The daily Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1873-1877, 1875-09-11
WESTERN UNION RAILROAD.
ELLINGTON, CEDAR RAPIDS b MIN.
INDIANAPOLIS. s1ooMINaToN b WESTERN
Grant as q Reformer.

The president affects great virtue all of
q sudden about the prosecution of the St
Louis Whiskey Ring for the protection of
which he is more responsible than any
living man. That Ring furnished large
share of the money to aid his reelection,
and has contributed heavily for other OBJ
jects in which he is personally interested.
Its influence at the White House has been
often and openly illustrated in q manner to
cause the greatest scandal
When Mr.. Bristow directed the super
visors and agents of the internal revenue
to be changed, in order to break up cor
rupt combination known to exist between
them and the manufacturers of illicit
whiskey, Supervisor Mcdonald, chief of
the st. Louis Ring went to Washington
with a fine span of horses as present, and
got that order revoked by the president s
own hand, without word Of conference
with the secretary of the treasury. Nc
Donald could not restrain his joy over this
triumph, and he telegraphed to his con-
federate, Joyce, who ike himself is now IN
der indictment:
The goose hangs high, rode out with the
president to-day"
To gull the public now, Grant endorses
letter to Bristow with this ardent eXhort-
alton:
"Let no guilty man escape if it can be avoided
Grants practice and his profession are
very wide apart; for when Hodge was con
victed of stealing half million from the
treasury, right under the shadow of the
White House, he let that guilty man
escape" with pardon and reinstated him
in the fellowship of his associate thieves Of
the Washington Ring. So, too, he has
hoak 90 ,,o1 rohhoro
detaulters, counterfeiters, and other third
term patriots, whose services were needed
to pack conventions and to make platforms
of Republican principles.
1t comes with singular grace from
Grant to say to the secretary OF the trea
sury:
mo personal consideration should stand in tn
way Of performing public duty"
Since the first days of June he has bee
established at Long Branch, seeking pei
sonal pleasure and amusement only, to tn
utter neglect of every public duty, an
setting an example which has done a
much as anything else to demoralize til
civil service. BY indecent importunit
and the subserviency of corrupt con
gress, his pay was doubled, with perqu
sites heretofore wholly unknown, whic
have made the salary almost clear prof
to him,
Instead of recognizing this enormous il
crease by some token of respect for h
great trust, and at least passing exhib
ton OF fidelity to its obligations, he hs
since been more reckless then ever, an
more disdainful of public opinion and con
mon decency. The extraordinary spe
tacle is psrented of the president and ever
member Of his cabinet junketing abou
the country and exhibiting themselves liE
u travelling menagera at clambakes an
receptions, while the plunderers are hole
ing high revel in the departments I
Washington.
The diplomatic corps, finding the hea
of the government absent, the secretal
state absent, and no responsible ofici
present to deal with, have all quit Il
capital, and probably have written hon
that this is government of clerks and in
beetles. 1t is not at all surprising that el
lightened diplomatists should seek to avo
the mission to the United States, as the
have done of late years.
With vulgarity and venality at Il
White House, and its social surrounding
offending all decency when Grant and b
shoddy court are at Washington for six
seven months Of the year, and with h
underlings to govern during prolonged a
seDces, the life there, to people of cultul
and refinement, must be hard to endur
There is comfort in knowing that eighties
tlonal disgrace, and restore honor and pr
priety to the high places now stained al
degraded by Grantism.-N Y. Sun.