The spirit of democracy. [volume] (Woodsfield, Ohio) 1844-1994, 1872-08-06

ment itself, was still in operation, and
that the person most benefited by it was
one Of the tavorites of the President,
and, having acquired this source of un-
| righteous gain on the strength of a gen
erai introduction written by the Presi-
dent himself, maintained his position
with a mysterious power and most sin
gular success against all efforts TO cor
rect the evil All this the testimony
made clear. Well,what was to be done :?
The committee made its report which is
before the country. 1t is wonderful
performance. That there were bribery
and thieving could scarcely be denied
Bribery and thieving were bad; but
bribery and thieving had always existed,
and now there was nobody in particular
to blame for it That the Custom House
had been controlled by political infu-
ence, and had made Itself felt in politics,
could not well be denied But it had al
ways been so, and besides, why should
not officers take part in politics Thus
the transformation Of the Custom House
into political machine was right after
all, and nobody to blame. And as for
the scandals of the general order busi.
ness. some little irregularities may have
occurred, but the enemies Of the Admin
istration and the Republican party have
been basely slandering the innocent per-
sons involved. and. on the whole nobody
to blame This is virtuous Admins
tration, and there is the end of it. And
all this in the very face of the most con
elusive testimony. And Leet and Stock
ling, the favored parties, are, with some
notifications of the system, in the gen
eral order business to day
An investigation was demanded of the
sale of arms to the French agents during
the French German war. Again the men
who advocated the inquiry were held u2|
rs traitors to the Republican party, as
enemies Of their country, and as mon
stersrof wickedness generally. gain,
not one Of those who denounced the
scandal was appointed member of the
committee. The inquiry
was made. The testimony showed in
the clearest manner that the laws Of the
country regulating such sales had been
Systematically trampled under foot that,
in direct violation of the orders of the
War Department, prominent officers had
indulged in direct transactions with well
known French agents, and that under
the very eyes of the Department large
quantities of arms had been delivered to
such agents after they had 1een discov-
cred, an act recklessly endangering the
international standing of the govern
ment All this was proven SO clearly
that no sensible man could doubt it =
And what does the committee report
The officers of the War Department con-
strued the law for themselves, and they
knew best what was for the public inter-
est, and as to their direct transactions
with the French agents they had right
to Go what they did do, and nobody to
blame And in order to make so pleas
ant conclusion possible we are told
that laws may be yiolatcd,i if in the opiu-
ion of the officer the violation is more
profitable than the observance and doc
trine of International law is set up, which.
if applied to our Alabama claims, would
throw US out of court amid the laugh
ter of the universe But at any cost the
Administration must be protected.
Certain charges were made against the
Secretary of the Navy. An investiga,
ton is ordered, 1t is clearly proven
that he.paid out q large sum of money
in direct violation of the express Ian
guage of statute, But what is the re:
port of, the committee He may have
reasonably thought the claimant equita
bly, entitled to the money and construed
the law for himself accordingly. No
body to blame, and the administration is
viPtuous. Certain Government officers
at New Orleans, one of whom at least is
near to the heart of the President, are
charged with scandalous abuse of Off
cial power in interfering with the politics
of the State and other rascality. An in.
vestigation is had. Fragments of the
testimony only have reached the public,
making it certain that the inquiry is ter
ribly damaging to those officers and the
Administration. And what does the
Committee do?, 1t does ot.report at
all, trying 20 convince the people that
nobody is toehlame, by burying the truth
in secrecy. The same policy is followed
with regard to the inquiry into the dis
appearance of important official docu-
ments from the War Department. | ven
ture to say that the reports of neither of
these two investigations will see the light
before the Presidential election. TheI
people must restrain their curiosity, and
rest meanwhile in the belief that there is
nobody to blame. ,s,,
- And now what does all this signify 7
What does it mean that when the abuses
of the Government or the shortcomings
of the Administration come into ques-
tion, systematic whitewashing is cultiva.
ted as one of the fine arts, nay, as par
ty duty? What does it mean that the
President can ever SO fagrantly trans.
gress his constitutional powers,as he did
when ordering the navy to protect the
ruler of San Domingo by force of arms
against any foreign assailant, and even
against his own subjects that the Presi-
dent may ever SO wilfully violate the laws
of the land and the commands of the
public decency that the officers of the
Administration may do things ever so
arbitrary and mischievous that the pub
lie service may show ever so many evil
dences of corruption,and abuses ever so
gross, and that then independent crti-
cism is silenced with the charge of party
treason, and every resource of ingenuity
is exhausted on the floor of Congress, as
well as by the party press, to justify the
wrongs committed, to protect the guilty
parties, to- conceal the truth, aud to
throw dust into the eyes of the people
What does il mean that you can see even
men of high public stations, who might
be presumed to respect themselves, open
y before the people defend the scandals
of Presidential nepotism, and the devo-
ton to high and responsible officers of
present makers, things so dsgraceful in