New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1879-01-11

"ment." The truth was that there iiad
been more or less wrong-d doing in Office
somc of which was criminal, some arising from
weakness negligence and carelessncSs. sell
iSh and dishonest men had saddled themselves
on the Republican party. ana demagogueS h"u
seized upon many of its Offices, and dishonesty
turned them to their own account. hepuDii-
cans themselves first raised the alarm, ana
demanded investigation. prosecution ana re-
FORM Democrats took 1t mp ana madc
n party cry OF it, and upon the
strength of it made bold push Tor
power. But at almost the first publ
cation of the charges. the Republicans them
selves, while they had the power, attacked the
abuses that had grown up aud were known to
exist, and set on foot Investigations OF others
that were suspected. They did not hesitate to
confess that ont of the peculiar conditions
left hy the war and the initiation of the cur
rency there had grown state oil affairs tha'
called aloud for reform. and they said IT was
possible to accomplish reform within the
party. That there was puIlhcailOn ol the
party and reform OF abuses during the two or
three wears before the Democrats had their
first taste of success, will not be denied by
any honest Democrat.
But the Democracy nevertheless kept up
the crv. and urged that the very exposures
which had been made by Republican III
yestigatOrs were only proof that there
was more and worse wckcdncss be-
hind, which the Republicans did not dare re-
veal. And so they came into power In the
XLlVth Congress pr0claimlng their purpose 10
60 To the bottom of all abuses. investigate all the
departments where there was any cause of sus-
picion. and bring TO justice all the Republican
rascas. They started ont with grand flourish
of trumpetS. and the avOwed purpose OF ex-
posing Radical wickedncSs aud setting on
foot Democratic Reform. They will not refuse
to give the Republicans III Congress credit
We presume, for Offering them no oppo-
sitiOn, but, on the contrary. volunteering their
aid and granting them every facility IN tins
crusade against official corruption and NAL
administration. They were un0pposcd, I'M
ob,tructed. They had their own sweet
will, aud have had ever since. They
have prosecuted their search in all
quarters, have examined the Treasury
bookkeeping, OveThauled the departments,
employed experts and detectives, summoned
witnesses from the four quarters OF the
globe; they have hunted and fishcd and
rahcd and scrapcd, AMI now that they are al
most at the end of their second Congress,
what can they show for IT? They took the
Republican demand for reform and kept up
howl over it long after the Republicans them
selves had frankly confessed that abuses existed,
and had courageousy explored and corrected
them They have had nearly four years of
investigations, and no one can say that
l., . of
OPPORTUNITIES and employed most dill
gently the time What have they found
Have they discovered the slightest ground for
the clamor they rased7 Have they found
ANYTHING to Justify their sweeping charges
against their opponents anything to ylndl-
cate their own assumption of the title of
Reform party; anything in refutation of
the Republican claim that they did
actually do rs they promised, and effect reform
within the party7
Nothing can be palmer than that the enter
prise they set ont on is il failure; nothing more
evident from their own showing than that in
prefeIling the harsh and sweeping accusations
they did against the Republican party they
were guilty of the grOsSest injustice. Will
they have the grace, before the final dissolu-
ton of this Congress, to offer some reparaton or
apolOgy7 Is it not reasonable that they should 7
Or if they cannot bring themselves To do
complete justice and confess the injustice of
their suspicious, they can at least say for
mally that their charges have not been proved
1t would reflect credit upon them to
do even so much as this. But we
confess we do not expect it. The
country will have to he cOntcntcd with the
spectacle presented by this great party that
went out with banners flying to investigate,
and comes back bedraggled in its efforts to
dodge investigation. They need not confess
failure. The whole country sees it.