New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1878-05-17
MY NOT SAY SOf

Our Democratic exchanges are full of angry
protestations against what they call Republic
can calumnies, falsehOOds and misrepresenta-
tons. Their party has been grossly slandered
and abused, they say. The false charges relate
chiefly to the position and the purpose of
the party relative to Southern claims and to
Mr. Potter's fraud resolutions. Possibly these
innocents have been beled upon both these
questions. But it would be so easy for them
10 say so in some authoritative fashion, and
they seem so careful to avoid any such
explicit denial, that their protests have but
little weight with thoughtful men.
In the matter of the Southern claims they
have shown very angry temper. They say
the whole thing is bugbear: that 1t is pre-
pOsterOus to suppose for II single instant that
the South has any such designs upon the
Treasury as it has been charged with; that
the lists published in THE TRIBUNE are
fanciful and absurd, gotten up for the
purpose of exciting sectional jealousy
and making party capital and that there is
no basis whatever for the suspicion that the
Southern leaders mean to use Democratic as
tendency to reimburse themselves and
their States from the National Treasury
for their losses in the war. This is
very well for newspaper writers and
stump orators whose utteranccs carry
no responsibility nor weight, nor bind
anybody But mind, the party itself says
nothing OF the kind. Mr.. Tilden made ven
tune in the direction of disclaiming any such
purpose, during the Presidential campaign. but
is 1t not notorious that bis letter upon that
subject was received at the South with
Of iuiiUnafinn md Uln
doubts that the GOODNESS of the South
toward Mr.. Tilden, which has been manifested
ever since. is traceable directly TO that letter
Is it bugbear, gentlemen Why not say so,
then, somewhere where the saying so will
mean something's Say so III a Congressional
caucus, even that would have some weight.
Do you dare
They complain bitterly that the purpose of
the Potter resolutions is misreprcscntcd in the
Republican press as revolutionary, when they
contain no such intent but have been intro
duced with a simple view to ascertain the
truth concerning the Presidential cleo
ton. To this it is replied that all
the circumstances in the case point
to an entirely different Interpretation; that the
manner of their introduction. the caucus
action upon them, the manifest determin-
alton to make n party question and enforce
strict party discipline upon their passage,
and the pOstponement of all other busi-
ness to their consideration, make it plain
that some more important design is hidden
here than the simple ascertainment of the
truth regarding an election which is past
But even here, if they have no revolutionary
programme. if it is not part of their Interior
purpose TO subvert the Government by depOsing
the President, why do they not say so in 50
many words The opportunity was offered
them in their own caucus to disclaim revolu-
tiOnary purposes; a resolution to that effect
was offered. They gave it no hearing. If
they mean no mischief. that was the time for
them to say SO but they did not. Did they
dare 7
Gentlemen of the Democratic party, you
pretend that you are not in favor of paying
Southern claims and yet you will not in any
authoritative way say so. YOu pretend that
the Potter resolutions are for the purpose of a
harmless inquiry, and that they do not cover
revolutionary plans and yet in your caucus
You refuse to commit yourselves to that effect.
Suppose you stop this whining about being
misrepresented. and for once tell the country
squarely what You are driving at.