The Van Buren press., 1870-05-31
'NO49

rF- The editor Of of tsshfe I,eavsnworth
Kansas Commercial, on the stand. and a.
he is loyal and true blue Is . good Wit
ness. ave- ~ - ~
WmrEwAsHER McDos D.-Tbe pre-
iiction OF the Commercial regarding the
Investigations being had into the revenue
accounts of John Speer is already par
TALLY fulfilled. Kansas has been taken
from the District over which Col. Mari
had control as Supervisor OF Internal
Revenue, and attached TO the District
over which one by tho name Of MELON
aid has of late presided. This Of course
is the work of Sidney Clarke, assisted by
the corrupt Van Buren,, OF Missouri, and
means simply that the John Speer defal-
cation shall II possible be put aside for
the present.. and all connected with it
speedily q vkitewashed" "a 4at
And for this work Sidney Clarke has
evidently selected m accotnplisl1ed tool.
Mcdonald Ii unqucstion ably WI \ n IA
sorts OF rascality. His record ~ years
past is that Ola gambler, q" biackmailer."
a cclluder with persons to defraud the
Government During the war he is re.
puted to have made quarter ofa million
Of dollars while acting as Provost Mar
shal of Memphis, by colIusion with rebels
in cotton speculation, which he subse-
quently frittered away in gambling and
on fast women. Later he figured in the
whisky and other rings in st. Louis, and
in other places. His character in this re.
spect was so.notorious, as to attract at
once the attention ofrevenue officials AMI
he public men bclierally Of Missouri. II
is only few months since the public men
Of ST. Louis, headed by Senator Drake,
protested against placing Missouri within
McDonalds district, and giving as rea.
son that all the rings that had formerly
been broken up, would under him be re-
organized. Tney knew him Of obi, and
knew him to be devoid ofall honesty.
And this il the kind Of a man to DO
brought to Kansas TO cover mp the $780,.
600 defalcation OF Sidney Clarkc's friend.
A man declared BY Senator Drake to be
dishonest A man declared by Congress
man Finklenburg to be dishonest A
man declared by District Attorney Noble
to be dishonest. A man declared by U.
s Marshal Newcombc, OF st. Louis tcbc
dishonest A man against whose sp-
pointment even Van Horn once protested
on the ground that his presence in Mis-
souri, as Supervisor Of Internal Revenue
would greatly prejudice the interest Of
the government I 500
1t is unfortunate for Kansas to be pla.
ccd under the control of siich man.
Are we never to get from under the con-
troll of thieves ? Were Speer innocent 1t
would bc unfortunate for him, a. NO one
can possibly put faith IN any report ar
investigation that McDonaldwould make.
But the change, we believe, has come
too late to fully effect the object intended.
Col Mari has bccn pushing the investi.
CATION with such yigor ms to be nearly, II
not quits, ready to make a. aldotailetlre
port bearing on the crilninality of John
Speer and his deputies. just what that
report will be, we, of course, do not know.
That it will be extremely damaging to
Mr.. Speer. we are firmly convinced. Pos.
sibly the department at Washington may
attempt to hide such . report away,
though we trust steps may be taken to
give il to the country. The people Of
Kansas have right to know. In full, the
result Of the resentinvcstigation. They
will feel no interest in d whitewasliing re.
port by Mcdonald. Leouss1ortA Com.
merciai. 'ig M alo aa] @aaasisi