Clearfield Republican. [volume] (Clearfield, Pa.) 1851-1937, 1875-12-22


r-----------------x.- x.---.--.---.-.--...--.... -,
(iencrai BAbebsls' bus bscns Indicted
for completely in, the western whisky
frauds, and the President hastened 10
anlindcceut effort TO shield him by ap.
pointing u military court of inquiry
Iihst Gun neither investigate nor pun.
ISL. Then it was hoped thar he would
escape call from the civil oourtait ]
answer fol. his alleged crime. aud II
was intended TO give him n military
certificate under coercion from tho
Presidents for want OF evidence and
trust to tho partisan press TO vindlcatc
him. True il would leave him dana.
aged in the estimation Of tho honest
portion of. the public but General
Babcock seemed to consider that any
sort of escape was better than meeting
the issue Ms n mun'oi conscious inno-
cence would have met Il, and he took
shelter behind the military copimission
and the proclaimed favor Of tho Presi-
dent. But tho st. Louis grand jury
did not .baye,the fearol Grant nor Of
Babcock before its eyes, and Il did not
yield its high prerogativesi to a power
less court Of inquiry, Onthc contra.
ry, u treated tlencrsl, BabcocIs as o
common offender, and invited, biminto
the criminal dock. Ccnutcrnsticf, at
once seized Babcock and he friehds,
including the President. and the ttsls
of justicebsd TO bu brpkenby tho strong
arm Of Presidential snnthority. Had
Babcock been Innocent, l,o would have
atonce repaired to ST. Louis, confronted
his accuscrs and dcioi Mr. Ileudcson
but he did tot dare 10 meet the nccu.
saiion wiIha fearless prosecaioraguilrYI
him, and some pre,ext had 10 be iound
10 decapltatc thcohly man WHO thor
ougbly understood all the ramiiications
of the gigantic combination If thieves.
Mr. Henderson had said nothing per
sonally offensive about the President,
but re bad guardedly and with dignity
discussed the truth as presented by tho
evidence, Forthis be is displaced Just
as BabcocIs is 10 be ariaigned, and
tLers- can n..be bul one Judgement as 10
the purpose-that IL was done BY the
President because Of his knowledge
that Babcock can DC shieldcdfrom con.
viction and punishment in no other
way Such viii be, must be, the be,
liei of every dispassionate citizen who
examines the hcts, and the President
will bc held as welding his whole of.
fetal power toprcgct hisown personal
staff from the aveDgiDg arm Of thelaw
ior high crimes committed in thc very
temple OF national authority. .3ss
Nor will the public mind stop with
harsh criticism OF the action of the
President il this particular case II
recalls many facts 10 which the pub
lie have not been Indifferent 1t has
been notorious that speculation, Iegili.
mate and illegitimatc, has been rife in
and about the White House during the
reign of President Grant, The Dents
have made tbeirnames a'stench 10 the
nostrils ofshoncst mnn IN Washington
BY their johbery in the, name of the
President, and Grant and Babcock
have been hand-in hand with Shepherd
in his unexampled municipal robbcrics
in Washington. Even when Repub-
lican Congress bad to abolish populsr
government in Tie Capital OF tile nation
TO escape the remoseless rings organ.
lied by Shepherdand BabcocS, which
had dwastcd millions of money, the Pros
ident defended Shepherd, aud ho was
nominated TO tho Senate ms City
Commissioner, to continue his pecula-
tions. But six Senators had the hardi.
hood to withhold . rcbukc of the Pres
idcnt tor his utter contcmpt Of every
dictate of honesty providing d GOV,
ernmcnt for the Capital city already
crushed by debt, aud Shepherd was un-
tremendously rejected Nor have the
public failed To note that the ''Coonel
Of Engineers" with q modest salary Of
u few thousand dollars, was able fo, ri.
val tho PRESIDENT in his home IL Wash.
ington, in his cottage BY the sea, and
in the splcndor Of his living, and as
peeulation peculation startled and
Inundated the nation by the persistent
use Of the names of the Presidents
personal staff In connection herewith,
there has been profound sense OF dis
trust throughout the country that
could claim no partisan prejudice as its
source, And now when by an accident
tho direct issue comes, the President
rushes to the front and throws his
whole official power into the scale to
shield Babcock, who, il innocent, could
go singlc.handcd and alone and viudi-
cate himself, II will make painful
chapter in the annalsoi the Grant nd.
ministration, and will do moro to tispcl
tho third.tcrm infatuation than all the
studied demagogtiism of the President
on schools and scctarianism can recov.
er in a three mouths crusadc. P,dia-
delphia Times. sltff as,.E1 7
-,----.--------p -. a. p
"cmisriAS" swISpLIsos. -Thecoun
try, broal and wide, knows how, tho
poor niggers of the South, who had
their little all in that Frecdnian's. Bank
nj Washington, d. c., have been rob-
bed, but viii scarcely be prepared to
learn that, dmoug the mscrablc, scoun.
drclly thieves that stole tho deposits
in that institution, stand forth a gang