The Dallas daily herald. [volume] (Dallas, Tex.) 1873-1887, 1882-06-17
NATIONAL FARCEs.

an enemy OF the accused sees II, gives IL
publicity until it finds its way into the pub
lie prints of consequence, and thereupon
an investigation is ordered. A number OF
gentlemen who are generally satisfied
beforehand that there is nothing
in the charges, are appointed as
q committee, elect clerks, are armed with
the authority to send for books and wit
nesses and settle down to the work in hand
1t generally takes them about three months
to whitewash one man and, il several are
to be looked after, an additional month is
to be set apart for each supposed culprit.
At last the committee are ready to report,
what they at first firmly believed, that
nothing could be discovered upon which
TO base suggestions of punishment
or censure. The gentlemen may
have been too careless or indifferent about
their reputation and affairs, but certainly
not criminal. This is invariably the out
come of all government Investigations, and
not single Individual for years has suffered
punishment through the developments or
reports of congressional investigating COM
mittees. A great hullabaloo has been
raised about the SHPHERD mat
ter, and for long, weary weeks the
committee have been at work without tue
faintest approach to the denouemcnts
predicted from the Investigations. 1t
started with flourish of trumpets, and
such corruption was to be unmasked i'll
high places as had never been dreamed Of.
Men in authority and famous were to be
turned out in disgrace, and perhaps wear
the ielons stripes, and the sensation of tie
age, politically, might be anticipated. 1t
transpires, after all this furry, that
shrewd Yankee had bought an old claim
against Peru, which he was attempting TO
collect through government aid, but
failed to receive federal cooperation. And
still the farce goes on, each days testimony
only adding to the mass of worthless mat
ter and continuing to pile up the expenses.
If we add TO this that a young congress
man named BELMONT from New York won
a few days notoriety in wordy set-to with
BLAINE, we have the results OF the SHIrHERD-
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS investigation. But
these iarces are not only played
as congressional side.shows, but find
their way into the courts also
A lew months ago there never
had been discovered such huge govern
ment job and swindle as was involved in
the star-routes and Mr.. JAMES and other
new-broom reformers were to receive their
passports to fame in unearthing and pun
ishing the villainy. That was over year
ago and only fey weeks since were the
guilty parties indicted and just recent.
ly put on trial. Nobody's reputa-
ton seems practically to have suf
fered any and the men who made
the original charges have passed
out of the public's notice. The worst fea-
ture and the most larcical of all connected
with the matter, is the announcement now
made and beginning generally to be &C.
cepted as true, that none of the accused
will be convicted. The trial will be but
another evidence of the impossibility OF
Furnishing prominent rascals, and will add
another chapter to our history fgreat ex,
pectations and inlintesimal results. The
multiplicity of charges of political rotten
ness against our public men, aud the inlre-
quency OF punishment must have
the effect of giving our sys
tenn of government an exceeding
ly hard name in Europe. 1t is at least to
us very significant indication that the
standard of public honor and morality is
either very low or the government is be-
coming powerless to punish crime. The
satisfaction to be derived from taking either
horn of the dilemma is exceedingly small,
and the fact shows how dangerous to the
people. it is to entrust to any one set of men
for u long period the absolute administra'
ton of affairs with no accounta-
bility to anj one for political mis-
deeds but those of their own
household and own appointing. With this
fact patent to all, however, the masses re-
main loyal to party and rejoice in the cs.
capes of their party friends, whatever the
charges or evidence may be. Nothing
will ever DO accomplished in the way of
purifying the different departments and
bringing TO light the full extent of the
frauds of the past ten or fifteen years UNI
I'll new organization has been given
control Of the government and
the various Offices are filed with
men whose interest II will be to discover
wherein their political adversaries have
been derelict. The revelations would un.
questionably prove startling, but they
would be far preferable to continuance OF
the evils. Until this is done We may expect
to hear Of constant frauds and corruption,
accompanied always by shameless white
washing and the most barciaced mockeries
Of justice and the enforcement Of the laws,
No question receives 30 much attention
as civil service reform, and at the same
TINA In Nh ulov of ndontinn Horc 10 still