New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1880-07-16
THOSE FUNNY BLANKS.

|
THOSE FUNNY BLANKS
THE TR1BuNE printed several days ago
statement from one of its Washington cores
pondents concerning certain documents on file
in the Office of the ACKNOWLEDGEMENT with
reference to the existing condition o. affairs IN
some sections of the South and the treatment
to which Republicans are subjected The doc
umeDts were not prepared for political erect
but simply sent forward for use In the AT
torney- Generals department in prosecuting
the offenders. AS I was feared that the publ
| cation of names and details in full might give
the cupIits notice of the conte npated proceed
ipgs, and by giving them time to escape de-
| feat the ends of justice 1t was Thought pest
to publish the bare facts without the names OF
places or individuals, these being left blank
We are glad upon the whole that this was
done and the publication was imperfect, for
! if attracted attention and caused comment III
! certain quarters where it would have been UNI
noticed otherwise. Had all the facts been
published, with names, dates and places set
forth in full, meme of our Democratic contem-
poraries would have ever given any signs OF
having seen the statement or heard the reports
Without exception they would have calmly
|
IT utterly.
But the blanks at once arrested their atten-
ton. In the blanks they shifted deceit and
| fraud. The blanks were evdence unmistak-
able that the reports were groundess fctions'
and that the whole thing had been manuiac-
tured for political purposes. So some OF them
broke out in a broad gu1aw at the absurdity
of such an attempt to gull the public, said the
attempted imposition was altogether too thin,
! and called for names, dates, and places. Tins
they did with that confident air with which
fools who are in the habit of lying jump. upon
the slightest provOcation, to the conclusion
that other people lie as easily aud foOllshly as
| themselves Anybody who is in the habit OF
| thinking, or can see an inch eyond his nose,
would have had the sense TO consider the prob
abilities in the case; whether 1t was likely
| that THE TRIBUNE would commit such an
! aflront to the intelligence of its readers and
so abuse their confidence as TO publish pure
! fcron of that kind, so certain 10 DC found out
| if false and if false so sure 10 discredit the
paper and damage the Republican party. But
the gudgeOns who were caught by the blanks
did not stop to think so far as this. Tney
! iusr lifted up their chins i'll a haw-haw, and
| called for names.
Well, they got them. A few days having
| eapsed in which these fat-witted newspaper
! writers were permitted to be bOisterously hila-
| rious over the blanks, TIE TRIBUNE gave the
| Names dates, and places, from the documents
| in the Attorney Generals Office. Their call was
| answered They got the information they
| clamO~4d for. The details were furnished, and
the opporunity afforded them TO make their
investigation and show up the specific false
hoods they suspected. But somehow they
seem to have lost their interest. Since we gave
them the specifications they demanded, they
have said not word upon the subject. The.
blanks that in the words of the Tammany Hall
iubllMor, "tictled en- to DEATH" have ceased
to he funny They are all with one accord
talking about SOM thing else. We have waited
! several days for them to use the information
they called for which we have given them, but
they make no sign. We venture TO remind
| them OF the fact, and direct their attention
TO the opportunity afforded them to expose
what they have denounced a campaign
fiction" SO good a j Ike as they esteemed
this to be ought not TO be- lost such bOistsrOus
mer ment ought not to stop SO short. 1t looks
as though something had got stuck in their
Threats.
Meantime they may be interested in the ex-
pcrlence 0f young lawyer " .ose zeal once led
him to ask one question tOo many. shrewd
old gentleman on the witness st md. testifying
in case of assault, was very careful on his
direct examination 10 say that 1t was his i'm
"pression " that the defendant struck the COM
plainant WI club. The vaguensss and I'M
certainty with which he stated this impress
sion induced in the young lawyers mind the
belief that he could worry the old gen.
tIemln on his cross examination. so when
the witness was tuTned over to him he began
{" You say Mr.. Jones, that you have an impres-
" sion that the defendant struck this com
"plainant with club. Now will you please
"tel me what reason you have for any such
impression 7" why. bless your soul, Squire
Strong" said the witness, | seed it with my
"own eyes" Z" 1 hat will do" said Squire Strong
hastily, "yOu can step down." and turning to
bis associate ne added Id better have let him
alone" The moral We suppose is that there are
times when 1t is quite possible to draw out too
! much infOI nation 4 cross ami nation. We
commend It to our friends who were lately so
clamorous for the filing of the blanks
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RESUMPTION AND G0OD TINES
The Republican party appeals to facts for
its justification. Ii cannot ask better proof of