The daily Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1873-1877, 1874-11-24
Ghe Daily Atens.
PoIand's Confession.

III uCiSuuluS luc guy law Vi tuS 500. Scs
sion, Mr.. Frclinghuysen, who reported and
carried it through the Senate, as well as
other friends of the Administration, en-
deavored to excuse their gross partisan
ship by claiming that it was only intended
to supply an omission in the Admlnlstra-
ton of criminal justice, and to confer a
jurisdiction on the courts of the District OF
Columbia supposed to be doubtful or in
complete.
When it was charged that this scheme
had been concocted by the Washington
Ring, in order to silence the exposures OF
the press and to infiict harsh penalties OF
independent editors through juries packed
to order, there was loud chorus of denia
and pretended Indignation at such charges
The organs and the orators denounced
them as unfounded.
Although truth travels slowly, it mana
ges in the long run to overtake falseh0ot
with its seven league boots. Mr.. POLAND
was in st. Louis last week on his return
from Little Rock, where he had been to in
vestigate the people of Arkansas for up
setting at the ballot box the carpet bal
government which Clayton, Dorsey an,
| Mcclure had set up for their own profit
aud maintained since the war by the aid o
Federal bayonets He was interviewed il
regard to the gag law. and the report o
his language is instructive:
| Did you report the billy"
| ''Yes. 1t was at the ast session Of the commit
tee Butler was chairman, Boss Shepherd,' a
they call him, ana Harrington. the attorney erin
| UiStrict brought a bill Of his Hatare TO as. 1
was suggested that 1t could be much reduced in sze
and | was asked TO condense 1t, Taen Batter asked
me 20 report il, and did 70, bui never dreamed
OF anyth ng about newspapers or lbe at the time
Here is the precious confession at last
that Boss Shepherd and Harrington, one
the head of the rotten Ring, aud the 9th
CIR a scurvy tool now on trial for putting up
bogus burglary to hclp his employers,
were the persons who prepared the origi
nal bill and presented it to the Judiciary
| Committee at its last session, through But
Ter. Poland condensed the project into
its present form, and in order to draw oil
suspicion, Butler induced him to report 1t
to the House.
The es sential facts were known before,
but Mr.. Poland confirms them IN detail
and adds others which make this conspr
acy to nuzzle the press still more plain, -
Ii Butler had stood sponsor toI the bill
openly, suspicion would have been at once
excited, and it never could have passed.
TO avoid debate or distrust, smooth and
demure Poland was selected for this dirty
work, whose assurance that it was merely
a bill to rectify errors of form, was accept
ed in good faith by the dupes OF a disgrace
tul trick.
Mr.. Poland would have people believe
that he was ignorant of any application in
the scheme to newspapers or libels at the
time" If true, so much the worse for his
Intelligence. He did know, however, that
Boss Shepherd had no connection with
courts or laws, except to initiate Boss
Tweed in his relations to the Judiciary, and
that Harrington was not District Attor-
ney' or Assistant District Attorney, as
hs recently signed himself illegally, but an
instrument of George T. Fisher, hired for
criminal business, and holding no office
known to the law.
lie knew also that Shepherd, Harrington,
Baker, Gideon, Clephane. Evans, aud 9th
er notorious members of the Ring came to
New York to abduct the editor OF the Sun
and carry him before Ring jury, to be
chosen by Grants brotherin- law in Wash
ington, aud that they were only defeated
in that infamous design by the courage
aud integrity OF Il Judge who could not be
The gag law was framed expressly to
counterfeit the objections raised by Judge
Blatchiord. The best proof OF the inten-
ton of the conspirators is the fact that
Shepherd rushed before the Grand Jury
at the first opportunity after the passage
of the atrocious act to repeat his vindicuve
experiment, which failed by the upright
mes of one man after that jury had been
approached, tempered with, aud partially
captured by rewards, which at the proper
| time will be disclosed for the benefit Of all
concerned.
After this confession by Mr.. Poland that
the law orieinnted withiSh Shepherd and l1ar
rington, and that he reduced in size" the
the bill which they submitted through
their confederate, Gen. Butler, there can
certainly be no doubt of its nature and de-
sign. 1t anybody has been deceived here
toture, there is no reason for deception
now. The veil is lifted by the champion
OF the iniquily, who, in seeking to excuse
himself, exposes monstrous outrage IN all
its nakedness.
There are at least three honest men on
the Judiciary Committee of the House. viz ,
Mr.. Wilson OF Indiana, Mr. Potter OF New
York and Mr.. Jcwett of Ohio, who owe it
20 themselves to see that this fraud is in
vestigated from top to bottom, SO that the
country shall know how they were imposed
upon and how this muzzling bill came tC
be reported at ALL Its radical amendment
is now universally demanded, and the ties,
cannot be applied an hour too soon after
| tho ,,aotinu of CONGRESS- " no will be