New-York tribune., 1886-02-09
THE CABINET scandal.


Washington organs The Cdpitdt ASSUMING 10
speak with authority, announces that the C"o-
met will not be reorganized; that the President
is confident that the future VIII Nlhdcaio ''i'
Gorlaud: and that the whole power OF Tie
Administration will be exerttd to secure t"c
nr,posed legal test Of the validity OF the BEL
natrpts. The President, it Is asserted VIII
neither he blllIcd nor frightened by puDhc
criticism. He has directed the So'lc't"r-Ue"-
eral to make rapid preparations t"r 'he sun anu
to spare no expense. lie has assume" peisou"i
direction of the proceedings, will decide where
the suit shall be brought. and Will hlnselI SeiecV
the attorneys who are to assist Mr.. Ooode.
These are explicit statements. Possibly I"c
C,DitaI does not make them with adequate
authority, but has been imposed upon ny 'ho
Presidents intimate friends, to whOm IL iel'ls
So confidently. But we suspect that IL 'eiis
the truth and that the President has resolved
not only to cOndOne the AttOmey-Ueherai ais
offeIces against public morals, Out also 10 exert
all tie influence of the Executive once III oO-
tanning "vindication by the United States
courts of a corrupt member OF his own CaDihet.
The President, though well equipped with good
intentions, is a determined, If not an obstinate
man. While he is inexperienced III puOHc me-
and affects to dcspse newspaper denOhsu"-
tions.p he is exceedingly crcduou1 and has not
been able to resist the corrupt Influences Win
which various departments Ol the AulhihlStla-
tion are surchargcd We suspect that he mas
lent a will ng ear to the lnSnualionS anu
charges of evil counscoIs and that he has Drch
easily persuaded that the Bell Company Is seek
in., to break up his Cabinet. The " confidential
friend quoted by THE Capital asserts that the
President believes that the NeW-lork news
ror.rs have been subsidized by the Bell Com
pany through finn OF Democratic lawyers
tba; the price paid has been unusually Large
as much as $1,000 having been pald Tor lhe
rublication of a single article" y; and that he has
received IntmatiOns that the attacks would
cease if the prosecution were Abandoned.
Now we hope that the President has been
misrepresented by his Washington organ, Dut II
if has any warrant whatever for these amazing
statements. we have no hesitation III prononnc-
/ ING this IA cowardly defence OF the Admnstia-
ton. offered for the purpose OF dlVeltlng pubhc
attention from the main Issues. ii tHe Ilesl-
! dert has any proofs that prominent Journals Vi
! both paIties have been Subsidized ana cor
rupted. let him and his defenders make good
! fine charge. Let there be no skulking III the
| dark. no firing of pistols into the air, no re-
!
! course to contemptible insinuatlOns Let the
! newspapers that have been cOrruptly influenced
he named So long as an irresponsible ana
venal journal like Ihe AelC- York Times limited
| this charge, it was not WORTHY of notice. But
! if the President has gone out of his way to re-
neat it and adopt it as one of the main deicnces
| of his own action, it is time to call for the
names and the evidence. As The TRIBUNE
| al lIc
TO the teephone scandal, it has a right to de-
mand a bill of particulars; and perhaps there
will be no better opportunity fOr saying that 50
far as it is concerned the charge that 1t has been
influenced by other than public reasons In
critcislng the Attorney Generals course Is
unoualifedly false. 1t holds no stock in the
Bell Company, and in no way, shape or manner
is interested directly or Indirectly, IN the out
come OF the telephone suits. 1t never even ana
advertising for the Bell Company, or for any
body on account OF it and the only lelatlon IT
| has ever held to that company is that for years
| it has leased from it short private wire III thls
! city, paving month by month exorbltant charges
| for imperfect and unsatisfactory service. 1t
| has received no favors from this monopoly and
desires none. 1t is heartily in sympathy with
| the general feeling of Indignation against the
company caused by excessive tolls, detecu"e
| service and gross misInanagement OF local
| lines.
But what have these charges against reputa-
Bile journals to do with the main facts OF the
scandal Absolutely nothing. This is only a
craven device for distracting public attention
by making great din about the Bell monopoly.
Mr.. Garland has never denied Mr.. ROgeIss
statement that 81, 100000 i'll Pan-Eleclrlc and
other telephone stock was given to hin when
he was in the Senate; that he held 1t when the
Department of Justice intervened last August
in the interest of enterprises with which he was
identified and that he holds it now, when the
Government is preparing TO exert Its wh0ic
power in breaking down the Bell patents ana
enrching the speculative statesmen connected
with the Administration. Does the President
consider this gift-taker's relations to the
Southern telephone ring either honorable or
decent7 Does he mean to keep this gift taker
in the Cabinet, when the evidence OF his cor
mptiOn and fagraDt prostitution OF his pubic
functions is before the world and has not been
cOntr0verted? This is the main issue, and
public attention cannot be diverted from 1t by |
hair-splitIing discussions of technical questions |
of patent law, by abuse of the Bell monopoly, or |
by cowardly attacks upon the press. The result
of the Government suit will not affect In any
way the immortality of this gift-takers corrup-
ton and dishonOI. His offences will remain as
rank as they are now, whether the Bell patents
are sustained or invalidated and the taint of
discredit will be COMMUNICATED to the entire
which has aided and abetted in
his private speculations, and condoned his base
betrayal of public trust The Federal courts
may enrich the gift-taker; they cannot vlndi-
cate his reputation disinfect the Reform
Administration"
GO TO TIE COKE REGIONS YOURSELVES.
1t will crafty New-Y Workers to learn, on the
Mr narav hat the late Mr.