, 1879-03-04

Tho Legendary lnbortng OF tho mountains
followed by tho birth Of the mouse, finds q
counterpart in porTEn's report rs tho result
OF dragging tho country for evidence md
cxpeuding thousands npon thousands of
public money for 80 lame and tmrotent n
conclusion. The Po7rEn Committee WINS
organized with tho specific purpose Of i,n-
peachiDB the President md other high off,
cors Of tho Government on thu charee Of
having corruptly bargained with certain
Southern politicians. Tho purpose Of roacl,.
ing tho President, however, was distinctly
t1isnvowed before tho Committee got to
work, partly because it was cloar tllat no
word or net could be tracea to hin. HAYES
TINT would warrant the Charge, but mainly
bocause 1t was found that tho propo-
sition to reopen tho Presidential ques-
ton WINS altogether too unpopular to
be encouraged. So SHERMAN and Noyrs
woro retained as scapegoats, and POT.
TER is guilty Of reporting those gen.
denlou ms cousurable, though they frank
" met and disprovod every intimation
against their integrity. Nothing was moro
clearly demonstrated, for instance, than that
Secretary SHERMAN nevur wrote any such
letter Ms ha was charged with having writ
ton; yet PorrEn contents himself with eiy
ing tho evidence on this point, and implies
by luis cons,1ro Of 1Ir SHERMAN that tho
lastor wna convicted iustead Of acquitted Of
tho maln charge against him. Minister
NoYEs appeurcd bcfora tho Committee and
by lis frnnk stntemont mud tho other oyi-
denco which TINT statement brought out.
earned mn e1onoration from NIL persons who
road the testimony; yet Po7rEn i,u-
pugns NorEs' motives and misconstrucs
Ills conduct, while ho conlnords Gen, Ban.
Low III tho most exalted term7 because tho
latter, having consented to 60 to Florida rs
counsel for tho Republicans, did oil lle could
to promote T11pEa's carsc
There is protonge, strengthened by tho
coloring which the Associated Press agent
has givon tho report, that S1r. PorrEn md
his associates have not put my reliance upon
tho testimony Of such people as ANDERSON,
JEaKs, and WRnEn in reaching thoir con-
clusions ; but, as q matter Of fact oil tha
specific deductions made by POTTER aro
based entirely upon tic testimony of these
very people, whose combined oaths would
not convict starving darkey Of robbiug q
hon-roost. Aside from The reflections upon
Mossra. SHERMAN, NorEs anl otLors, which
have no warrant except that Of palpablo per.
jury, PorrEn's report is just such IN essay on
Returning Boards, aud Oh the result Of tho
Louisiana and Florida elections, Us any loyal
Democrat might have written aftor tho cleo
ton OF HAYES Ind been declared, Il may
we'll DO doubted whether tho country will bo
satisfied that tho money appropriated for tho
PorTEn Committee has been we'll spout in
producing report which ia simply like nm
elongated editorial from tho columns Of tho
Now York Sun. 1t Is the very hight of
Democratic i1nportiuenco to hayo expended
tho public moneys without stint, and to haye
ongrossod tho public attention for yoar or
moro, only to enable PorrEa to communicate
hia conviction TINT: T11pEx and HEspR1cKs
wcro rontly clooted, % conviction which lie
entertained before as well rs after l;steninc
to a maas Of worthless testimony. Tho only
exhibition Of good tasto about tho report is
in tho fact TINT, after charging corruption
upon Republican lenders on the strength of
manufactured testimony, PorrER rofrainod
from withdrawing TlLDEN Oh tho tlamniug
testimony Of tho cipher dispatches. It prob.
ably occurred to him TINT such contrast
would b. too striking, and 80 le loft tho
withdrawing Of T1LnEN to somebody else.