strictly on a pal
with the schemes by which thimble
riggers and confidence men and his
hired pal, who consEire to rob an un.
suspecting stranger by decOying him
into back room under honest pre-
lenses, do not do a more rascally sct
than Speaker Randall did IN appoint
ing Gen. Butler as one of the four Re-
publicans on the Potter committee o
eleven. The management of the
whole business has been on a par with
that of the rascals who infest the pur-
lieus of the great cities. A more
shameful and barefaced fraud on the
rights of minority was never perpe-
trated, and public opinion is fast Tend
ing to the point that no half decent
man of any party will be found tC
countenance it. The whole proceed
ing has become stencil in the nostrils
of the people, and is reacting on the
Democrats to such an extent that in all
probability they will have to make an
Explanatory and apologetic statement
in the House early in the next session.
I-IndianapOlis Journal.