Public ledger. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1865-1893, 1872-02-22


Postmaster General CreswelI Sem.
Protesting the Great baltimore G
Frauds. Fe" IN1At fNfiitl
From the New York SUM- v.n.u
The letter of our Washington CORE.
spondent relating to the operations OF
the celebrated Baltimore whisky ring,
which appears in another column, con.
tains startling revelations of corruption
in which some of the highest officers Of
the administration are implicated. The
facts given in this communication are
commended to the consideration OF, those
who have any doubts remaining as to
the corrupt and mercenary character Of
the influences which have exerted the
greatest power at Washington since the
Presidential chair has been occupied by
man who signalized his entry into au-
thority by providing for all his worthless
relations at the public expense, and be-
slowing the most important offices at
his disposal on persons who had made
him gifts of houses or money.
II viii be seen from the disclosures
made by our correspondent that detec-
tive, having secured evidence showing
that the United States was being defraud-
ed by Ring acting in collusion with
the Supervisor of Internal Revenue in
Baltimore, the Supervisor having been o
defaulting agent of the Associated Press
previous to his appointment by Grant,
applied to the Secretary of the Treas
ury for authority to institute proceed
ings against the active members of this
Ring. There is nothing very surprising
in this, for instances Of collusion be-
tween revenue officers and persons en-
gagged in swindling the government
have only been too frequent of late.
But it is astonishing to find that the ope-
ratiens of this whisky Ring were sustain
ed by such powerful influence that the
Secretary of the Treasury in asking
authority from Congress to make an
agreement with the informer felt obliged
to disguise the purpose of his request,
lest the effort to bring the swindlers to
Justice should be defeated by their con-
federates in the United States senate
and in the cabinet.
1t is still more astonishing to find that
a joint resolution, introduced at the re-
quest of Secretary Boutwell, for the pur-
pose of enabling him to secure great
sums of money due the government,
which had been favorably reported on
by the judiciary committee of the house
and the finance committee of the senate,
should suddenly be arrested in its pro
gress, when it was discovered that its
effect would be to end and punish fla.
grant frauds upon the treasury; and
that the interposition of senator's, a
member of the cabinet and of the Pres
ident himself should have been brought
to bear upon our national legislators for
the protection of men who were cheat
ing the government, and to preveRt the
secretary of the treasury from recover
ing money of which the United States
had been defrauded. N cJ kl
The impunity with which certain dis
tillers in Baltimore have been allowed to
defraud the government has long been
notorious, and the gains of the ring have
been computed at millions of dollars.
The wonder which such state Of affairs
would naturally excite ceases, however,
Postmaster-General j. A. j. Cresswell
writing to the counsel of one of the con-
spirators to rob the treasury, authorizing
him to tell the other members of the
ring, whom he designates as our
friends" that he has thrown his personal
and political influence against meas
ure intended to protect the treasury from
their dishonest purposes, and that he
no danger in defeating it.
When senators and cabinet ministers
combine with illicit distillers to plumber
the Government, and bring the influence
of an executive who thinks the aequisi-
ton of wealth the highest aim OF human
ambition to support their designs, it is
evident that the most strenuous endeav.
ors of the secretary of the treasury to
circumvent their schemes, however clev-
erly he may guard them from public OBJ
servation, can only result in failure.
The charges made by our correspond
ent are nerther vague nor general. They
are specific in their nature, and they
name some of the most distinguished of
Presidents Grants confidential advis-
ers as guilty of base, vulgar corruption.
Moreover, th e circumstances connected
with the case, are such as to give strong
color to the suspicion that the Presi-
dent must have been a willing accesso-
ry to their schemes, whether he profited
by the success which his in
1uence helped to secure for them or not.
The facts given are susceptible of the
fullest proof, and they, with others even
more startling; which are to follow, are
submitted to the public as forcible
illustration of the sort of official moral
ity which has pervaded the administra-
ton of the United States government
since the election of President Grant
We trust the advocates of his renomi-
nation will enjoy this picture, as well
as the others of similar kind which we
shall bring forward without delay.