National Republican., 1875-11-12
The Way TO Victory.

CFrom the st. Louis Journal, November 81
The Republican prints this morning some in
teresting correspondence which passed between
a prominent st. Louis attorney and j. w.
Douglass, late Commissioner of Internal Rev.
enue, from June to September, 1874, which
shows that proper action on the part Of Mr..
Douglass at that time would have unearthed
the illegal transactions, which, through his
negligence, to use no harsher term, were
allowed to continue until May Of this year. The
names of parties reported then as engaged In
ring frauds are as follows:
q. W. Ford, John Mcdonald, Joe Fltzroy,
James H. Goncannon, John A. Joyce, John L.say-
Douglass Thorpe, Andy McGrue and Theodore
Hemanf. In this ring was VIM. Mckee, now of
time in Washington in the interest of the new
ring now in successful operation Mckee was
taken in for the reason that he was the only man
who could be trusted to reach Mr.. Ford, which
service he successfully performed, and received
his weekly reward.
The mention of the name of Theodore He
mans in this connection is new to US, and we
believe the most thorough investigation will
show him to be In no way connected with the
whisky ring. The statement concerning Mr..
McKee's connection with the frauds, ana the
part he performed In the illegal transactions,
will be found correct, as far as 1t goes. The
frauds could not have been carried on one
hour without his powerful influence with Ford.
He first made possible the organization of the
ring by abusing the confidence of the collector.
He originated the plausible fiction that the in
terests OF the party demanded the raising of
campaign fund, and it is q significant fact, as
will appear III the trial of these cases, that the
money apportioned to Ford was sent under
cover to Mr.. Mckee, and there is no evidence
that il ever went any further. 1t is because
we have been aware of Mr.. McKee's peculiar
pNsifi0u kpt the rincy he Oizad and fha
collector he deceived that we have ranked him
as the head devil of the ring. When the evil
denee is heard We will be sustained in this
matter. If Joyce shall languish in prison he
will suffer as the victim of William Mckee. If
Mcdonald shall keep him company in his re-
tirement he may thank William MaKee for his
downfall. Fitzroy forced to plead guilty; the
distilers forced to confess the rectihers anxious
to tell everything; the gaugers caught in net;
the storekeepers praying for mercy-all these
men are disgraced and ruined through the
Vaccinations OF William Mckee. And Con.
Mcguire is to-day arraigned In court and forced
to plead to criminal Indictment because he,
like Ford, his predecessor, fell into the tolls of
William Mckee.
The Journal has been charged with harsh
persecution Of this man who has grown rich
by debauching alike public officials and pri-
yate citizens. But we rest our case with the
people, confident that q full investigation Will
sustain us in our course. As leader of the
Republican party, as the head Of the most In
fuential Republican paper in the West, he has
pursued his avaricious schemes with re-
morseless pertinacity as astonishing as 1t was
successful. Every prominent Republican poll
tician in Missouri has felt the baleful influence
of this mans manipulations. If he could not
debauch, he vilifed. If he could not use, he
abused. If he could not rule, he ruined. As
a consequence the party in the State is disor-
ganized, broken into fragments, thoroughly
defeated and disheartened. And the first work
TO be done in the process Of reconstruction and
the organization for future victory is the most
thorough exposure and the most ruthless pun
ishment of the Head Devil, who has brought
us to defeat and abject submission to Bourbon
rule.