The Grand Haven news. [volume] (Grand Haven, Mich.) 1858-18??, 1864-03-09
REFRESHING TALK IN A REPUB4
LICAN JOURNAL.

The Springfield Repupttcdn, though an
earnest abolition sheet, has way of tell
ing the truth that evinces political sagac-
ity, if not ingram honesty. We make
the following extract from a recent arti-
Gle:
The attempt of some of the admins
tration papers TO deny, cover up and ex-
cusc the recently discovered frauds upon
the government is monstrous. 1t is as
absurd as it is wicked. If this false pol
icy is to prevail in the party it will bring
upon itself utter and disgraceful defeat
Ii does not require more than ordinary
sagacity to see this, and yet more than
half the republican papers we open are en-
gagged in the suicidal work, and seem TO
think that they thus prove their loyalty to
party. Indeed, many of them talk as If
il were work of patriotism to shield the
knaves who are plundering the national
treasury. Some of the poor fools go so
far rs 10 accuse ofsympathy with the reb-
els all who are houest enough to tell the
truth about these matters, and do not see
that they are putting into the hands OF
the enemy their most effective weapons
against the administration and its support
ers.
There has been painful illustration
Of this evil in the treatment of the lately
exposed vilainies in the New York Gus
tom House by the press Of that CITY,
The administration papers have professod
to desire an investigation, but have been
so chary of the facts already discovered
and so mild spoken as to their genera
character, that one would suppose they
were mere ordinary cases of stealing as
was likely to happen to an institution like
the New York Custom House at any
time. Yet the fact is, if there is anything
Mt all in the late discoveries, that some
Of the Custom House officials have beer
engaged in gigantic system of treasona
bic aid and comfort to she enemy, 10y
which they have received millions of dol
lars worth of articles essential to their ar
my, and without which their militar.
power must have been much more easil!
broken. This is treason IN deed and truth
as much more helpful then the mere ug
ly talk ofthe CopperheadS, as the stron.
arm of the voluateer as more helpful &
| the right side than tile gable Of tie pa
triot spouter. And this style of treaso
the mere partisans arc SO stupid as t
think can cover up and cxtenuato. AM
that thereby they are acting a friendl.
part toward the administration. The.
are its worst enemies, unwittingly perhaps
Instead of spiking the enemies guns
they are supplying him with ammuuitio
and showing him the weak points, tha
he may assail with the best effect.
1t does not begin to palliato the tres
son in the New York Custom House {
say that il always has been corrupt hol
and there has been gross plumber thcr
under previous administrations. On
theft does not excuse another, and beside
this is worse than theft; it is treason I
the most mischievous type. 1t is ver
poor apology for the Treasury Depar
ment and Collector Barney TO say tha
they have been hunting for rogues in Il
Custom House over year-apd yet th
immense transportation of contraban
goods to the enemy has been going on f
some time under their very noses, an
their subalterns have grown rich vii
, bribes to protect the reasonable trade
! If there has been vigilence it has evden
D ly not reached that department where
D was most needed, and the william was d
tected and exposed at last not by the of
cials whose duty it was to watch for