The Portland daily press., 1878-01-12
The Drag.Net Resolution.


The national House has made a bad begin
ming. No sooner was the roll-call finished
Thursday than that eminent patriot and
white-souled reformer, Fernando Wood, in
sisted upon the passage of the drag net reso-
luton, introduced by Glover of Missouri, and
referred before the recess to the ways and
means committee. The intent of the resolu-
tion has already been fully set forth in these
columns. 1t Is to enable the Democratic
committees with great waste of public time
and money, to gather material for campaign
of SANDER next fall. The tactics of last year
are to be repeated. All the tramps and seal
lawags In the country who may desire to take
a trip to Washington and live merrily at the
public expense for time are invited to come
on and tell the tales they have concocted on
the way. No intimation that charges will be
preferred is to be made TO the men whose
characters the committees propose to black
en-. The testimony, no matter how worth
less, is to be given out little by little to the
correspondents of Democratic papers, who are
instructed to intimate that something far
worse is yet to be revealed. This sort of
thing is to be kept up all summer, the party
journals are to be filled with extracts from
worthless and irresponsible testimony and
hints are to be continually thrown out that
shocking extravaganza and corruption will be
proved against the governmental depart
ments when the committees make their re-
ports. But no reports will be forthcoming
until after the Congressional elections. Then
the committees will come in with the Scotch
verdict, "Not proven" instead of the just
verdict, ''Not guilty." or will altogether shirk
their plain duty and neglect to report at ALL
The power sought to be conferred upon these
committees is extraordinary and altogether
upjustiable. They are empowered in ad-
vance of any allegation, In absence of any ac-
cusation, to send for papers and persons ev-
erywhere in the country and compel the at.
tendance of any citizen, the exhibition Of his
books and papers and the disclosure of his
private affairs. The method of procedure is
outrageously unjust if not unconstitutional.
The investigations are only! to stop when
there is danger that the corrupt use of funds
by the Democratic House may be exposed.
That the Republicans have no fears of an
investigation but favor full and frank exam
ination of any charges which may be pre-
ferred against public officials is evident from
the substitute offered by Mr.. Hale of this
State-a substitute which proposes that when
ever any committee of the House shall ask
for special and extraordinary powers, in re-
gard to the time and conduct of the meet
ings, the power to send for persons and
papers, or any other extension of its powers
and duties for the purpose of investigating
the conduct of any officer in the government,
the charges on which such demand for an
investigation is based, shall be presented in
writing to the House, with the name OF such
officer charged with improper and unlawful
proceedings, and particular statement Of
the charges against him to the same, shall be
accompanied by statement In writing,
signed by one or more members of the House,
that he had, or they had, reason to bslieve
the facts set forth in said charges. What
objection of any weight can be made to this
method OF investigation?
The Republican voters Of the First Dis
trict as well as the clear-thinking, unpreju-
diced and honest Democrats will be glad to
see that our Representative, Mr.. Reed, spoke
in opposition to this drag-net resolution, and
in his focble and logical remarks exposed the
absurdities and inconsistencies of the Demo
cratic partisans and the gross ipiustice of the
methods they have undertaken. It is evident
even from the telegraphic summary of the
proceedings that his speech was vigorous
manly protest against the wholesale defama.
ton of the character of public men which
the Democratic House is minded to under
take, and keen exposition of the weaknesses
and fallacies of the Democratic arguments.
His constituents will thank him for word
so fitly spoken,