New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1879-07-01
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Judge the. men and their acts.
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IYSIYUlTTONS WITHOUT PROOF
Senator Davis, of West Virginia, has served
at least one very useful purpose. He has
been the means Of disclosing the weakness OF
one of the lines of attack contemplated in the
Democratic plan of the next campaign. II is
known that he has been afflicted for several
years with sort of mOnomania on the sub
icct of Treasury accounts, and what he calls
frauds in the Treasury Department. Some
years ago he thought he had discovered dis
crcDncy in the Treasury statements OF about
q hundred millions. In the parancc Of the
street NJ went for it," 1t was soon made
apparent 30 other people, though he has
failed through ignorance or Obsunacy to see
il. that the discrepancy was due to different
methods Of bookkeeping, easily explained, and
that there WAS nothing upon which TO found
q charge or even suspicion of official cor
nption or dishonesty. But he would not be
convinced. He insisted that the Treasury had
been plundcrcd, and that thorough inyestl-
cation would disclose condition of rotten
ness in the Department which would
gtartle the country and cover Republican
administration
and inlamy. His own party took no
stock in the vast suspicious with which
he entertained himself, bat a Republic
can Senate humorcd him In the pursuit OF
what seemed harmless hobby, and gave him
the fullest authority, with all possible facili-
ties, TO make a thorough Oyerhauling OF the
Treasury Department and its accounts, and
bring everything connected with 1T into what
Nr. Marble cloqucntiy calls 4" the keen bright
",unlight of publicity Ii is with this inyes-
tigation that he has chiefly concerned himself
during almost the entire period Of his public
service. He has been in the Senate the
counterpart OF Glover in the House. He
has not. il is true, CONFUSED the country
with laughter to such an extent rs Glover
did. for he has not reached ont in so many
directions nor pulled in so often the wrong
fish. but in his way he has furnished "A good
deal of quiet amusement by his nervous &nNI-
ETY., and the obstinate pclsIstcncy with which
lie chung to his delusion.
Until within a few days there has been a
prevailing belief among his colleagues that hc
was quite sincere in his hobby, and that he
did actually believe his charges against
the Treasury Department were measuraby
true. lie had way of dropping mystcri-
ous hints about the work Of his commit
tee and the things they had pretty
nearly found out and would shortly
astonish the world with, that was very
much in GlOyer's vein, and never failed to
amuse the Senate; the more so because he
seemed so deeply IN earnest about the matter
himself, and no one else even of his own
ba Ii r., D.,
investigation or its results. But it now turns
out, through a running debate in the Senate
last week brought on by his own eagerneSs
and the indiscretion of the impulsive Saus-
bury, that it was part Of the Democratic plan
to use charges which have not been substan-
tiated, and assertions which cannot be
proved, in their prosecution of the cam
paign of 1850. In brief but very
able and powerful speech in the Sen
ate last Wednesday Senator Window con-
trasted the political, financial and industrial
condition of the country under Democratic
and Republican rule. His array of facts and
figures so stirred up Mr.. Salisbury that that
Senator ventured to attempt a reply, III which.
after clarifying the Democracy and making
the bold avowal that he was proud of every
the Republican party for corruption, extor-
ton and robbery. TO this loose expectOra-
ton Mr.. Window answered with the state
ment that three years ago he asked the Senator
from Delaware "tO name a single ndl-
"vidual. single Republican official, whom
"the thirty-three Democratic investigating
committees had proved to have stolen one
"dollar from tins Government He failed to
"do so at that time he has bad three years
"to think it over.n And said Mr.. Window,
81 repeat the question" This touched
Senator Davis's hobby so closely the Della
ware Senator being stumped by tit brought
him to his feet with his old charge Of altera-
tons in the statement of the public debt
amounting to "many millions" 81 wish
"were at liberty" he said. 8" to state at this
"time what has occurred and what has been
"proyed by Treasury officials"
This sort of insinuatiOn has become q habit
with Mr.. Davis, and is ordinarily little re-
carded; but in this instance Mr.. Window pro-
posed to bring him 10 book He accordingly
asked unanimous consent that Mr.. Davis be
permitted TO state anything that has been
proved In the two years Investigation. Mr.
a.