Los Angeles daily herald., 1875-03-16
Whittier are we Drifting?

'AnOJner AtUeIHpJ WAS Hldue ltSt
s'last night to burn the Navy build
''ings-the second or third during the
''last month. 1t is rumored that the
"incendiaries are in the interest of
tmen in high places, and that the OBJ
eject is to destroy evidence of immense
''frauds in that department., amount
''ing to over one hundred and forty
"millions of dollars, the proceeds of
ssale of ships, stores and war material
cat the close of our late civil war;
"also, some four or five millions eX-
"pended in the last Presidential elec-
s'tion in the interests of Grant. ."-Er-
tract from Washington correspondent
NeU York Herald.
When DANIEL WEBSTER rose in the
Senate of the United States in 1882, in
reply to Senator HAYNE of South Car
olrna on the Constitutional question
of State rights, embracing the right of
secession, he opened that great effort
In his usual ponderous manner, with
the following words:
"MR PRESIDENT: When the mar
"iner has been tossed for many days
Gin thick weather and on an unknown
"sea, he naturally avails himself of
''the first pause in the storm, the ear
'liest gleam of the sun, to take his
'slatitude and ascertain how far the
''elements have driven him from his
''true course. Let us initiate this
"prudence, and, before we drift fur
"ther, refer to the point from which
1--WE departed, that we may at least,
abe able to conjecture where we now
"are. l ask for the reading of the res
"olution."
Would that we had q WEBSTER in
the Senate of the present day to rise
in reply, not to the Senator of South
Carolina, but to call the attention of
the tax-ridden people to the above an
nouncement, in connection with the
living stream of fraud which has,
from time to time, been exposed dur
ing the whole period of the present
imbecile Government. For near an
entire decade we have patiently borne
up under the weight of debt of over
two thousand millions of dollars, at
an average interest, including the
cost of engraving and printing bonds,
commissions to syndicats, brokers and
agents of at least s per cent; and instead
of this burden growing lighter, it is
increasing daily, and at present the
principal business of the Government
seems to be the devising of means of
further depressing the people-not to di-
minish our national obligations, but
to meet the demands upon its profiig-
acy. We are well aware that in times
of actual war, peculation, villainy
and downright robbery is the rule
honesty the exception-but, after it is
over, there is no excuse for this state
of things. With proper men at the
head of affairs, we would speedily be
brought back to the original groove
of honesty, economy and accounta-
bility in office. Has this been done?
Look at the vast number of gigantic
swindles perpetrated by men in high
places, which have been unearthed
during the present administration;
and what has been done with them
Why, they have been referred to COM
mittees, the majority of whom were
trembling for their own safety, and
mutual whitewashing has been the
result, and many of them still remain
in high places-others, less fortunate,
have retired with colossal fortunes
some to play the role Of american
snob" in Europe, whilst others have
gone to the quiet shades of elegant
private life, and among them former
President of the United States!
We deal in stubborn facts, not fiction
or abstraction, and the time is at
hand when the people will do like
wise. For what purpose do we elect a
President? Under the Constitution
he is the executive power. His oath
of office requires that he shall see the
laws faithfully administered. Has
the present Executive done so in the
numberless cases briefly alluded to in
this paper? With the startling noto-
riety given in the extract which
heads this article, that the naval
buildings are threatened by incendia-
ries, to destroy evidence of tremen-
dous frauds in that department, has he
initiated the proper steps to enquire
into the matter? Nay, verify. 1t is
said that four or five millions of that
fraud are intimately connected with
himself and special friends. Hence
he desires no Investigation. Let the
naval buildings go, and the evidence
of fraud with them; 1 will not stir
the matter. 'Tis said NERO fiddled
whilst Rome was in flames. Does
GRANT excuse himself by this prece-
dent The Democratic party, in its
most degenerate days, were merely
bungling, petty-larceny rascals, when
compared with the present party; and
peculation was generally confined to
the borders and frayed edges of its
skirts, never reaching the heart of the
party. The present party - or, at
least, its leaders-seem to have re-