The Louisiana Democrat. [volume] (Alexandria, La.) 1845-1918, 1886-12-22
DfsGRAcEFUL CONDUCT.


dents Kindly Tribute to the Memory
of His Predecessor in Office Into an
Unconscious Endorsement of the Re-
publican Party.
The warm expressions of esteem and
admiration for the late President Ar
thur which have appeared in Demo-
cratic and Republican newspapers
alike, or have fallen from the lips Of
preachers and statesmen, without re-
gard to politics, testify to the broad,
generous, kindly spirit that fills the
American heart IN the presence of
death. There is not a public man
around whose bier words might not
be dropped or memories evoked that
would jar on the hearts of the
mourners. There is not even a per-
sonal friend or relative at whose death
some unpleasant "Reminiscences might
not be recalled from the past. But, by
common consent, all such unpleasant
thoughts are banished on the day of
mourning, and only the virtues and
noble qualities of the deceased are re-
membered When General Grant died
and from every Democratic paper
throughout the land came the most
touching and beautiful tributes, when
the Nation was in mourning and the
South seemed to be as deeply affected
as the North, did any of those papers
recall the days of reconstruction and
the saturnalia of peculation in Wash
ington during the Presidential Admin
istrations of the great soldier? No;
they spoke only of that part of his
career that will shine with undimin-
ished luster on the pages of history,
when the Shepherds, Belknaps, Bah
cocks and Robesons will be forgotten.
In the same manner the many grand
and ennobling traits of President Ar
thurs character have been put forward
in bold relief, as they deserved, and no
illusions were made to any political
episodes which might disturb the har-
mony of grief. It remained for the
New York Tribune, a paper to whose
blind, stupid partisanship nothing is
sacred, to profane the occasion of the
funeral of President Arthur, and desc
crate the sanctity OF the especial day of
mourning, by a fling at President
Cleveland and the Democratic party
over the remains of the lamented Re-
publican leader. 1t would seem as if
the term "ghoulish glee" was .partic-
ularly adapted to this case. The elo-
quent tribute paid by President Cleve-
land to the memory of the deceased in
his admirable proclamation is eagerly
seized by the ghoulish Tribune for the
purpose of partisan capital. 1t seeks
to distort the expression che performed
the duties of his Office with dignity and
ability" so as to make certificate of
character for the Republican party in
general and to cloak the rascalities of
Republican officials for years past. 1t
has the hardihood to say the following:
But since this is the truth. what were Prcsi-
dent Cleveland's supporters telling when they
honeycombed with fraud and rotten from
end to end? We're they telling the truth
when they declared that President Arthur
suffered the Government to be robbed by
Navy Department and by Secretary Teller
in the conduct of the interior Department.?
We're they telling the truth when they charged
that the Treasury Department was admins
orators, and that the people were swindled
out of millions through its management?
We're they telling the truth when they affirmed
that these and other departments at Wash.
! siOners of party or tools of corrupt officials;
that the rascals filled public places. and that
the rights aud interests OF the people were
were lying or else President Cleveland has
uttered complimentary words which he knew
| to be untrue.
According to the 7ribune's code Of
ethics. no expression of esteem for the
dead is permissible without being at
tended with a plain. unvarnishad state
ment Of the shortcomings Of every one
officially connected with the person to
whose memory the expression is Of
fered as a tribute. Pursuing this theory,
it would have been necessary for Pres
ident Cleveland, on the occasion of the
death of General Grant. to have quail
fed his remarks by illusions to the
carpet-bag governments of the South
during the days of reconstruction, to
Babcock, Belknap and Robson, to the
Credit Mobilier and District of Column
bia frauds, and other subjects of like
unpleasant nature. What would the
American people have thought Of the
application of the Tribune's theory?
Such a despicable attempt on
the part of the Tribune to
whitewash the rascals of it's party
at the grave of an illustrious citizen
must cause a feeling of disgust and
contempt in the breast of every Amer
lean. What President Cleveland
supporters asserted in 1884 has been
found not only true, but only a faint
estimate of to real condition of affairs.
The opening of the books has opened
the eyes of the American people to the
shameless character of Republican
government. The books showed that
when the present Administration went
into power there were nearly $10,000,-
600 deficiencies due the Government
under Republican rule, that millions
were squandered in the Navy Depart
ment without giving the country a
navy, that the public domain was
wasted on corporations and favorites,
that the treasury was being drained by
| all sorts of rascals, from deputy mar
shals to colossal rings. and that the
Pension Office was made an election
eering bureau. The shameful story has
been told before in those columns how
the public service, under Republican
administration, was honeycombed with
fraud and rotten from end to end.
But because President Cleveland
paid graceful tribute to the memory
of his immediate predecessor, the Tri-
bu1e would have it that he testified to
the purity of the entire Republican
party. What must the friends of Pres
| idant Arthur and indeed all fair.