The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1869-02-25
THE ENDOF INFAMY.
F,om, the Baltimore American.


The first signal public act of Andrew
Johnson's Presidential career was the
hanging of the assassins OF President
Lincoln, and he is about closing it with
free pardon to their COnfedOrates. His
whole career has been theatrical, COM
mencing with a bloody tragedy and
ending with broad farce. Even in the
case of Mrs. Surratt, who was recon-
mended to Executive clemency by the
commission which tried her, he insisted
upon her blood as due to outraged JUS
tice, but now imprisonment is too
heavy a punishment to those who,
equally with her, counselled, cOunte-
nanced and aided the conspirators. The
cowardly son who absconded and LETT
his mother to hang for his crime has
also been shielded from punishment by
Exc ecutive delays, and the followers OF
President Johnson, here in Baltimore,
have feted and honOred him. Every
few days we have an announcement In
the Sttn or Gazette that he has gone to
South America for his health, and we
presume bulletins as to his physi-
cal condition may be anticipa-
ted FerOcious and bloodthirsty.
as the President was at the time OF the
trials he has since become lenlent and
kind-hearted to all species of criminals
and has apparently gloated over those
committed by the Ku-Klux organiZa-
or against loyal men meet With mis-
heartfelt approval and sympathy. To
rob the mails is no longer crime wOr-
thy of punishment in his estimation:-
Counterteiters are too valuable and in
telligent class of citizens to be con-
fined within the gloomy walls OF
prison. To cheat and defraud the Gov
ernment is a virtue that meets his cor
dial sympathy. Officers who bring
such men to punishment have been
deemed toO hard hearted and cruel 10
remain in Office. Honest and cOnsct-
entious revenue officers have had Blink
leys sent OH their trails to gather up
false and perjured testimony to war
rant him in removing them, so as to
give place to those who will throw
wide open the doors of the Treasury to
the public pIunderers. And this is the
man to whom the authorities OF our
city have rendered the honor OF pub
lie reception at the close of his career
of infamy.
Throwing aside all political antagon-
ism to President johnson, we do not
see how any conscientious and homes t
man can do otherwise than scorn and
repudiate him for his persistent pardon
of public malefaCtors. His last act OF
grace has been the release of DeVelin,
distinguished whisky thief, and we
have no doubt that there will be gen
eral Jall-dellVery before the Close OF MS
term. The pardon-brokers who have
access to the Executive mansion, have
made fortunes by the sale Of these par
dons, and openly boast that no crime
is too heinous for Executive c!emency,
provided their fees are paid in advance.
Their business is only dull when the
prisoner is to poor to pay for his ran
som, though it has latterly somewhat
fallen off from the scarcity of material
to operate with. But ten days more
are left for the delinquenls to pay up
and get their passports, and we have
no doubt that q brisk business will be
done up to noon on the 4th of March.
After that day crime will meet its just
deserts.