New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1882-12-11
SHOOTING THEIR SORES.

When q Republican candidate, almost
unanimously nominated in strong Re-
publican district, finds that thousands OF
Republicans have refused to vote for him.
while thousands more have preferred to vote
for an unknown and unimportant Democrat,
he may trme and rave as much as he likes.
Everybody will know that, in the Judgment of
MANY of his own party, he is destitute of the
honesty or of the capacity to be theT
representative If he chooses atterward 10
advertise the fact his taste is singular, but 1t
is his own affair.
Also, when member of Congress can hardly
think Of "the newspapers without cuTSlng
like drab, he puts a brand of dishonor upon
his own forehead For the newspapers as
class cannot be truthfully accused OF injustice
if some wrongly accuse man, others defend
him at least as warmly. If some unJustly CEN
sure measure there are always found others
TO make known the truth about it. Thus the
one sure result Of a debate in the Press about
a man or q measure is that the pu0nc VIII
have both sides placed before 1T. In short,
"the newspapers" as a class have no other
power than that which they WELD by giving
information about men and things. They APP
neal without fear to their constituents every day.
and if their statements do nOtturn out to be true
the people punish them by loss OF support.
The member of Congress who does not dare to
be tried by the same test, even as often as
once in two years, is quite apt to rail at " the
newspapers" They represent light and give
light, and that is just what he hates. " They
love darkness, because their deeds arc evil"
is the public verdict and it is almost inva-
riably true that when man has habit OF
railing at the newspapers he has been doing
some dishonest thing that he does not dare to
have mentioned as 1t deserves. If he had
truth on his side. he would court the widest
publicity and the fullest discussion.
A remarkably large proportion of the Re-
publican members of this Congress have been
discharged by constituents who know them
best 1t seems good to them to advertise their
own disgrace by railing at the Press. The
consequence is that, instead of distressing
them, the public will begin to despise them.
1t is only the poorest class of beggars that
stoop to show their sores in public.
These members are angry because they were
detected and exposed in using public money
for private ends. They wanted reelection SO
much that they tried to get it by robbing the
Treasury. They took public money to spend
in useless works and shameless jobs III their
districts, and are angry because the Press made
known the fact. They took public money to en-
rich Influential claim agents and to make favor
with persons who want TO draw a pension with
out being required to prove that they have ever
deserved it. They took public money to erect
costly buildings in many places where such build
ines were not needed. They are angry because
the Press made known these facts They went
home to constituents who were strongly preju-
diced in their favor made such statements in
sef-defence as they thought fit; addressed
their constituents in thousands of meetings
where no opponent was permitted to speak
word or to expose an error had in their favor
all The discipline of great party and all the
| earnest desire of Republicans TO prevent the
transfer of power to Democrats, and yet they
were beaten by Republican votes.
Their constituents have means of knowing
| whether the charges against these members
were true They knOlC whether this or that
creek or inlet can be improved to the real adj
vantage of National commerce. They know
whether some of the men who are drawing
pensons have any decent claim to them. They
kpow whether the erection of public build
ing in this or that town is a wasteful extrava-
cance, dishonest job, or a needed public
work. These constituents, who know the facts
for themselves, have given their verdict 1t
is not unusual to hear culprits blackguard the
peoples attorney when they have been found
guilty But it does not hurt the attorney
much.