The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1881-01-22

would not be utterly Indifferent in
the matter. But, in fact, the Demo
Gratis concerned seem interested only
to have the thing blow over without
investigation, and the public gener-
ally appear to care very little about
the facts in the business.
This is the strange feature of the
affair. The guilt of the transaction
lies to all appearance somewhere
within the bounds of that inner cir
Gle, the National Executive commit
tee, of which Mr.. Barnum is the
head. OF their guilty completely
their is no doubt whatever if the
authorship OF the forgery does not
lie within that same narrow circle. it
is incumbent on them to show it, or
at least to purge themselves of well
grounded suspicion. Why do they
not do it? The languor of public
interest in the matter as contrasted
with the eager curiosity manifested
when any Republican misdoing is
suspected may perhaps be accounted
for by the fact that the fall from mo-
rality of a decent and reputable per-
son always excites more interest than
the offences of habitual criminal.
Republican misdoing is phenomenal;
Democratic tricks and frauds are toe
common to attract attention or in
quiry. Then, too. the public has been
pretty much disguised with the eff
forts of the disreputable newspaper
in which the forgery first appeared
to utilize it's own shame for advertis-
ing purposes, and has refused te lend
countenance to the paltry scheme to
make the paper prominent by pre-
tended exposures and braZen. faced
confessions. But all this accounts
only for the absence of public inter-
est !; it does not explain the strange
Indifference of the .leading Demo
Gratis through whom the forgery was
published and circulated and endow-
ed with the power for mischief, or OF
the Democratic party at large, which
has to bear the responsibility for the
acts of it's executive committee. and
which certainly profited to certain
extent by the crime.
Why does not some Democrat in
Congress who has at heart the honor
and good name of the party-if there
be such an one-take some step to-
war,l an investigation =? Is it claimed
that authority cannot be found for
such an inquiry that there is no
precedent for it? We are very much
mistaken if, in the record of investi.
cations in all di3ections and upon all
subjects of the past six or seven years
plenty of presidents and ample au,
thority cannot be found for set
ting on foot such an inquiry.
The present Speaker of the
House has direct personal
interest in it since he was one of
the victims of the imposition and
was led by it to do an act of injustice
to a prominent public man which
1T must be presumed he sincerely re.
grets. The party in Congress has an
interest in relieving itself of the
odium of the transaction, which it
can only do by investigating the facts
and placing the guilt where it be-
longs. This can be done by an Off +.
cial investigation. and this they haye
thus far manifested no disposition to
order. 1t has been intimated within
few days past that Mr.. Barnum
disclaims all responsibility in the
matter. averring that his name was
used by a subordinate in the commit
tee without consultation with him
and without his consent. But even
this vague denial does not come di-
rectly from Mr.. Barnum. That
gentleman, so far as the public
knows, has not opened his mouth
upon the subject. There are no signs
thai he proposes to do so. Appar.
emily nothing but an official investi-
cation, similar to the one which COM
pelled Mr.. Tilden to appoint his
scapegeats in the Cipher Conspiracy.
will draw him out. Indeed, all
signs now point to a definite purpose
on the part of leading Democrats to
do nothing in the premises, but
simply 'wait for it to blow over"
Upon the fiimsiest suspicious of much
less fragrant offences by Republicans,
Investigations have been ordered by
Democratic Congresses, and no ex-
pense or ingenuity has been spared
to convict. Is the invariable failure
of these Investigations to be the ex-
cuse for refusing to pursue this one
1t will not do. The Democrats in
Congress are bound to take some no
ticA of this hNinOus outraue mr. thax.