The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1875-12-18
CAN GRANT EsCAPEs

CAN GRANT EsCAPEs
Carl Schurz very charitably expresses
his belief of the entire innocence OF Grant
himself of completely in the whisky frauds
but thinks he ought to have known more
about the disreputable character Of his
friends" But can Grant escape the charge
of guilty knowledge of the rascality and a.
least indirectly participating in the profits
The evidence against him is certainly accu
mulating rapidly and fearfully. TO say moth
ing of the damaging differences justified by
his interference with the order of Commits
sioner Douglas for the transfer of revenue
officers, and by his removal Of Henderson
many other revelations are being made of a
startling nature. Mr.. Danforth, q travelling
solicitor Of Chicago wholesale tobacco and
liquor house. relates in detail in the Chicago
Times how, two years ago, one OF the st.
Louis ring was caught by government de-
tective in the act of smuggling large guam.
tity of cigars into his quarters at st. Louis
The detective had the culprit brought before
Supervisor Ford, who, to his amazement. in.
stead of proceeding to have him punished, at
once telegraphed the President to have the
detective dismissed, which was promptly
DONE and nothing more was ever heard of the
cigars.
Mcdonald, also, finding himself in his
present abasement deserted at Washington, is
beginning to preach. He admits his compiler.
,y in the whisky frauds but declares he acted
in strict accordance with orders from head.
quarters, and by headquarters" he means
somebody above Avery and Babcock. The
st. Louis distillers, he says, were fearfully
bled, but the bulk OF the money was used for
electioneerng purposes, and its levy, and the
mode and object, were thoroughly understood
and inspired by the leaders highest in stand
ing and position ut Washington.
No wonder, in view of such revelations,
that 1t is daily becoming more and more ap.
parent that 1t is the intention at Washington
to circumscrbc and gradually let up on the
whiskey prosecutions. The developments,
at each new step, tend more and moro to put
not the distilers and ringsters, but the admin
istration and party themselves on trial. The
expectation, in the beginning, was that the
confessions of the dstillers and their punish
ment would satisfy the public. But Hender
sons zeal overleaped this, and the trial and
conviction OF Joyce and Mcdonald revealed
the frauds perpetrated in all their criminal
But the trial of Avery brought in
a new element, that of politics. A point here
and link there, all through the evidence
forced the conclusion of connection between
the frauds and, if not the party, those who
had assumed to DO leaders CT it. The distil
lers and rcctiiers were blend over and over
again for campaign fund" The organ of
the party in Missouri came in for its regular
"divvy." And finally, when Douglas, forced
by the overwhelming proofs of frauds repeat.
eddy forwarded to him. and having failed in
all his projected raids, determined to make a
transfer of supervisors TO break the rings, he
chose his time, as he himself SAID, with ref.
erence TO the state and senatorial elections,
so as to lessen as much as possible the politi-
cal pressure. The order was issued and Dou.
glass testifies that its revocation was brought
about for political reasons, and through the
political influence of Mcdonald, Babcock,
and Logan. .sfitG t5tE.
The truth IS, the country has thus far only
got to the surface or upper skimmings Of the
deep, danning, massive rottonness Of this
business