The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1880-04-17
Official Falsiflcation.

| cai'9 loi lulineulate anu earnest con
sideration. Many discreditable things
nave been done in the National Leg
lslature in former times, but there
has always been tacit agreement to
certain rules with respect TO the
| transactions of the two houses, and
to violate them has been looked upon
as a personal dishonor. All parties
understand that the public business
cannot he carried on unless members
can place some reliance upon one an
others integrity. When commit
tee is instructed to examine certain
Statements. or documents and report,
y y yyfiof fsis os wiistt Is "a them. ft is
impracticable for the rest of the Sen
ators or Representatives to go over
the work after the committee and see
whether trick has been played.
When member presents a report
with a statement thatIt is authorized
by his committee, it is not decent for
the other committeeman to take the
paper out of his hand, in order to
see whether it is the genuine report
or a fictitious one. In all legislative
assemblies where action must be del
egated, it is necessary to take great
deal on trust. In other words, there
must be an understanding that hon
! orable gentlemen will not lie to one
another.
But during the present session of
| Congress there have been so many
violations of the old traditions of
honor that one cannot help suspect
ing the existence of a dangerous and
wide. spread decentralization. One
member has been detected in an at
tempt to foist upon the House, as the
report of committee, document
which the committee had never seen,
and on being asked for an explana-
ton he has made a statement which
is declared to be untrue. Another
member has deceived the House in
regard to the reference of bill, vio-
lating not only the general under
standing, but positive rule. Unless
Congressman stand upon their honor
in such cases, the established routine
of legislation will have to be com
3 pletely changed. With respect to
this particular gentleman, some of
hls. colleagues have felt obliged to
: take the unprecedented precaution of
causing every bill introduced by him
to be read aloud to the House before
it Is sent to any committee.
The most seriou. faIsifications have
been perpetrated In the preparation
ton of reports on contested seats.
The notorious Weber gave a mass Of
sensational and incredible testimony
against Senator kellogg, and then
abscOnded rather than face closS-
examination. The Republican mem
bers of the Committee asked for an
attachment against him; but the ma
jority, knowing what the result must
be, and emembering how awfully
the man had been exposed and dis
graced before TIE Potter Committee.
preferred to discard their own wit
ness, and agreed that the whole of
his testimony should be stricken out,
Yet when the report is printed, 10,
there is the testimony Of Weber, in
tact and ostensibly unimpeached.
The report is full of gross misrepre-
which it purpOrts to be based, sup
pressiOnS and positive misstatemen,s.
The report in the Donnelly- -Washburn
case is still worse. Here the falsifi-
cation is positively insolent the tes-
timony is said to contain things
which ii does not contain, and the
untrue statements touch the vital
points of the contest.
No lawyer, trying case in court
of justice, wonld be allowed to mis-
represent evidence as it is misrepre-
sented at the National Capitol. An
advocate is expected to make the best
argument he can for his side, but the
bench will insist upon fair and ex-
act statement of the facts brought out
in the trial, and any counsel who
should do what Messrs.eHill, Mann
ing and Others have done in Wash
ington, would receive a scathing re.
: buke from the court, and be lucky if
he escaped still severer penalty.
Indeed, no reputable lawyer would
be willing to compromise his profess
sional standing by such an offence.
There oughtto be even more rigorous
respect for truth in Congress than at
:. the bar. Senators and Representatives
occupy the position of judges rather
than of advocates; and they are
sworn not to make out "a case for
their own side, but to deal strict
justice between men and between
parties. Committees in particular,
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