The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1872-01-06
washed and Fumigated

exhausted all the wit he could borrow from
neighboring slums and to have exhaled his
own native nastiness to degree approaching
exhaustion; for this week he actually seems
to have washed himself up, fumigated his
carcass, and made an honest effort to come
down to business" The effort is COM
mendaole one, though resulting in a lament
able failure. BY way of beginning he begs
to remind US of an "lssue' between us, which
Is presented in the shape of conundrum,
thus: Why is it that the FREE TRADER
was never known to condemn, in single in.
stance, democratic thieves or thicveryl"
The " issua!' reminds us of a similar one
once presented to DR.. Fran kiln, "Why water
was not increased in bulk by putting fish in
to it 2" Franklin, with his usual shrewdness.
suggested that before trying to answer the
conundrum they had better ascertain whether
such was the fact, and on investigation the
"issue' was found to be based upon false
premises. The FREE TRADER has never failed
to condemn Official thieves, whether demo-
Gratis or radicals.
Then passing over, as unworthy of notice,
little theverles among republican officials
amounting to about S250,OOO, 900, to which
we had called the attention of the RepuJiicaa.
the editor proceeds in an attempt to disprove.
explain away and apologize for the four
or five petty theveres to which we called his
| attention last week.. First, the 5000 900
acres land steal by the Kansas e. Missouri r
X. Co, which Browning and Cox kicked out
as an impudent fraud, but which Delano al
lowed, the editor pooh-poohs as a mere ques
tlon OF law! OF course Browning and Cox
didn't understand the law, while Delano did.
To honest men such an excuse looks thin. es.
pecial,y IN considering the character of all the
parties involved. But as this subsidy bust
ness involves a good many other steals
which congress itself has always denounced
and disowned, but which the "departmentsr
have put through in spite of congress,
we beg to ask the Republican's explana-
ton, now that the editor has washed
himself, to another transaction in that catego
Louis Democrat of the 25th inst, yery loyal
paper, whose editor, like him of the Republ-
can, wears the Grant collar The article IS
too long to copy, but the substance is that the
Atchlson Branch of the Union Pacific Railroad
made claim few months ago for about
SS'OooooO more subsidy than any honest con-
struction of the law Of congress allowed them.
and Delano and Boutwell, submitted the mat.
ter to Attorney General Alderman for an
"opinion." Mr.. AS opinion was decidedly
adverse, whereupon Mr. A. suddenly finds his
seat in the cabinet breaking Gown and Will
| Jams, OF Oregon, stakeholder in the road,
installed in his place. "Six Or eight millions ~
These are precisely Boss Tweeds figures.
We submit to the Republican that, coming as
this does from radical sources, 1t looks de-
cdely suspicious. Has it not occurred to the
editor that "legal decisions worth "six or
eight millions may occasionally be bought
The next steal the Repuz,mn essays to ex-
plain away is that of Horace Porter, Grants
private secretary, Of one-fourth of the "gen.
eral order swindlings of the New York Gus.
tom House. The Republican thinks 1T were
better to awaitthe report of the senate investl.
eating committee to see whether there NAV not
be some mistake about it. We confess we don't
pin any very enlarged hopes on the investigation
OF that COMMITTEE. Its principal radical member
is Harlan 1t Iowa, who, while Secretary of the
Interior under Lincoln, bought wheat for the
Indians in Iowa at $3.50 bushel, corn at s775,
and, generally speaking, has a steal of about
$4,000 himself to answer for. Another member
is Cole, OF Califsrnis, who is heavily involved in
| the San Domingo job. We say we lack conf.
dence in the work Of this committee in the way
OF unearthing the steals Of the presidents rela.
| tives and PETS seeing all its members wear the
Grant collar, and the principal ones are ,ars,ceps
! er'msne' Why wasn't Trumbull, or shurz, or
some such msa put upon the committee?
Pros'er, the Tennessee radical congressman,
who engineered fraudulent pension claim, thro'
Congress. tho Republican regards as entirely too
small thief to spend time over, and thinks the
democrats should do him justice, which they
most gladly would, no doubt, bat for the radical
majority in Congress to prevent 1t.
The "coinoidonce" OF Russell Jones having
conveyed to Grant a tract Of land near Chicago.
worth $4,000, for one dollar on the same dav
that said Russell Jones received from Grant tho
appointment Of Minister to Belgium, the Repu,.
lean admits would look bad il it were true. Tn.
happily 1t is but too true, as not only the New