New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1875-07-19
MR. wv s. King rs HEARD FROM AGAIN.

tmay be remembered that among the most
beautiful Of the OratiOns called forth this year
by the anniversary of American independence
was Il stirring address at ST. Cloud, Mlnn,
by our distinguished cOuntryman, William ).
King. Dir. King was in a remarkably happy
frame of mind just at that time. lie looked
around upon "the fervOr. the flowers, and the
" fruitagc of the South :" the "bOundless
"prairics" of his own happy region; the
"mountain ranges" with gold and sill
yer in their bowels the majestic
Mississippi with its steamboats,, and
snass, and sand bars. and all such things;
and the Canada frontier close at hand in case
anybody wished to buy bull or get away
from IA subpoena he looked around upon this
pleasing prospect, and he said: Fellow citi-
zens, the spirit of our institutions is without
"qucstion mighty stimulus TO human
thought and activity. 1t crowns orr common
manhood with dignity which inspires self
"relancc, rouscs and develops to the utter
"most mans intellectual forces, and. with the
"pccuarly favorable conditions afforded,
" this has resulted i'll material progress
"withOut parallel" And then odd
Bill King with a neat but perhaps not alto
gether original allusiOn to ancient Rome, de-
clarcd it 10 be his proudest boast that he was
an American citizen. This impassioned speech
was ii trihe surprising, because the recent
career of Mr.. King in pursuit of his material
prosperity is well known to have been check
cred one. He was detected making Use of his
Office as Postmaster of the House of Repre-
sentativcs to facilitate the disbursement of cor
ruption funds, and some of the money of the
Pacific Mail Steampship Company was traced
directly to his possession, and there lost sight Of
How unselishly," said he to his audience at
st. Cloud, "shall we discharge the trusts that
"fate has placed in our landsr 1t was not
fate, it WIS X. b. Irwin; the trust was
S115, 1000; and how unscliishly Mr.. King dis
charged it is just what Congress tried in vain
to find out.
Pursued by an unbridlcd and iccntous press
and by deputy sergcant-ut arms, Mr.. King
left Washington and finally stepped across the
British boundary, still carrying "a great
deal Of valuable information concealed
about his person. In spite of for
nal request from the Minnesota House
of Representatives that he would either justify
his transactions or resign and in spite of an
intimation that the Criminal Court of the
him stand trial for perjury, Mr. King re-
manned in Canada, "buying bull" until
after the adjournment of Congress, when he
came home and resumed his interesting con-
temptation of the spirit of our institutions rs
mighty stimulus to human thought and ac
tyity. Meanwhile the Pacific Mali Steamship
Company had attached his property, and there
was such prospect of trouble ahead for him
in Washington whenever he shoud venture to
take the seat to which he has been elected in
the House Of Representatives that, as we have
sad the cheerful Grafton with which he
bloomed upon st. Cloud was not what tho
world expected of him.
But Mr. King has not "dcyelopcd his intel
lectual forces " in vain. He knew what he
was talking about and sure enough within
week Minneapolis court dissolved the at
tachment against his property, the Judge de-
claring that courts of justice will not lend
&" their aid to punish parties for running away
from Congressional Investigating Commit
"tee." 1t is true the writ is set aside merely
on the ground that there is not sufii-
cicnt proof of the defendants intcn-
ton to run away; but Mr.. Kings
newspaper, and the rest of Mr.. Kings
friends, interpret the decision rs virtual
conclusion of all the attempts to ascertain
by legal process chow unselfishly he dis
"chargcd the trust that fate placed in his
Glands" We hope with all heart that
their confidence is misplaced, and their rejoc
ipgs are blunder, and We are satisfied that
Mr.. King will have some pointed questions to
answer when he presents himself at Washing
ton on the opening of Congress. But if he
knew this decision of Judge Young was coming,
we are not at all astonishcd at his assuring
the people of St. Cloud: 81 dare to predict
/" for our Republic career of splendid succcssI
sin every element OF the national greatness and
that II, al Init ro oil,