Port Tobacco times, and Charles County advertiser. (Port Tobacco, Md.) 1845-1898, 1875-12-31
White House Scandals.

present position, we are not prepared to
believe that he has degraded his high
office by participation in the robberies
and corruptions Of those who sourround
him. We do not believe that there is a
man in the land, who has any pride of
citizenship, who would not feel himself
degraded, if such should turn out to be
the case. Whilst, for the sake of our own
self-respect, we must hope that no such
humiliation awaits the nation, we cannot
but feel very uneasy on the subject. This
uneasiness is not of to-day's growth only,
but has been gradual and the result of
many things combined. Not the least of
these is the fact that whenever investiga-
lions approach the White House, instead
of being invited to enter, the doors are
slammed in their faces, whether backed
by congressional committees or judicial
proceedings.
When congressional committee was
investigating the Black Friday gold spec
ulations, in which Fisk and Grants broth
er-in-law, Cerbin, were partners, Fisk as
serted positively that Grant was interest
ed with them, and as evidence of the fact
showed that Mrs. Grant received check
for $25, 1000 as her share of the speculation.
Ye3 the committee was allowed to go no
further than this. When similar COM
mittee Was Investigating the affairs of the
District of Columbia and the ring of
which Boss Shepherd was master, and
the testimony showed that through false
measurements made by General Babcook
the Government had been cheated out of
81 100000, yet they were made to stop
there. because General Babcock was the
Private Secretary of the President, and to
have summoned him to testify would have
been an invasion of the White House
and an insult to the President. The
abrupt and inexcusable removal Of Sena-
tor Henderson, the chief prosecutor of the
st. Louis Whiskey Ring, and of which
we spoke last week, is another instance
which excites painful suspicious.
We showed last week that there was
nothing in what Henderson said that
ought to have given offenss to any honest
man, and we said his removal was high
handed outrage, and specimen of the
|imperialistic notions of Grant, which
should attract the attention of the people :;
but closer examination of the facts
makes it appear as if it was for the pur-
pose of staying investigation which was
again approaching too close to the august
person of His Excellency. Now Hender-
son delivered the offensive speech on the
Sd of December, and its substance was
|telegraphed throughout the country and
published in the papers next day, and By
the 5th the st. Louis papers, with ve-ba, m
reports of it, were in Washington. Yet
nothing was done until the indictment of
Babcock became fixed fact. Then it was
discovered that Henderson had perpetrat-
ed gross Outrage on professional pro-
priety," and he was dismissed after the
President had been smarting for five days
under the effects of his speech. Does any
man believe, in view of these facts, that
any notice would have been taken of Hen
derson's eminently proper speech if Bah
cock had not been indicted Bah, 1t is
too thin-but it is in keeping with the
previous action of General Grant whenever
these Investigations have led up to the
door of the White House
But what we are most interested in, is
in knowing why General Grant is SO anx-
ious to choke off the officers of the law
One would naturally suppose that an
honest man. and above all the Chief Exc
cutive of this great nation, would desire
to have his own actions and those of all
his officers brought under the focus of
public observation. And when we see
such extraordinary efforts made to prevent
inquiry, we can but fear-even If We are
unwilling to believe it-that "there is
something rotten in Denmark"