Rapides gazette. (Alexandria, La.) 1869-187?, 1872-02-17
TRACKED DOWN.

We suppose that many OF our read'
era are aware Of the fact, that there In
at this, or was very htely, another
Congressional COMMITTEES invcstiga-
ton going on IN New York, the North
err Head Centre ef coeraptiosl, ~ New
Orleans has bern designated the
Southern one. THIS coInnlittee We re-
fer 10 is q senatorial one, and was
raised to investigate abuses and COR
rnptious charged to prevail in the adj
ministIation of affairs, in the Custom
House Of that city, or smooth them
over ~ turmed out to BE the most ex
pcdient and advisable to the commit
tee composed Of course Of a majority
OF ENTHUSIASTICALLY to the aanisistra-
ton.
The Spirit of the Times, or Anseri
can Gentlemen's Newspaper, is not a
publication generally considered as a
political one, but that the editor,
George Wilkes, ESQ.,, weld a tren-
chant pen in political, n well as spor'.
ing matters, no one who reads an edi
<orial uxder the above heading, Of the
18th, ult, will BE- disposed to deny,
We copy the opening paragraph:
We have net chosen 70 devote much
time to the personal operations Ut the
President and his military staf. in the
way of money making, feeling satisfied
that the mere fact Of all OF them hav-
ing grown very rich out OF three years
OF Office, would have more effect upO'
the public mind, than any amount Of
unfavorable details. There Is one
case, however, now in course of de-
vel0pment, which no journal not un-
der vassaiage to the administration
can afford to overlook, without dis
tinct abandonment Of public duty-a
case which is sharply challenging the
attention of the country, and whit h,
from present appearances, Is likely to
exercise "A decisive influence over the
next Presidential campaign. We al
Iusle, of course, to the Custom House
investigation, now pending before a
Senatorial committee, holding its ses.
sions in this city.
Three years is q short period OF time
for public officers, under limited sala
ries, to spring from comparative pow
erty to wealth. Yet such is the case
with General Porter, General Babcock
and General Dent, the favored mem
beers OF the Presidents military staff
and such 10 most notably the case will
General Grant himself. Everything
which these military gentlemen toucl
seems to turn to profit. They have
houses and lands, horses and cattle
costly country residences, and tat bank
accounts; at least this il the case with
General Horace Porter; while the
President has SO spread with increase
since the day Of his inauguration, that
his present property has been estima
ted at nearly million of dollars. On,
item of this is Il stock-fiirn near st
Louis valued at two hundred aud fifty
thousand dollars, which, being ad.le,
to his costly gift residences and pre-
sumed interest in certain sleculAtiOns
such as the Seneca Sandstone Comla
ms, c1cs far to establish the above M
a not extravagant estimation. We Il,
not distinctly charge that any of thil
property has been corr,lptiy acquires
by the President. hut the mode of it
requirement establishes a prpsuInp
,i0n that he is very fond of money
land that he is likewise very fond -
making money for his military pets
4 These presumptions are pertinent Il
the case before us, and they are al
missible, because they furnish an ade
quate motive for some very str.Ig
performances. They the pertinent
moreover. because they show tina
General Grant lin having acquired
deal Of this property through gifts ali,
much Of it in exchange for ffices) ha
a greed for money which largely over
tops bis sense of delic.icy, and lead
him, we fear to regard many of tn
seopFeslati0Rs Of hiss favOrites as Lawful
lperquisites, rather than criminal exa,
tons. The gerry fact Of his establish
ing ascostly military staG. in connee
! ton with the civil office of Presislen
Of the Unlted States, is . proof no,
arbltraiily he reasons on some avn
ward sahjects.
1t appears from the testimony d
ready taken by the Senatorial Con
l mites, that the military staff Of Gen
eral Grant had discovered, even prev
|-sus to his inauguration, that there wa
= source of vast profit attached to Il,
New York Custom House, in the shap
Of the carting aud storing Of commel
cial packages, between incoming ship
| and warehouses chosen for the tcmp(
Isrsry tepsait # such PACKAGE
! Thr0sgh the monopoly OF this cartag,
land = heavy additional charge upo
every package, large and small, fd
warehouHhg, this exaction upon tn
Il vuerca ,,fila cOsnmupitv. and inflirectl