The People's vindicator., 1875-05-29
This whisky raid of Secretary

This whisky raid of Secretary
Bristow, is not likely to be productive
Of good results. From what we gath
CT from the press outside of the "tru.
ly loyal" it is simply "put up" job
to ruin innocent, honest people, that
a horde Of blood. sucking infsrmers
may be rewarded. The following
from tho St. Louis Times "cuts like
a knife" into his whisky raiders. In
speaking Of the many outrages upon
dccency and law, which Grant left
deliberately as if unworthy his atten .
tion; in the lull now before the CAM
paign Of 1876, to make a little capital
for himself, lie proceeds to unload
few pounds from his party. 1t says:
1t is the unloading, however, of the
shyster. The whole power of the
United States government is being
used to make war upon Il portion OF
its citizens who are powerless to help
themselves, and who without a mur-
mur have to submit to arbitrary ar-
rests, the injury of criminal charges
made by accusers wholly irresponsi-
ble, the loss of credit, the irrcparable
damage to business consequent upon
official prosecution, tho loss Of han
dre(ls of thousands of dollars, and in
tho end, and in nine cases out of ten
tile poor boon of an acquirral, bank
rupted in pocket and squeezed as
dry pccuniarily by the horiles ofleech-
es, and spies, and Pimps that pros
per and thrive in the waters made
muddy by the revenue hypocrites, as
lemon is squeezed Of q midsummer
night by IL patient sick of a fever.
The present whisky raid-begun
simultaneously in a dozen cities, and
heralded forth with a roar Of loyal
newspaper artillery as loud as the
real cannon of Shiloh-is already ono
of the most stupendous farces Of the
period. That the government means
to rob somebody befoie itgets through
there can scarcely be doubt. When
a monkey is king, what must his min
listers DO; and when a beggar is on
horseback, what terrible gait he
must ride. There are men who deal
in whisky to-day in St. Louis, men
who are identified with St. Louis by
every tie of commercial interest and
business investment that it is posi-.
bic to imagine, men whose honor is
above suspicion, and whose traffic in
whisky is, legitimate and honest in
every way, who will be utterly ruin
ed by this drunken political raid. See
how the signs of the gutter put out
even from the steps of a throne.
Everything that was corrupt, that
was venal, that was hurtful to his
party, and dangerous to American
liberty, Grant let pass by unrecogniz-
ed only to know the amount Of his
profits and interests therein. This
whisky business, however, is a mat
ter which is too largely extended to
be made injurious to any paying
friends, because those who are strick-
en- are most likely to be innocent and
honest people, and hence anti-ad-
ministration. His logic is coed, but
bis sense of justice most atrocious.
The general government has no right
to war upon its individual citizens,
much less to prey upon them and de-
your them whenever it is deemed
necessary to make a political corner
in public sentiment. It should not
be allowed either, under the pretenco
of exposing fraud, to drag worthy
business men into disgrace or bank
ruptcy. For fifteen years it has been
engaged in just such species of San
bornism rs connected with the manu-
facture of whisky. Its ruined vic.
Tins are in every city and State Of
the Union. 1t has paid a premium to
scoundrelism through its system Of
black; mail, and it has made perjury
a possession more desirable than land
or riches. All-powerful, a law unto
itself, in the hands of shysters, greedy
ruffians, and impecunious and tenth
rate nondescripts, the government
has gone extensively into the swind-
ling business of late, that It may mako
fortunes for all these beggars and
lazzaroni. The only cure for the can
Ger is Democracy, and it will be a
year yet before all who are sick and
in pain can get at this healing medi-
cine. Meanwhile there may be ten
thousand deaths.