The weekly Arizona miner., 1873-07-12
The Freedmen's Friend,
Lr.nln lh. san Fnnel,co r1n.aLs,t. ]


 to grief with bis pet Freedmen's Bureau, 1t will be no source of sorrow Co our heart. The startling statements inst made Of the rascail ties connected with the administration oi this negro educational abortion, are nothing very new, except in the particular that they are now made public by the Government About two years ago, Fernando wood, oi New York. presented in most specific form and in scathiny terms similar charges against Howard and his discharge ot the trust i'm posed upop him in caring for the "wards of the nation" Mr. Wood supported his charges in several speeches, and promised abundant evidence to maintain them So strong was the urima flcie case made against "the Chris tian Generar that, although the assault was made by Democrat. the Radical House was forced to take notice of it and a committee was appointed to investigate; but of course the result was as might have been expected, and Howard was relieved for the time of criminal or fraudulent aspersicn. He was then packed off to Arizona to deal with the fiendish Apaches in truly Christian man ner, and on his way thither he stopped at various places to offer up prayers and sing psalms and show off bis piety generally. So with Cacbise be exhorted a while and prayed and wrestled with the red devil until he was deluded with the notion that he had literally knocked the diaboiical spirit out of him. Then he went back to Washington, praying as usual on his way, and reported that he had thoroughly pacfed the savage and settled the vexatous Apache problem. We all know how General Crooks tactics had to be invok ed at last, to rectfy the stupid peace blunder- ings of Colyer and Howard.
 We have but little faith in an active and honest prosecution of the charges of malver- 'l.- previous affair had the same grounds furn- ished by Mir Wood to proceed upon, but it was shortly before election and political ex- agencies forbade the official disclosure of the real facts and the punishment of the guilty parties. It is barely possible, now that no general election is near at hand, that the truth may come out fully and somebody re- ceive a mOdicum of punishment; some sub ordinate scapegoat may be found to bear the brunt of criminality and penalty but it is most probable that the valiant Oliver O. will be allowed to "explain" his entire innocence of participation or connivance in fraud on the Government or misuse of public funds. We remember that the plain-spoken Fernando Wood openly charged and pretty clearly es- tablished that the moneys appropriated for the uses and trusts of the Freedmen's Bu- reau were diverted to the building and fur nshing of private editces for Gen. Howard and the endowment of a negro private col lege called in hts honor the Howard Univer sity. It was shown, too, that many other abuses were committed Tn connection with the Bureau and a savings bank run by th, same astute phlanthropst and honest gov ernmental agent. The whole scheme of th, Freedmen's has been from the start farc' and fraud concocted for the emolument O Howard and others like him, who trade oi their philanthropy and ardent love of tn tawny race, and who make . cloak of thei Christianity to further every nefarious projec that can be conceived in brains prolific of dis honest aud hypocritical schemes. This sam, Howard was known during the war as "th n6'was wont to light great deal, ssIthoagl occasionally given to a slight ebullition c profanity, said that "Howard was d. sight more given to praying than to igh, ing" Preying, as we'll as praying, seems t be his strong suit.
 We would not be understood as castin any slur upon the pious people. in our sever condemnation of such men as Howard. Tru piety, which is the sign of true virtue, is to, rare an element of the character of our pub lie servants and army and navy officials to b scoffed at or ridiculed. We would that nor of them were possessed of the essential grace ui uhu tue moral COurag to stand out as exemplars of truly Chris tian life. The tendency the other way very general and very deplorable, in our es tmation. It cannot but be injurious C the tone and status of public men and off cers of our army and navy when they becom siax in their ideas of religion and morality anc irregular in their habits, as too many of then unfortunately and undenably are, and it de moralizes the whole civil, military and maya service. Therefore, the cultivation of habit of real piety and the practice and possession of true virtue are to be commended as of tn highest consequence in the line of thei official duty to all connected with the pubi service. But when a man of the HOwart stamp is observed to put his professions c moral goodness to such base uses. it is n wonder that religion is at 6 serious discoun among army officers and soldiers. It is en tirely illogical, of course; but these men 0 the sword and musket are not severely logi cal in those matters; and they are very ap to think all Christian soldiers are hypocrite and frauds, and the fear of being considere, such dampens any aspiration they may have In the army such man as Howard and il the civil service such men as Colfax, Pomerol and Patterson, have done infinite mischief t the cause of true Christianity as we'll as in ficted lasting stigma upon the genera reputation of public men. If Howard ca be sent adrift to mourn with the Credi Mobiliers it will be some consolation, even he receive no other desert such as is hi proper due.
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