Spirit of Jefferson. [volume] (Charles Town, Va. [W. Va.]) 1844-1948, 1874-07-07
THE PRESIDENTS JUNKBTING.

In NJ
Hardly had the knell of adjournment
sounded in Congress, says the New York Sun,
before the President started off from Wash>
ingion to make yisitin West Virginia, leav-
ing the vast amount of public business which
always aceumulates at the close of session
wholly uucared for, and the Senators and
Representatives who desired to confer with
him in regard to it to imagine reason for
this insulting departure and neglect of duty.
Besides the usual mass of matter requiring
the personal attention of the Executive, there
were special subjects demanding his prompt
decision. He rendered the vacancy in the
Post Office Department by telegraph to Mr..
Hale. who fastened to Washington only to
fad the White House deserted, and the Pres
p ident awayon trip of pleasure So the offer
$ could neither be accepted nor declined. and
Nj. Hale had to retrace his steps with the
telegram as his consolation for hot and
thankless journey to the capital
More important than this personal incident
Is the condition in which he has left the Dis,
trict of Columbia, without any semblance of
government or recognized authority. AL
though Boss Shepherd has been kicked out
both by the law abolishing his Ring concern,
and by rejection of the Senate, he still as
sumes to exercise quasi official power, and
his corrupt subordinates are continuing their
functions as if there had been no Interruption
whatever.
After the recent robberies by the Boss's
Legislature, who stripped the halls of the
furniture and everything portable, it is fair
to presume that their contederates who still
remain in Office will not only appropriate what
ever they can lay hands upon, but what is of
far more consequence, that they may make
away with important papers, and fabricate
''vouchers" by which the indebtedness will be
still further increased.
Some of these officials did not scrupIe at
perjury when tastifying before the investiga-
ton, and others are of VIGOROUSLY bad char
acter. All of them, without exception, are
mere tools of the Ring, and capable of any
act by which its crimes might be concealed,
or its interests promoted.
The President has left the records, papers,
certificates, and other important documents in
the hands of these knaves, without the least
supervision Of any kind, and with an open in
vitation by his culpable neglect to extend the
frauds that have already been perpetrated,
and to cover up the traces of former plumber,
If he had deliberately colluded with Shep>
herd, his cooperation could not have been
more effective than it is by this shameful pro-
ceeding
With The least respect for public opinion
or the PrcPrieties of his CREST office, the Press
ident would have Immediately inaugurated the
provisional Government which Congress es-
tablished. a few days were only needed to
set 1t in active motion, with the machinery at
hand But he would not even wait to re-
ceive the answers of the three persons named
as Commissioners. and retained the unworthy
instruments with which the Ring has here
tofore worked. 1t is we'll known that Gen.
Grant took Shepherds overwhelming rejec-
tion much to heart, and openly denounced the
Senate IN vulgar terms for that action. He
expressed no resentment toward the Boss
himself, who had given him the most positive
assurance of the certainty of his confirmation
by decided majority. Mortified and re-
vengeful because of defeat which comes
home to his own door, the President has taken
this method of thwarting the course of the law
and of delaying act Of justice to an out
ragged community.
No former President has ever ventured to
outrage deceney as Gen. Grant has DONE
His audaeity. in this respect is without pre-
cedent or parallel, and is 10 keeping with that
manifested BY Shepherd in trampliug upon
: the rightsdf the people and in knocking at the
restraint spessd BY Congress There is
lassef coarse osepplaudi such.
rec q Of courage,