Condemned By Themselves

Xo langiiage could moro ïnipressively eondema the action of the Grant Senators for their doterminatiou to suppress invostigation into the corruptions and outrages of the administraron thau that nsod on the floor of the Senate by Republioan Senators who have the honesty to spoak out. What oonld be moro severo than the following extracta from Senator TiumbuLL's spccoh on the 23d of Febru.ary ï Kr. President -Every efFort &t reform and to exposé and correct abuses is met in this body by assaults upon thoso who mak the effbrt, by aspersions on their motives, and be allegations of bad party faith. Questions aftecting the purity of the governruent, the interests of the people and tho welfare of the public, in the opinión of some meinbers of this body who assumo to be tho peculiar exponents of the Republican party, slicrald no longer be docided upon thcir merits, but with a view to their political effect. Chief aniong those who would subordínate the public welfare to party stands the Senator from Indiana (Mr. Morton) ■who, in discussion of the resolution under eonsideraiáon, has devo-ted scveral houvs in speeches made upon different days to party politics ; and not content with assaultiug those who havo thought it their duty to move the present investigation and have taken port in tho present debate, tho Senator wsnrt ■■"; nv:iy from them and takes occasion to spoak of a Senatorial cabal, and to refer to movements made at other times nnd other stagos of the seseion in favor of investigation. I proposc to show how an attempt is made on every occasion to defeat evory effbrt at reform, no matter from whora it comes nor in relation to what subject, lest it should injuro tho party; and in this chamber, where party considerations ought nevor to interioro with the discharge of public duty, where tho lcgislation should be for the country and not for any particular party in the country, we have time and again heard made appeals to party for tho purpose of carrying measures. When it was proposed to raise a committeo to inquire into the abuses of governmont, the propotitiox was met by certain Senators with all sorts of obstacles. Tou will remembor in the first instance it was proposed to raise a joint select committee of the twoHouses of Congress, sad eommitteO as ■we had had for evoral Congresses without objection, to inquire into existing abuses is all the departments of governluent, to know whether there were supernumerary officers employed, whether men were in the public service who performed no dutics aud oucht to bo discharged, and genorally to asoortain tho conditioa of tho public service witb tbe view to purifying and improving it. Tho objection ■was niadie that a joint select coimnittee was iiuproper, particularly a committce vested witn power to send for persons aijd papers to make investigations. xwenty-four Senators had voted to clothe this committeo with amylo authority to inquiro into existing nbuses and exposé them ; thirty-five had voted against it ; and when tho public sentiment of tho country had foroed Senators to agree to an investigation, then tho party cry was raised to so organizo the committeo that of the twenty-four Senators who voted in favor of clothing tho committee with authority to inquire into abuses, one singlo one, and he a Deinocnit, alono was put pon it. Of the other six, not onc hd TOted iit favor of giving authority to the eomurittee to send tor persons and papers, and make tho investigntiün thorough, as eriginally proposed. It is truc that when that subject was brought to the notice of the Sen ate, ono of tho six deulined and Senator was substitutcd in his place, tho Senator from California (Mr. Casscrly.), niaking tvro Doinoerats on the cominitt'ji:. Why. was the committeo so organizcl? It wa6 done in obedienco to party dictatiou. Tlieery of party allegianco was invoked to accomplish it. These werc the worda of the Senator from Indiana : " We were askod te érente smelling committeo to be set upon tho President from that time until the eiection, just as you would put a detective upon a susrtedcriniinal. No sensible párty would that. We did not do it. We created a committee that was denouneed as being a whitewashing committee ; but it has already vindieated itsolf." Now, the Senator from Indiana tolls you why the committee vras created as it was. We were not goiag "to. créate a emelling committee," as says, "to be set upon the President." No, sir ; but was the Senator from Indiana opposed to orgauizingra committee in favor of oxpwsing abusos. ü they existed 'i And is that setting a smelling committee upon the President oL the United States ? I repudiato such au idua. Nothing could have given greatur strength to the President of the United States than to havo an oarnest, faithful committee in favor of investigation, who should have huntod out in all t'ao departmenis of tho government the abuses, iL any, tiiat existod, should have brougbi them to his notiee, and allowed him to correct and reform tliem. Why, sir, thftt would have gi ven strength to the administratiun, strength to the Kepublicau party. But what was the impression that went all over tbe country in consequenco of tho partisan organiza - tion of the committee 'i It was tb at "a whitewashing committeo '' was formed, as the Senator i'ro'u Indiana tel Is us. Is it any wondor ï And, bt, I have seen it statedi in: paptvs - I know not with how mncb tnrth - thut notico has been givcn that tho witnessos brought bei'oro thie committee, who exposé tho briVicry, corruption and luali'easHnce of officials, are to be prosecuted themselves as participants in the fcauds they exposé. Bir, I will make no comment upon this. I stto but what I have scon published, and shall bo gratiiiüd if it is not truc ; for it will strike the country asa strange way of forreting out the abuses of oñicials to publish in advaiice that the witnosses who exposé them will themselves bo indicted aa participants. You will not be likcly to ünd out inany abuses in that way. And, sir, here in thisAbodyv on tho prosent occasion, a resolution is oiïered threatouing Senators, even, who move investigations with fine and iuiprisonment in connoction with tho investigation about which they proposo to mak tho inquiry ! Sir, the country will uiulergtaud this. Senators may teil us they aro far invostigatiou, iu favor of exposiug aliuses, but tluiir act and thuir votes íd this body will be well uudorstood by au intolligunt pcople. C How is tho proposed inquiry now under eoueidcration met ? By tho samo allegation as was mado against the other - that this debate is to make capital against the llepublican party- the samo charge. We board it in Maroh ; wo heard it iu December ; wo if.ur it in February. Not an investigation has boeu moved, no one has proposeJ an iuquiry into existing abuses but he has boen assailod as unfaithful to party ; aad it has beeu said that tho ob3oct is : attack upon tho Bvpublioan party I I deny it. I say that the Republican party can only maintain its aecendancy, and ought only to mnintain its ascondancy, by being a party af purity, of honesty, of fidelity to tho Constitution ; and when it becomes a. mero spoils party, and is used to cover upl'pauds ana oitbonosty, it will soon receivo the cour dcmnation of an indignant people Jïoar, Mr. President, when suoh things as these are exUting uil over the country, ■when in tho public service defalcation after defalcation is occurring, is it expeeted tbat tho poople will not dom and investigation, require reform ond a higher standard oí ofliciij.1 integril y 'i Thero is aometbing wrong. Tho people dcmand a reinedy; aod wheu we propose fa) mako inquiry go ntknow how to npply tiiO rouiidy, wc are met with theory of daneer, t tbe party; "Sour investigation is detigno 1 to ttirow "mud the party," xclaims the Senator from IncSuna. Sir, 90 dirt will be thrown upon a party that ru puro by investigating its actf, but if it le impure, the soonor its garuicnts are cl innsed ly thorough invcetigation and f ..fociii the bettor.