The Jasper weekly courier. [volume] (Jasper, Ind.) 1858-1922, 1875-11-19
THE BROKEN WHISKY RING.
What a. said Concerning the New Indic,-
ment-.

Prom the It. Louis Times.
The Indictment of William Mckee
puts new face on the Whisky Ring
war, and j., in more respects than one,
the most important achievement Of the
struggle thus far. Hitherto the prose-
cuiion has been limited To officials Of
the Government and manufacturers ~
and dealers in whisky. who have been
charged with fraud. But Mr.. Mckee is
neither an official of the Government
nor manufacturer Of or a dealer in
whisky. lie is simply a Republican
politician and the principal owner Of the
leading Republican newspaper in the
Mississippi Valley The prosecution
hitherto conducted against Mcdonald,
Joyce, Fitzroy and the distillers and
rcctiiiers, has been nothing more than
An effort 20 discover who were the per
sons engaged in the alleged conspiracy
10 defraud the Government. But the
Indictment Of Mr.. Mckee opens new
stage Of the war in that il inaugurates
an effort To find ont where the money
went. and 10 whose benefit il accrued
after IL had been stolen from the Gov
eminent. So long a. the prosecution
was confined To the officials and the dis
tillers and rectiiiers, we denounced II as
mn effort to set up and knock down
few men Of straw for the purpose Of
c0ncealing the guilt Of other men in
higher station and of greater power.
who had or were presumed 10 have. re-
allied the lions share Of the spoils. The
indictment Of Mr. Mckee opens the door
for the broadest inquiry and the fullest
investigation. Er occupies position
where he can 10 some extent com
mand the situation; and herein his at
titudc differs from that Of Mcdonald,
.IOyce and the minor culpritS, who
were obliged t. throw themselves
largely upon the mercy If their former
friends in the Administration. That
these friends Of whom we speak, to-
wit: Grant. Babcock. Lackey. and the
members Of the National Republican
Executive Committee. have been mer-
ciles~ IN the cases referred to, the secret
history ofthc prosecution, when IL comes
u be written. will abundantly establish.
We need 20 no further back than the
occasion when President Grant. closeted
with General Mcdonald. refused TO see
Secretary Bristow, who had called up
ON important busine>s-we need, We
say, 70 no further back than this occa-
sion to discover the manner in which
the =. personal friendship" If the Presi-
dent was sought Ia be used a. a shield
az the outset Of the prosecution But
the subsequent developments have
shown that Brislow made out his ease
50 strongly a. 10 enable him 10 crowd
Grant out Of the way and io compel the
latter 10 leave his personal friends to
their fate
And now. emboldcned by his success
in the first stage ~ his warfare. Mr..
Brisfow ventures upon second stage,
~ we have already shown. in the in
dictment Of Mr. Mckee. Wearc speak
inr now upon the strength Of something
besides conjecture. and in this manner
we do not hesitate 10 assert that II Bris-
tow succeeds as we'll in the second stage
Of his warfare as he has in the first. the
way will be- open for him 20 inauguratc
third stage. which will consist OF Moth
ing less than the Indictment n OrrtHe r.
BuJc0ct mi ne mcUibcrs ~ ne Nafi0nnt
EspubiiraN EJ,cufire Committee N 1872
as cO-c0HsDfrai0rs anil rcccirfrs ~ M
Si01fg fuHds. tgf,hsr ruh NE possible
Impeachment ~ he PrcshtcM pr gmity
kHorifigc N ne tra,nfs, u hof
cyrnfnm participation "a Mffr pr0-
cn,fs. Al the outset OF the
prosecution we assumed that Mcdonald,
joyce and their confrcres were innocent
until they should be proved guilty, but