New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1880-07-24
FINDING OUT TOO MUCH.

FINDING OUT TOO MUCH
If our Democratic friends were In a good
deal of q hurry to get into the Davenport lnVes-
tigation, they were in much greater hurry 10
get out. For proof whereof, to the horZontal
coat-tails of Senator Mcdonald, the last sur
yivor Of the Democratic investigators, as he
shot westward, followed by the shlill voice OF
John |. Davenport calling out to him that he
had not half finished his testimony
So many things have happened in the past
eighteen months that it Is quite possible the
origin of this inquiry has been partially lost
sight of. We owe the beginning of the aglta-
ton to MIR. Fernando Wood, who started 1t In
December, 1878, at the opening of the third
session of the XLVth Congress. That session
began. 1t will be remembered, at time when
the Democratic party had just entered upon
neriod of depression. They had secured, 1t is
tue. majority in the Senate for the fist time
in twenty years, but it would not come into be-
ing till the new Congress in March following,
and the November elections had given them
warning of the turn in the tide and the popular
reaction against them ia their reduced majority
in Congress and their loss OF several States
Tn addition to this cause for anxiety and depres-
sion. they had lost pretty much all their po-
litcal capital in the removal OF the question oil
Southern reconstruction by the policy of Presi-
dent Hayess Administration, which left no
vitality in the old issues on that score, while
THE TRIBUNR's disclosures of the Cipher con-
spracy had effectually spiked their guns on the
Fraud cry. The certainty OF resumption left
them nothing In the way of capital on the
financial question, even if they had not been
hopelessly divided upon it. And the record
they had made for themselves on the dstrlbu
ton of patronage and the administration of the
civil service, so far as they had had oppor
tunity, closed their mouths on the administra
tive Reform they had made SO much Of.
They needed new key-not Mr.. Fernando
Wood struck it. Hardly waiting for the read
ing of the Presidents Message to be finished,
mon motion to print he took the floor, and
after critlcislng the tone OF that document con-
corning the elections In the Southern States,
went on TO say that In the City of New York
four thousand citizens legally registered
voters with as much right to vote as you or
| amyself were dragged TO prison by Govern
ment officials, and committed by the hundreds
to an iron cage, uscalled prison, as common
aprisoners guilty of crime. Almost within the
u rests were made, and the right of suffrage
gdened, and the grOssest outrages perpetrated
supon thousands of white men who were
aguilty of no offence, except that 1t be an
q offence to support the Democratic party"
Mr.. Cox, the humOrist, subsequently came to
Mr. Woods assistance, and he avelrod that this
u superserviceable official" Mr.. Davenport had
q called in question the naturalization of over
g so 900 people,; that @by Imprisoning hun
| . dreds he had inundated Thousands; that
his colleague, Mr.. EckhOff. had "lOst q
| thousand votes by this vllany and outrage"
| and been defeated by 1t, etc, etc. All this as
though the calling in question the natural
cation of sc, 900 persons was evidence of the
@viIanyr of Commissioner Davenport, when
they knew. as every New-York politician of
ordinary intelligence did, that it only proved
the extent of the "vllany " of the Democratic
managers and Democratic Judges engaged In
this stupendous fraud.
Then came the howl for free ballot" and
the denunciation of intimidation by Federal
officials at the polls and one would have sup
posed, from the raving of the Democratic press,
that John /. Davenport was terrible fellow,
who had been lmprisoning Democrats in oath-
| some dungeons ny uhu
them by ten thousands. 1t was taken up by
| Democrats in the Senate. Mr.. Eaton WIS al
| most as indignant as be used to be at the
"unholy attempt to coerce sos eleign States
| Mr. Thurman waved Lis wild bandanna in ex-
cited denunciation of Davenport, and there
was quite an amusing little teapot tempest
| over it, To resolution raising committee
10 investigate the election methods in vogue
| at the South was added provision including
Commissioner Davenport's office and his admin
isiration of it and in the reorganization Of the
committees by the Democrats Ia the Senate a;
the opening OF the present Congress, Senator
Wallace was made chairman of this com
mittee. II was this committee which came here
week or two ago to hunt John !. Davenport
and was surprised to find itself hunted
by that gentleman instead; hunted to sucl
purpose that 1t gradually got thinned down
to Senator Mcdonald, who on "Wednesday
turned tail and ran, with Davenport crying
after him that he had plenty more testimony I,
put i'll.
The readers Of THE TRIBUNE are familiar
with the course of tins inquiry ant
the facts which have been brought out
Had the committee been appointed will
the view of showing up the extent of tn
Democratic frauds of 1S6S and of fastening tn