Los Angeles daily herald., 1875-10-06

upon the thieves and extortioners that
had so long afflicted that common
wealth. He was not contented with
the simple Incarceration of the arch
scoundrel TWEED and the scattering
of the Tammany teaches: he has wag.
ed war upon the government robbers
wherever he could find them. Meth
er wealth nor political influence has
shielded the miscreants. After so long
record of crime and spoilation amid
public office holders this course OF
Governor TILDEN attracted the at
tention of the whole country He be-
come the ideal of the perfect official.
The people felt that the Augean
Stables needed thorough cleansing,
and irrespective Of party regarded
TILDEN as a great benefactor. The
course ofTILDEN and the applause it
received attracted the attention of the
Washington authorities, and GRANT
with his usual snarrow mindedness
imagined that he could out TILDEN
TILDEN, and so inaugerated q vigor-
Gus campaign against the thieves in
the Federal service, He knew that
where New York could furnish one
victim the army of National office
holders could offer ten thousand.
There was perfect holocaust of VIC
tens within his reach, and GRANT
would be as much greater than TIL
DEN as his ten thousand corrupt office
holders are greater than one. Then
the President could seemingly give
expression to that beautiful sentement
of JOSH BILLINGS; he could pretend
to be willing to sacrifice all his Wife
relations for the benefit of the country
inasmuch as any extended investiga-
ton of the affairs of United States
officials must necessarily seriously
threaten the happiness of the numer-
GUS DENT family.
So President GRANT opened the war
upon fraud and corruption. His efforts
have been crowned with brilliant sue
cess, and the people who had strong
impressions concerning the average
honesty of Federal office holders be-
hold with amazement the swarms Of
thieves rushing out wherever the bush
is beaten. The corruption exceeds all
that the most rabid opponent has
charged. Now for the parallel be-
tween TILDEN and GRANT. The New
York Governor waged war upon abuses
that had grown up under a former ad-
ministration. The thieves he brought
to justice were not of his own selec-
ton. The holes in the public treasury
which he discovered and closed were
not of his own making. His brothers,
uncles, aunts, neices and nephews, and
the relations of his wife and brothers.
in-law and marital uncles were not In.
volved in the robberies.. He began
his Investigations at the beginning of
his term instead of long profiting by
fraud and finally inaugeratlng the
warfare to make capital for an ap-
preaching campaign in which he was
to be a candidate. The President of
the United States is now bringing to
justice the very men he selected as fit
to administer the laws and perform
the public functions. Their pecula.
tions have extended over six or seven
years. The sores he is trying to heal
may be safely characterized as chron-
ic. The mode of his warfare shows
that he is endeavorlng to punish those
citizens who have defrauded the gov
ernmsnt rather than the officials who
were in league with the defrauders.
In nearly every internal revenue dis
trict have distilleries been seized for
violation Of law; yet how few revenue
officials have felt the axe though it Is
patent they were in league with the
distillers? His relations have been
singularly overlooked In the investi.
cations. Though there is a legion of
them they are all honest men. While
it is well known that the New Orleans
Custom House is hot bed of fraud,
that gigantic speculations have from
time shown themselves in that gran.
lite building beside the Father of wa.
ters, yet brother-in-law CASEY has
never been investigated, nor have any
of the notoriously corrupt clique that
find shelter under his wing. For ma
ny years has the President heard reit.
Grated the charges of fraud against
both prominent and minor officials,
yet be has never sought to purge the
public service until on the eve of a
campaign in which he is to figure as q
candidate. 1t is not matter of surprise
then that the people of the United
States should regard SAMUELJ. TIL
DEN as a genuine reformer, seeking
after honesty in government, and
ULYSSES S. GRANT as miserable
imitator exposing his own misman-
agement and laying bare the frauds of
which he is the true author.