Wilmington journal. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1844-1895, 1872-04-12
The Paradise OF Thieves.

1t would perhaps be too broad an aSSer-
tion to say that Republicanisn and thiev-
ing are synonymous. There are doubtless
be denied that the prominent characteris-
tic of our day and country is the disregard
of the majority of public men for the re-
quirements of honesty. Every newspaper
that we open contains the announcement
OF some new defalcations, and as a general
rule, it may be asserted that amodern office
holder is a thief, present, past or future,
and that if, for wonder, he does not rob the
government, it is because he finds it more
profitable, as well as safer, to black-mail
frauds and peculatiOns which have already
come to light in every department Of the
government, and in nearly every State and
city where the Radical party has been in
the ascendant, we have now all announce
ment of the discovery of an organized
scheme of plunder carried out successfully
by government officials, to the tune of
$160,000,0O0. This subject, first ventilated
by the Herald, strong administration
supporter, is causing stir in the New \ Ork
press. These gigantic frauds are charged
upon Mr.. Johnson's Administration-but
Mr.. johnson was Radical and renegade
S0utherner-a scalawag Ofthe deepest dye.
Mr.. johnson is the man who hung Mrs.
Surratt to pander to popular clamor, and
his sins are those Of the Radical party,
although they threw him overheard at the
last, because lie had less contracted views
of national policy than they had.
We say that it may be asserted that the
great majority ofpublic men and officials
at the present day are thieves i'll one way
or another. There is not a truthful and
impartial resident of Washington who will
not bear witness to the existence of the
universal system of bribery that prevails
there, and the innumerable jobs that are
manipulated through the purchased influ-
ence of the members of Congress. To what
else does the lobby owe its eXiStence-and
is not the lobby a recognized power, third
house Of Congress, frequently more power
full than the other two? Is it not we'll
known fact that every claim to be pushed
before Congress pays heavy toll IN ad-
vance? a bill is to be presented, Tor cX-
ample, torthe rcfunding of some iniquitous
tax unconstitutionally levied upon the peo-
pie of the South. The only chance for its
adoption is to put it i'll the hands Of Skillfu
| manipulators-'' lobby members who al
| once set to work buying votes. Ii the
amount involved is one million, a quarter
or one half of it, or perhaps even more, l.
spent in purchasing votes, and those t.
whom the money should have been re
! funded, are but too glad to receive frac
| ton of it as an unexpected salvage from
| the wreck.
Look at the railroad grants, the lant
grabs, the wasteful appropriations OF al
kinds. and all made upon the same system
! The Hon Mr.. a. and Mr.. &. and Mr.. G
receive shares or land scrip or greenback
| for their support and their votes, and thu
there is TO scheme, however iniquitous, tina
cannot be worked through Congress, pro
vided money be lavishly distributed.
| guished the FOrty-second Congress are th
Bay Field and St. CroiX bill, the Goa
Island grant and the Pacific subsidy. Thes
have, it is true, received hitherto the coli
shoulder in the House, whose member
were perhaps too numerous to bribe but
saws the Herald, " the Senate has set it
face like flint in favor of the evils whicl
have been crushed in the House. 1t ma
still perpetrate the crimes which the Hous
refused to commit. 1t is a body full {
weak but wicked men. 1t is filled Wit
men of doubtful character and without re
putation.'
These facts explain the wonderful mys
terry of sudden fortunes. How man
truly Ioil" Congressman and official
have sprung suddenly from impecuniost
to opulence upon salary insufficient t
defray half of their annual expenses. Rea
ly, when we think of the immense frauds
Jobs, defllcations, briberieS and pecu
lations which have been perpetrate
over the entire country, and Of tn
impunity which has followed them, we ma
we'll come to the conclusion that this Ian
is now, par excellence, the paradise {
thieves, and that the great screaming, bal
headed eagle, which gets its living by rob
bing and plundering the hard-workin
fish-hawk, is indeed fitting and appro
pirate emblem of the Great Republic.