The New York herald., 1875-11-17

Thus il IS probable that abundant proof viii show 10
whom money paid For whom may IN some cases
be more ditlcrlt question 20 answer.
Cosr or AZ ''oRGAN.9
ostensbly the funds were originally collected FOR
party purposes. During the Presidential campaign in
1872, when republican leaders we're much alarmed, a
despatch sent by one ~ Them 4 very prominent
senator, calling for new assessment Of disters IN
less this despatch itself was forged hy member OF
the Ring as pretext for unusual demands. But
neither IN that year any other the conduct 81
republican campaigns 81 LOUIS or Missouri such as
TO warrant the belief that any large su was AZ lie dis
posal of committees. On the other hand the sums
collected were very large. One after another distcrs
and reeners became aware that the greater part the
funds collected from them consumed for other than
party purposes But 1872 the excuse was made that
u was necessary 10 establish reliable Grant organ.
larry IN that year The Democrat had been forced 20
sale under order Of Court tor dissolution OF partner
ship. and Mckee Houser had been bought out by Mr.
Fshback Whether ne would restore the paper 10 the
liberal position i had taken in 1870 not known,
but he was not deemed "a reliable Grant man The
Ring needed organ Mckee needed i paper as
reason for continued payments to him Accordingly
the Gote was established BY Mckee and Houser and i
Is stated that the payments TO l,avenworh for Mckee
were nearly 81 900 week amounting TO over S4+ooo
within less than year Even this large sum was but
small part- IS SAID oue-tiih-ol that portion OF the
profits which disteTs required 70 pay. Many
eangers and subordinate officials we're pAa eAlta
salaries BY the distlors themselves, bot about lorty
per cent of the profits went 70 the higher officials HOW
this portonthe fund of the Ring proper-was divided
at different times, the testimony viii probably show
II i alleged that one portion went 10 the supervisor
another 10 the confidential agent another 70 Mckee Tor
himself another to him protcssedy for delivery 10
Ford The Collector ana another to 'the man the
country phrase supposed 10 refer to somebody AZ
sriyLiSG FEDERAL INVESTIGATION
For al early day, the Ring must have secured
visor had a considerable influence, either with Grant
himself or through somebody else, was obvious when
he was appointed. Colonel Ford the Collector had 50
great influence with the President that his appoint
ment as Secretary Of the Interior, when Deano was
yacate that oiice N 1873 was confidently *
pected BY the Ring and believe actually deter
mined upon by the President at the time OF Ford's
sudden death Il Is not known TO me whether any
evidence proves that money apart. aud paid for
Ford ever reached him. and he may, perhaps. have
supposed that the only collections made we're foEpo
litcal But, however strong Mcdonald ana Ferd
may have been there needed and there secured
somebody at Washington to give the Ring early warn
ing OF Treasury Investigations, and to stop all com
plants from reaching the Secretary the President,
For the conduct OF the President since
the exposure makes IL impossible 70 be-
heve that he was in any sort Of completely
with the Ring Yet complaints were forwarded
sometimes the Secretary and sometimes to the Pres
ident himself without result If investigations
ordered, either the person selected and sent out
one whose eyes and could he closed by bribe
the Ring warned by telegraph before he left Wash
ngton and had ample lime to put everything IN rcadi
ness to receive hlm with equanmity. That complete
immunity thus secured at early day is certain
Mr. Avery late Chief Clerk of the Treasury is under
indictment completely and there is testimony that
$500 per week was set apart for him But he was not
the only person at Washington whose constant aid was
needed and If statements Of the division Of funds
correct the amount sent thither much greater
than he Is said to have received
OFFICIAL NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS. SIGNATURES.
II is stated in dispatches that kilograms and
documents sent from Washington members of the
Ring have been placed before the Grand Jury In
OF persons having part in this danger
Gus business did sign their names; fictitious
signatures used at both ends But the original
kilograms obtained from The Office by legal authority
may be in recognizable handwritlngs, and rumor
says that at least person. nearer to the President
than Mr. Avery viii thus be proved 10 have been
tclegraphng TO the Ring with fictitious signature, It
was at one tune openly alleged by disters that Com
missioner Douglass in the Ring, but if they had
been told by officials in St Louis that alone would
prove nothing, and know Of no other evidence
cerning him. What the Ring needed at Washington
was not influence with any department. When Mr..
Douglass suggested and Secretary Brlstow ordered a
transfer of Supervisors to different disrics-a measure
which would certainly have uncovered fraud-General
Mcdonald declared In the most confident manner that
the order would be Immediately rescinaed, jumped
the cars, went 10 Washington, saw the President and
telegraphed back that all was right The order was
rescinded What representations could have led the
President TO believe IL wise necessary 10 yoke such
an order it is hard TO guess
CONFIDENCE or THE RING
But the Ring openly boasted that 1t had power at
Washington which could not be resisted broken.
Moreover the members undoubtedly believed it them
selves That IS the mysterious part Of the whole
business. No who watched the proceedings
Of these people can possibly doubt that they were
absolutely fearless Of exposure and perfectly convinced
their power greater than that Of Secretary
Bristow himself Repeatedly they boasted after
the exposure had begun, that they would have him
out Of the Cabinet within lew days. At one time
they named the day on which Delano would become
Secretary OF the Treasury. They did not about like
who had anything TO hide Diamonds, for which
official salaries would not account, were worn openly
and purchased, several thousand dollars worth
at a time, without attempt at concealment. Officials
with moderate salaries lived with their families at
hotels, expending obviously more than their known
incomes, and yet made open purchases OF costly sum
mer residences. II whskey operators or discharged
revenue officials threatened 10 make exposures at
Washington, they calmly invited to expose and
be - 2 not blessed one ut least tried it, made
dead failure, back 10 ST. Louis, and told that
he had better keep his mouth shut in future, or hc
would get sent 70 The pententary for deiraudng the
government
When Mcdonald indicted, went 70 Washington,
he was by the President and rode with hm
the avenue when the President visited St. Louis
Mcdonald usually in his company, and as late
October, 1874, when the President visited the Far
Grounds, in the presence OF $4,000 people Mcdonald
Was by his side II currently reported II the time
that having praised horse at the Far the President
received il the next ny present from his friend
Mcdonald that he permitted the officials there TO have
a carriage manufactured expressly for him. and % pay
his bills the hotel How many Of these stories
falsely atoat by members Of the Ring IN order TO
strengthen their claim Of great influence With the Pres
dent say But thing certain, this Ring
had peculiar power at Washington and the inyes
tigaton will not he complete until the nature OF that
power Is thoroughly made known. The President owes
1t himself to have that thing exposed,
if nothing else. As il stands the matter IS
both ugly and mysterious The Ring actually had
great power at Washngton boasted that it had abso
lutte power-and apparently believed it-and yet nom
bers Of It have been convicted confess that these
things lead TO suspect that somebody, known 10 be
influential with President traded that influence
received money for it. and made members Of the Ring
believe that the President himself winked at the con
spiracy.
THIEVES ''PALL ouT
The Ring broken two or three times and pay
ments stopped. Once there a quarrel about the
amount OF assessments II made quite noise in ST.
Louis and everybody expected general explosion.
Presently II settled by agreement, and
everything went on peacefully again. In the fall OF
1878 thcro cataclysm OF sort, so
violent that for time the Globe published bitter
anti.third term articles If this Ring kent books
it would be safe wager that about that Time the
usual weekly settlements were interrupted, and in
point OF fact there notorious about Busby's
dsthlery and daily expectation o disclosure In due
time harmony was restored and the GiO6e cred
its loyalty The sudden death Of Colonel Ford, the
collector caused bret disturbance. But the Ring
urged the immediate appointment Of the same Colonel
Magure whose selection Tor that Office Mckee had de-
manded in 1869. lie was appointed; Fitzroy became
his deputy, and from that time forward the loyalty Of
the Globe intense and glowing Indeed, violent
its attachment to rcpublcanism, pure and undc-
fled that in 1874 when Our-hfths Of the republicans
In the state desired to JON with independent demo-
Gratis in support Of party anti Bourbon ticket