Daily national Republican. (Washington City [D.C.]) 1870-1872, 1872-04-25

While the investigation Of the charges
against the Secretary Of tho Nay was In
progress we reiralned, for very obvious rea-
sons, from making extended comments In
criticism upon the course Of the prosecution,
the character OF the evidence adduccd, the
manifest bias Of certain member OF the com
mltteo, and the outrageous character Of tho
entire proceeding. From day to day We gave
the en.iro testimony to our readers without
note or comment except such as seemed i'm
peratively demanded. Now, however, that
II Is all over, that, on the one hand, all the
calumny aud slander and villncatiOn that II
was possible to devise and utter have been
spread upon tho record; and that, on the
other, the Secretary OF the Navy has made
the defence that Il seemed at TO him to make,
there are one or two points TO which we de-
sire 10 call attention, for the reason that they
20 TO show the motive and the anlmus Of the
whole affair.
Iu tho nrst place, 1t is very evident that
the charges against the Secretary Of the
Navy were made rs part and parcefof the
fight against the Administration. They were
intended 10 help the movement TO disrupt
the party, and II possible "beat Grant some
way" next November. There Is every reason
10 believe that tho exemplary Mr.. Trumbull,
the S,Jl's candidate for tho Presidency, was
In tho conspiracy 10 blackon and dcfamo Mr..
Roboson, and through him President Grant
II Is susceptible OF proof that Dana and
Trumbull have been In consultation In this
city; that Trumbull has been all along giving
his advice and counsel In the matter. When
Ina uauN 10 NaKU NnFE n the Ilh.
cral Republican campaign one Of the
principal portions Of his speech was re-
Iteration Of the stale ISLANDERS that had been
printed in the sun and rcfuted before the In
vcstigating committee. Mr.. Trumbull knew
very well al tho time that the prosecution
had broken down and failed TO prove Its as
sertlons. lie might have learned on the
morning of the night on which he spoke,
from the columns Of tho Tribune, q Journal
which 1t Is very safe TO assume he now reads,
whatever he might have done In 1858, when
it was opening Its batteries upon him, as un-
measured then iu Its condemnation as IL IL
now In his praise. II was in this way, how
ever, that Mr.. Trumbull repaid the Suns ad-
Vocacy OF him for the Chief Magistracy.
There were two other consplrAtors In this
effort to defame Mr.. Robeson-G Gideon welles
aud Mr.. sherwood. Il has been proven that
Wollos was in correspondence with the Sun
libelcr; that some of the slAnderous articles
which appeared In that journal were sub
nittcd 10 him before they were printed, and
that he gave them hls approval. Isherwood,
Il has been shown, played similar part He,
too, was In constant communication with
Dana, both before and during the Suns infa-
nous publications; he was 10 consultation
with him at q celebrated restaurant In this
city, he came 10 Washington on the telo-
graphic order Of the Sun editor. To use a
vulgar but expressive phrase, the job" was
put up" by the four-Dana, Trumbull,
welles and sherwood. There were others
In the plot OF lesser consequence and i'm
portancc, the Bartletts, the Woods and the
Glbsons. Trumbulls motives and aims
were obviously political; Dana's were
partly political and partly mercenary {
mere blackmailing operation; what those
of Welles and sherwood were we leave our
readers TO imagine. The two latter gentle
men were the last in the world who should
have brought accusations against anybody.
While the one was at the head OF the nayy,
and the other was at the head Of an import
ant bureau, their administration was noto-
riously suspicious. Both OF them, through
COLLISION, entalled q loss to the Govern
mcnt Of millions Of dollars. To advance pri-
vatc and selfish interests they made contracts
for nearly ten million dollars worth OF ma
chiuory, which Is now rottlng and rustlng In
our navy yards utterly yalueless except as
old brass and iron. welles, as Secretary OF
the Navy, gave contracts 10 his own brother
in-law, member Of the arm Of seyfurth, Nc
Mauus & Co., forwhich there was no authority
of law, aud In one instance boldly put his hand
into the Treasury and made him present OF
two hundred thousand dollars-tho plea be-
ing that he was entitled to extra compenSA-
tlon on account Of the rise In gold, when the
fact is, there was no rise in gold at all.
This wretched and INSCRIPTIONS conspiracy
has utterly failed. Mr.. Robeson In tho iudg-
mcnt Of the pross and the people stands
acquitted OF every charge made against him.
The persons who sought TO yilify and prove
corruption on hiS part have only succeeded
In branding themselves as unconyicted
criminals whom an impartial trial would
certainly seii TO the penitontiarles.