New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1883-07-13

| the public service, would be to abandon the
charges and admit that they were without FOUND
alton. In the absence OF any issue when the
Democracy dare raise or upon which they can
mite. aTurn the rascals Outn will do perhaps
a. well as any other war-cry, but it must not
be forgotten that the prosecution OF that SORT
of campaign calls for something besides empty
unsupported accusation and blackguard de-
nunciaton. This is especially true now that
the Democrats have absolute control OF enc
branch of Congress and the power to lnvesti-
gate aud overhaul to their hearts content the
administration of the past twenty years.
We have observed intimations in various
Democratic quarters that the demand Tor in-
yestigation and the probability that the DEM
ocrats in the next House will comply with it
are exciting serious alarm in the breasts Oh lie.
publicaus. 1t is intimated that at the mention
of investigations q cold sbudder thrills the
whole Republican party ut the prospect OF us
hidden rascalities being brought to hight.
Knowing something of the disposition ana
temper and the wishes of the Republican party
in this particular, we beg leave to undecelve
our Democratic friends. Republicans desire
nothing so much as that their opponents shall
keep I'D their new cry, Turn the rascals out"
and shall endeavor by investigation of the
most thorough and searching character to I'M
earth their wrong-doing and prove it on them.
II will be sore disappointment to all OF us IL
they fail to undertake it. In the first place
this cry, Turn the rascals out" If well kept up
and persisted in, will set people thinking about
what the @rascalsn have been doing these
twenty years and more for which they should
be turned out, and Republicans are more than
willing to be judged by that record. 1t Will
set them thinking, too, what in all these years
the gentlemen have been doing or trying to
do who are Just now so anxious to have the
"rascals." turned out. Republicans are more
than willing to go to the people on the simple
question of character and to receive the pop
ular verdict on the record of the two parties
the rascals and their accusers.
BY all means let the coming Democratic
House appoint all the investigating committees
it can find work for, aud let them do the WORK
in the most thorough manner. No party ever
existed that did not sometimes make mistakes;
none that was entirely free from time-serving
and dishonest officials. The Republican party
has not been exempt from the rule. but IL can
boast, and it has good reason to, that IL mas
been quick to discover, admit and correct lts
own mistakes, and that the few bad men VINO
have betrayed its trust and been guilty OIL
official misconduct it has never screened but
has pursued and punished. And 1t Is no less
true for it also is matter OF record, that In no
case in which Democratic House OF Repre-
sentatiyes has set out to investigate alleged
Republican dishonesty or misconduct has 1t
accomplished any thing whatever except In
| several instances to entrap by accident some
tricky differing Democrat. This is not the hrss
time they have raised the cry that the Repub-
lcans were dishonest and corrupt and should
be turned out of office on that account. They
have raised it before and have had the oppor-
tunities offered them to prove it. The results
have been only disastrous to themselves,
though the public has been vastly eater
tanned by them. They devoted pretty much
one entire Congress to fishing for scandals, and
only succeeded in keeping the country in a
howl of laughter at their frantic efforts to
keen their hooks out of the seats of their own
trousers.
No, no, we would not have them change their
war-cry, and we certainly would not have
them forbear to investigate. Let it be the first
business of the House after it has organized In
December to start out investigating committees
in all.directions with instructions to procure
good reasons for turning the "rascals " out
Let no time be lost. The public is impatient
for the comedy to begin.