Clearfield Republican. [volume] (Clearfield, Pa.) 1851-1937, 1875-09-01

war against official rascality There
is peculiar criminallty, recognized
by oil, in robbing those who are una
blcto protect themselves, and trns.
tee who robs his helpless wards is OK
ecratcd as no ordinary scoundrel. The
fact, therefore, that the rascalities of
the Interior Department are at the OK
pcnse not only of the nation but of the
nations poor, feeble wards, makes them
especially odious, beyond the common
place rascalities in other departments
and the Indignation against those gull.
ty of them especially intense, In n
peculiar degree the national honor Is
felt to be wounded by official compli-
city in the robbery Of the Indian
funds, and there is another reason for
popular indignation in the bitter dis
appointment which the many feel who
confded in the Presidents solemn
promises to reform all these abuses
One of the best things that General
Grant ewes did was his attempt--an
apparently sincere one--to separate
the Indian service from political con.
troll, and place it upon n basis of sound
business principles, as well as of com
mon sense and humanity. 1t was an
immensely popular movement on his
part, and almost to this very day the
remembrance OF il has retained for
him the friendship OF many who would
otherwise have fallen from him in sor-
row and disgust. But the President
succumbed in this, as he did in 50
many other attempted reforms, and
leaving matters more and more to
snch men as DeIano. has allowed the
Indian service to sink TO dopth Of
corruption which may have been par.
aleled, in some instances, under form.
er administrations, but never reached
such vast development We say this
because, while the Indian population
steadily diminishes, the amount ex-
pended for their support has increased
at an alarming ratio in the past six
years, so that the corruption is cvi
IDENTIFY wider, il not also deeper, than
before. But even supposing that the
robbcrios under Grant are no greater
than under previous Presidents, they
appear much worse from the fact that
no other President made so strong q
point of stopping them altogether II
he had tried, and kept on trying and
only partly succeeded, we should still
have praised him. But he made the
best kind of beginning, and had il
altogether in his own hands to clean
out the whole nest of robbers, when
he ialtercd and finally surrendered
Had he persevered in his Indian re
form and in his proposed reform OF the
civil service, he would have had tn,
whole nation at his back but when i
came TO the second term he was per
suaded that he could not do without
the politicians and their patronage, 81
he turned from men like Mr.. Welsl
and Mr.. Brunot and let Delano hav,
his way. We would rather accoun
for the miserable failure in this way
than by any reference to the member
of the Presidents family in the Indal
business but it is none the less to b.
lamented, and the disappointment j
has caused, after the President hat
himself done much to excite publi
opinion against the Indian ring, is on,
reason for the Indignation which tn,
exposure of Delano's doings ha
aroused 1t is plainly enough appa
rent now what the people demand,an'
if the administration OF Indian al
fairs continue mum ianser az NJ nres
ent, they will be likely to make them
selves heard in a way that even tn
Delanos of the party will hecd.-Phd
ddclphid Times.