The New York herald., 1869-03-24
The whiskey Ring .s National Lssis-

The Whiskcy Ring a National Lesis-
By turns we find every man in the United
States Senate who is at all noteworthy for
ability or breadth of view on national questions
''ruled out" as the phraseis is. Seven men, the
country remembers, were in minority on the
great question of impeachment, and, though
they were men of probity and sound judgment,
they were bitterly assailed for venturing to
differ with the power that was in the majority.
On the question now up we see repetition OF
the disgraceful fact. The. debate on the
Tenure Of Office law has shown that some OF
the strongest men in the Senate are in favor
Of repeal. Here are Morton and Sherman,
two men with more force in them than an ave-
rage twenty of their ''fellows" (not counting
Corbett, who is not fellow, boldly advocat-
ing the repeal. and behold there is desire to
send them to the same limbo to which it was
proposed to send Fessenden and Grimes.
Now, what is that power in the Senate that is
offended and is strong enough to threaten
vengeance when it cannot control the voice
of the real intellectual leaders in that body?
Is 1t the republican party? What would
there be left of the republican party If it were
put on one side, and on the other were put all
the men who opposed impeachment and those
who are now for the repeal Of the Civil Tenure
bill? No, it is not party; it is the whiskey
ring. Morton is right in saying that the
caucus of Monday night was an attempt to
coerce by party machinery" but it is the
whiskey ring that puts the machinery In
motion. If you fancy such creature as
Conkling leading the drill that rules out Morton
and Sherman on any ground Of principle or
craftsmanship yon will have before you very
ridiculous image; but If you fancy him doing
the same thing in the interests of the whiskey
ring the thing appears at once much more req
sonable; for, viewing things from the standpoint
Of the ring, principles and statesmanship are not
Seen, and Conkiihg may be the equal Of any
body. Plumber being the object, and votes,
not arguments the means, the fellow who can
say aye when the question is called may be the
| peer of the best intellect of the earth. Nay,
the little man is the greater in these cases for
exactly as man has less intellectual scope he is
frmer in the faith that to ''put money in your
purse" is the whole end and aim of life.
Here, then, is food for thought, in the fact
that the whiskey ring, or the ring pure and
simple as an institution, whatever be the basis
of plunder, is assuming to itself the govern
ment of this country. People suppose that
they, divided on points of principle, send
Senators and Representatives to uphold their
respective views in the law; but it is not so.
The simple truth is that when the people
suppose they elect Senator the whiskey
ring designate an agent; and this agent,
supposititiously Senator, goes to Washington
to do the bidding, not of the people, but of
the ring. Having gone thus far in this
career, whirling on in it as we are hour by
hour, where will we stop? We are on
broad gauge of corruption here with our
municipal rings and our Erie rings, and con-
be; but this is little to the proportions corrup-
| ton assumes on a national scale. With the
ring principle taking the place Of everything
else in the government, with our vast ma
chinery completely in the hands Of men who
sink all differences of principle in their agree
ment to secure the plumber, what must be the
| fate Of our cherished unity and freedom?
THE SITUATION IN MEXICO. BY special cor
| respondence from Mexico, dated in Monterey
| on the 2Sth Of February, we are informed that
the entire country was wrapt in flame Of
revolutionary agitation. The people were dis
gusted with and sick Of Ne Cabinet plumbers