New-York tribune., 1878-05-15
MAKING 4 "DEAD SURE THING" OFT

MAKING 4 "DEAD SURE THING" or 1T.
Considered as n piece of craftsmanship If
the term can be used in that relation. the
fraud movement seems utterly ridiculous and
absurd MS a political mangUyre it can only
damage the inventors Viewed as strategy. it
is meaningless; as tactics, tireSOme and silly.
In the long and dreary talk about it in Con-
gress and the newspapers, in commit
tees and caucuscs, and the Maryland
Legislature, the effect has already been
discounted 1t tails dead and stale
upon the publc's weary ear. The only stTik-
ing feature about 1t is the manifest determin-
alton of Mr.. Potter and his party associations
to make of this proposed investigation what
the betting men call "a dead sure thing"
They have had several "sure thingsn
in the way Of Investigations since the ses-
sion began, bat uncommon hard luck with
every one of them. They were not slow to
proclaim the sure things they had in the way of
fraud discoveries at the outset. "Only give
Gus full swing" they said, land we will un-
cover such mass Of Republican fraud and
corruption in all the Departments as will
astonish the world" They have had all the
facilities for a thorough and exhaustive rum
maging of everything; free range of the
Departments, experts, stenOgraphcrs, " Stag
"whiskey" and cigars, and everything that
heart could wish, down to "eye openers
before breakfast, to assist them in their
search and their sure things have, nOtwith-
standing, disappointed them in every instance.
How many times has the dear delightful
Glover shouted stand from under!" in serene
confidence of bringing down "a Republican,
L. 30 bntna liun,,in,,
And how many parties have gOne ont with
"Stag whskey" and other refreshments, to
hunt al sure thing" only to come skurrying
back into camp with the " sure thing" hunt
ing them7 No party ever had so many "sure
things" against their opponents. None ever
had such Internationally bad luck getting
them into camp. Bear huntes, they are, who
come in regularly just ahead of the bear
1t is not surprising, therefore, that in the pres
ent case, taking warning from experience, they
should take special pains to have an abso-
lutely dead sure thing without any chance of
failure or disappointment. They have been
careful to fence in the field, to cIrcumscrbe
the inquiry to make sure that nothing shall
come within the scope of the proposed inves-
tigatiOn that can by any possibility cndanger
any Democratic statesman. The Republicans
in the House having taken great pains to
assist in the previous Investigations and to
make them thorough and complete, and having
found great comfort and satisfaction in the
discharge of that duty, not unnaturally take
great interest in the new enterprise. SIS
"this," they ask, "tO be an investigation of
"the circumstances attending the Presidential
election with view to discovering whether
.If 4.
"case,n they say, "lct us make the inquiry, if
"not sweeping, at least general enough to in
"cude the examination of certain documentary
testimony (which they set forth and which
is clearly pertinent. But our Democratic friends
do not take kindly to these offers of assistance
in the search "No, no." they say eve are
"not looking for the same kind of fraud that
"you are, and we don't want to get the nves-
"tigation mixed" So they stubbornly re-
fuse TO enlarge the inquiry. This DrOmis-
cuous sort of investigation they have already
had too much of. Glover has given them
more than bellyful and they want no more.
They have "corralled" some witnesses in
Louisiana and Florida, whom they think they
can depend upon, and the sole purpose of
this investigation is to get their testimony
before Congress and the country. To en-
large the inquiry, they say, would take
too much time and bring in irrele-
want matter. Were this an honest
effort to get at the truth, to bring out the
facts concerning the election, the refusal to
broaden the inquiry would seem a little
strange. But we presume the truth is that
they have been rendered desperate by hard
luck, and do not mean to take any more risks