Democratic enquirer. [volume] (M'arthur, Vinton County, Ohio) 1867-1873, 1868-12-17
-, From the circlnnati EnQuirsr.l
Evil Days"--Important Admis-
sions.

For the last eight years we
have been controlled by Re
publican Administration, in
the Federal, most ofthe States
and in nearly all the local
governments. That party
came into power with pro-
fessions of purity upon its
lips. 1t was going to Danish
corruption, and toinaugurate
a reign Of purity in all the
departments. How well they
have succeeded is shown by
the following extract from the
New York Tribune of Mon
day week. This leading and
most bitter Radical journal
makes the following admis-
sions:
'These are truly evil days!
Crime, and fraud and speculation
are permitted with indifference
The Government seems to have fall
len into q combination of rings =
We have Railroad Ring which
has made q contract with the Gov
ernment out of which it's leaders
amass enormous fortunes. We lave
a National Bank Ring in which
we see broken banks do a nominal
business, and netting large profit
out of construction of the bank
ing law. We have Land Rings
combinations to seize upon i'm
mense tracts of territory under the
pretext Of Indian treaties, and to
take possession of them by a virtual
act Of legislative confiscation. Their
we have an Indian Ring. This is
the most terrible of all. The rail
road, and land, and whisky thieves
confne themselves to the mere ac-
quiremcnt of money by delrauding
the Treasury, but the leaders OF
the Indian Ring speculate upon the
blood of men, upon the honor of
their Government, upon rapine,
massacre murder and shame! Gen.
Sheridan is to day carrying an
army down into the heart of the
Indian country simply to protect
the white people from the results
of the rapacity and perfdy of the
Government agents.
"And 80 we gol-fraud in the
service OF the Govermont, among
men in high station, among the
agents of the revenues, Custom
house officers, excisemen, and over
all, an Administration which ap-
pears to give q tacit assent to these
manifold crimes"
We think it will be admit
ted that party whose gov
ernment is controlled by such
''rings" is utterly unfit to be
intrusted with power. The
Tribue makes a lame attempt
to hold President johnson re-
sponsible for these corrupt
ions. Even admitting that
to be true, how would that
diminish the responsibility OF
the Republican party, which
Iplaced President johnson in
power? Ifthey made a mis-
take in selecting him, is it
not altogether likely that they
will make still further mis-
takes in the selections to of
flee.
But President johnson is
not responsible for this cor
ruption. The Republican
| Congress has so trampled him
is to leave him without pow
er to prevent it. 1t (the Con-
gress) is responsible for the
laws under which the COR
Eruption occurred. 1t is re-
| ,ponsible for the retention OF
corrupt office-holders by ta-
king from the President his
constitutional power to re-
move them. In point of fact,
most Of the corruptionists are
Republicans, who are under
commissions issued by Presi-
dent Lincoln and Johnson
who voted for Grant at the
late election, and are. in all
respects, in good standing
with the Republican party.
| When the Tribune drew its
vivid picture Of corruption,
it was, in fact, looking in the
mirror and saw its own polit-
ical friends. We do not won-
der that it was shocked by
the spectacle,