Year: 1876

The exposures relating to the Belknap
scandal startled the country, and on every
hand there rose demand for the punish
ment of the criminal. That man hold
ing responsible position Of public trust
in the highest branch of the National ser
vice should discard all principles Of honor
and use his position as means of graft
flying tastes beyond his means, by the
sale of subordinate positions, was thing
we'll calculated 10 arouse popular lndlg-
nation. When the Lower House Of Con-
gress took prompt action looking toward
the conviction of the accused, the senti-
ment of the country approved the act.
Nor does it desire that the House should
be stayed by reason of any legal bubbles,
but if the accused is guilty it asks that he
be disgraced and punished. So far the
sentiment Of the nation and that of the
House of Representatives is in full accord.


Unfortunately, however, the majority
of the Lower House seem to have arrived
at the conclusion that it is not individual
offenders, but the Republican party that
is on trial at the bar of public opinion,
and the Committees of the House are
vastly more intent on endeavoring to fol-
low up the accusations which will bring
odium upon Repubicanism than they are
to labor for the real good Of the country.
1t is natural enough that party whose
record has for the past twenty years been
such as to make their very name stencil
in the nostrils Of every man Of patriotic
sympathies, should think that the only
road to public pap for which their souls
a-hunger, lies in making the masses be-
lieve that their opponents are worse than
themselves. Consequently, their Com
mittees eagerly listen TO every idle tale,
and rush at once 20 investigate if the party
accused happen to be a prominent Re-
publican. And this purpose Of making
political capital for the Presidential cam
paign, rather than seeking honestly to re-
form the public service, is 80 apparent, that
already the investigation salt has lost its
SAVIOR, and people are not slow in seeing
what farce the business has been turned
into. And moreover, the investigations
are developing interesting facts involving
prominent Democrats, and provoking rs
it is, it really seems that all the double
dyed scoundrels in the land are not Re-
publicans. Now, this is just what was
to have been expected, and we are only
surprised that the House was not prepared
for such revelations. Dishonesty, like
merit, is confined to no particular party,
class or sect, and those who supposed the
rascality would all be found on one side
and the purity all on the other were mar.
velously mistaken.


And with this discovery of the fact that
some of their own leaders had been guilty
Of peccadiilos Of the kind they were look
ing up, Democratic vigilance WAS re-
doubled to find something that would
Offset the sins Of the Pendetons, ct hoe
onlne genus. The most improbable
charges, and from the lowest sources,
found greedy listeners if they affected
leading Republicans, and where truth
would not answer the purpose it was dis
torted, especially if leveed against Il
probable candidate for the Presidency.
Hence the attacks on Blaine, Bristow,
Morton and others, while President Grant,
as the head Of the party, was made an
especial subject for Democratic malevo-
lence.


We have only one thing in reference
to these numerous investigations. With
the exception of the first, they are gotten
up to make political capital, and the dis
guise is so tlimsy that it fails to conceal
the object.


Prosecution becomes persecution when
followed up through vindictiveness instead
of a desire TO promote the public good.
And here is where tho Confederate Brig
adiers of the Lower House have over
reached themselves. No mans charac-
ter exempts him from scandal and the
avidity with which the slightest opportu-
nifty was grasped at to realize a party ad-
vantage, shows that the sole Democratic
hope lies in building upon the ruins of
their opponents. And in their insane
desire TO do this they have carried their
accusations and investigations so far that
it has done their cause harm instead of
good.