National Republican. (Washington City (D.C.)) 1872-1888, 1879-05-20
PLUMBER aND sIASDEH.

Tho enormous frauds committed under the
CLAPP regime, which led n Republican Senate
to unite in the abolition of his office in order
to get rid of him, and which caused the House
of Representatives to call upon the criminal
authorities of the District to bring him before
the grand jury for Indictment, will justify every
honest member Of Congress in voting for the
KNOTT bill.-poSt.
On perusing the above tissue Of falsehood,
without scintilla oftruth to relieve it, we
are led to concur with SHAKESPEARE in the
opinion that liars are past all shame-so
past all truth" The extract which we
make from 'He jobber's oicn" contains some
serious allegations, which are either true or
false. If true, let the evidence of their
truth be produced. If false, let the ibeler
be punished Tor his shameless defamation
Of a neighbor We therefore challenge the
proof and win await its forthcoming for
few days. The utter absurdity Of the state
nIont, which alleges certain reasons for the
change of the law, is apparent on consulto-
tion with the truth. The allegations are
not only absurd, but are wickcdly and ma
liciously false from beginning to end To
show this it is only necessary 10 refer TO the
history of the case, which can be given in
brief A Republican Senate consented to
change the law relating to the appointment
of Public Printer, which would confer 1t
upon the President, instead Of the Senate,
for other reasons entirely foreign to those
given by the post We gave them briefly
and correctly in THE REPUBLICAN of yes
terday morning they having rested chiefly
upon a constitutional consideration of the
question. The statement that the law was
changed to get rid of the then incumbent
is shown to be absolutely and uneauivo-
cally false so far as the action of the Senate
was involved 1t is of record, and we APP
peal to that record in full justification OF
this statement. When the law took effect,
and the office of Congressional Printer had
become .Jimcius o6icio had 1t been passed to
get rid of the then incumbent he would
have disappeared from the scene under its
legitimate effects. But history did not then
SO make the record. The President
promptly nominated the retiring Con-
gressional Printer to be Public Printer,
and the self-same Senate that concurred
in the law which it is now alleged was
was passed to get rid of him, confirmed him
in that office. So much for that shameless:
lie Now for that one which states that the
House of Representatives called upon tho
criminal authorities to bring Mr.. CLAPP be-
fore the grand jury for Indictment Tha'
is equally false. The record of the case, n!
then made up by the most malignant Dem
ocratc prosecutors and traducers does no
, show anything worse than that VANCE ant
SINGLETON, on &C pdrte and much of i
, pepured testimony, recommended tha
criminal proceedings be instituted
against Mr.. CLAPP. That recommen
dation was referred to the Judi
ciary Committee of the House, and
after mature consideration of the proofs, ,,th
case was laughed out of court as we ar
credibly informed, and which is no doub
true, as nothing further was heard of it ex
cept upon the tongue and pen of the Sian
derer.
In concluding our reference to this gros
and indefensblc calumny we desire brief,
to remark that the KNOTT bill, if it has N
stronger reason for existing than that foun,
iu slander and falsehood, must be rotten +
: the core. Its public advocate is enough T.
stamp it with infamy as base fabrication
of all that is corrupt and reprehensibe /
ought to die in committee, but if allowed t
come forth, death awaits it. The Demo
Gratis dare not father such child.