The Stark County Democrat. [volume] (Canton, Ohio) 1833-1912, 1875-12-02
cMisFeAaneuns.
ISL. LouIs Globe pemOerat Of .Tuesday. ]


United States has entered intoa solemn
covenant to exchange moderate Glenn
ency for unlimited perjury, has been fit
tingly reinforced by a person not un'
known to local fame as Colonel Will
liam M. Grosvenor. In the whisky war,
sin the war of the rebellion, the Col
onel1 Ares at long range and safe dis
tance, and asselfappointed trumpeter in
the present struggle" he is all the more
competent to play the enchanting air to
which he bid farewell to the fraternal
strife oftwelve years sinCe-the "Rogue's
March, He finds in the New York
Herald an organ, and in several columns
the space, to tell what he knows about
the tWhisky Ring Here aretwo sen,
tences from the opening paragraph . pa-
"It was conspiracy to rob the Gov
eminent. It originated in the bribery Of
newspaper"
Undoubtedly it was "a conspiracy to
rob the Government" but the precise
meaning of the assertion which immedi-
ately follows, that "it originated in the
bribery of newspaper" might forever
remain mystery had not witness in
the United States District Court yester-
day testified as follows:- a.. II
II understand Grosvenor received ST.
900 to let up on Mcguire about the time
Mcguire expected the nomination for
the Mayoralty. The money was not
raised but Joyce told me he paid it
himself. believe Grosvenor did letup
accordingly, as the files of the Democrat
will show" '' ..-..... } ,l....
This is very true. Grosvenor was, at
the time referred to, editor of the Demo
crat.W its managers and owners had fool
ishly confded it's columns to his care,
and, according to the evidence of Mr.
Engelke, he was using his position to in
crease his reputation by adding the lus-
ter ola black-mailer to the achievements
of villain.
The model 'reformer" then goes on to
tell the thrice-told tale of the Liberal
government of 1870. The Democrat, he
says, went strongly into this movement.
but its proprietors, early in 1871, CON
Cluded to change its course and to sup
portthe Administration and because he
IGrosvenor) wouldn't change his politi-
cal opinions, he was notified that his SER
vices were no longer needed. This will
be decidedly rich reading to those who
knoRlthe drummed-out Colonel and are
familiar with the death-grip with which
he held to his political opinions-untll
somebody offered him anything, from a
drink Of whisky to a five dollar bill, for
changing them. But the fact is that he
left the Democrat Office in 1871 for the
same reason that he had left the army
seven years before-because he had dis
graced an honorable Calling-in the first
instance by cowardice, and in the second
by treaChery. In neither case was he
allowed to stand on the order of his 60
ing, but in each he was compelled to 60
at once. He says he demanded rea-
sons"for being elected from the Democrat.
Helies he knew thereasons very well;
forever then, low villain as he was, he
felt THAT he had betrayed the confidence
and trust of men who had treated him
henorably and well. 1t is not my pur-
pose to defend the Whisky Ring, or to as
sail the Government for resorting to any
proper means to protect itself against its
depfedations. / should have allowed
Mr. Grosyenor's testimony to go with
that of the mass of his associates in his
crime and his equals in infamy, if be
had not undertaken to weave into it a
history of the manner in which, this
paper reached its present name and style,
and to make it appear that the Consoli-
dation of the Globe and the Democrat was
the resultot an attempt to keep him, as
editor of the Democrat, from exposing the
whisky frauds. The idea that any, man,
orany set of men, would pay$3O0,0OO for
thelsilence of ,Grosvenor is simply ab-
surd, in view of the fact that the highest
price he was ever known to put on that
GOLDEN commodity was, accoring.t to Mr..
Engelkes testimony, $1,000, But Gros-
venor is not so entirely scoundrel that
he is not also little of an assS and
among the other traits for which he is
known to those who enjoy the pleasure
of bis acquaintance, at prices ranging
from, five toaffty dollars andrepresented
by unpaid debts, a large amount OF self
importance stands conspicuous.
The truth about the consolidation of
the two papers, as can establish by the
best of affdavits, is this; Early in the
summer of 1S74-fully. year before any
whisky raid was feared or heard of-the
late Henry T. Blow called at the Globe
Office as an authorized agent Of of Mr..
George w. Fishback, to negotiate the
sale Of the Democrat. The rice named
was within few thousand dollars of
that which was subsequently paid. II Mr.
Mckee was, absent from the city, and
the conference was held with, Mr.. Hou-
ser. Mr.. Blow stated, that Mr., Fishback
was tired of the controversy which al
most seemed inevitable as long as the
two papers existed, and while l edited
one Of them. He hRdfeCentlyl emplbyed
Grosyenbrlto edit the, DemdGrdt, but with
no other perceptible effect than to de-
yelop that remarkable PERSONS power to
reduce circulation; and his only hope Of
peace and solVenCy was to make a sale
to Mckee & Houser. After awhile Mr..
Mckee came home, and gave the matter
some attention. | expressed to him the
opinion that extinction was cheaper THAI
purchase, and that the Democrat could be
sunk for half the money named as its
price; that 80 long as it was managed
and edited as it was at that time, it was
no rival to the Globe and that the Globes
only source Of danger was in the posi-
bility of the Democrat passing into the
hands of men of some newspaper ability |
and experience, who would give us
lively competition for the supremacy
which we then heldapThe Democrat was
then shouting itself hoarse for Gentry,
and although it had the entire Republic
can party of the State at its back, while
the Globsswa indulging in the luxury of
a guerrilla war against both tickets and
ali candidates, the Democrat, as the books
now accessible will show, went steadily |
down, while the Globe went steadily up
in circulation and business. 1t is the |
consciousness of this fact that gnaws the