The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1869-10-25
The Gold Cornering Conspirators and tn
Administration.

/
schemes, lodges and falsehoods of the gold
cornering conspirators from day to day. 1t
will be seen by our special correspondence
| from Washington, published in another part of
the paper, that the President and Secretary
Boutwell, emphatically deny the charges OF COM
| plicity with or any knowledge of the nefarious
gold operations of Corbin, Fisk, Gould and the
rest. 1t win be seen also by the official COM
munications of General Butterfeid, the Assist
ant Treasurer, to the President and Secretary,
that he stigmatizes the charges against him as
| falsehoods, and asks for a thorough investiga-
| ton. We learn, too, that the President and
Secretary, wishing to give General Butter
I field an opportunity to vindicate himself and to
wipe away any stain of suspicion from an
officer occupying such high and responsible
position, have ordered special agent of the
| department, Solicitor Barfield, to New York,
| with instructions to make full and fearless
| examination of the whole matter, so far as the
| alleged conduct of General Butterfield is con-
| cerned, and to report the facts to Secretary
| Boutwell,. So anxious is the President to
maintain the purity of the government through
| its subordinates that we are assured he will
instantly remove General Butterfeld if it
should appear on investigation that this officer
was in any way, however remotely, connected
| with the gold ring or mixed up with specula-
| tions. Here then, we have reached point,
as far as the administration is concerned,
which will satisfy the public, and shall soon
/ g., 4,
against its subordinate officer, Assistant
Treasurer Butterfeld.
The authorized statement we publish to-day
ought to put stop to the attacks and malicious
innuendoes of the party and opera 6oufe press
against the President and his family. OF
course we do not include in the family Of
| General Grant that arch schemer Corbin, who
| happened to marry the sistefbf the President
But it is doubtful if the emphatic language of
the Chief Magistrate of the republic, or if even
a voice from heaven, could stop the atrocious
calumnies and innuendoes. However, such
attacks can only injure those who make them.
The public will be perfectly satisfied with this
statement of the President, and will have more
confidence than ever in his integrity and
exalted character. We have said all along
there was no foundation for the charges
against the President While these charges
were being made by hostile partisan and
sensation press against him; while the gold
conspirators and their lawyers and agents
were making damaging statements and affida-
Wits against him and his family, and when
some of the chief conspirators approached us
with their accusations, we said there was no
evidence, that we did not believe word about
the Presidents completely, and that we had
too exalted an opinion of the honor and
| character of General Grant to credit such
| assertions. We have no doubt the mass of
the people, as far as they could understand
the matter, held the same opinion. Now
there can be no longer any question, even with
the enemies of the administration, as to the
conduct of the President.
Looking back to the gold ring operation
with its terrible consequences and the scand al
that resulted from it, we must give Corbin the
unenviable credit of being the Mephis
topheles of the consprators. Fisk and
Gould were holder, took loftier fight and
had larger aims They were bold specula-
tors, and gloried in proclaiming that. But
Corbin acted under disguise, assumed a
character and position that did not belong to
him, and clothed himself with a false robe tc
accomplish his purpose. How long the con-
spiracy had been Matching before the d<aloue
naent in Wall street we do not know yet
but, Judging from the magnitude of the
scheme and the efforts of Fisk Gould and
Corbin to appear on intimate terms with the
President during the summer, it was con-
certed probably as far back as the spring
Neither General Grant nor the public hat
any idea of what these special attentions or
board Fisk's steamboat, on the railroad cars
at Corbin's house and elsewhere meant
Neither the President nor any one else outsid,
Of the ring knew what was the object of thu
conversations forced upon the President by
these men about the national finances anc
Treasury gold, though General Grant had Tho
sagacity to decline answering when direc
question was put to him about the operation!
of the Treasury Department. But it seem
clear now that the gold ring conspirator
e we're at work then for the gigantic objec
, they had in view.
As to Corbn when we look at his antece
dents, it would not he surprising If he hal
A begun to concoct some such scheme Ion
o before Gould or Fisk did. He wa
y an old Washington lobby man. Twent
: years ago he graduated in that hot
!. bed of corruption. He went from S,
Louis under the wing of Benton, whe
' that distinguished man was in the Unite
u States Senate. This connection was broke
up afterwards, but Corbin stuck to the purlieu
n of Congress. He found that was the field fo
g his talents He succeeded in getting the posi-
1x ! - Il L. 4 IL Il. III