Alpena weekly argus. [volume] (Alpena, Mich.) 1871-1893, 1875-12-15
The WHISKY Ring Predicn-
H'v tfscnt. 1ft ~. /.
The Lnnisrille Cnurier-Lnnrni

/
The Louisville Courier-Journal
It is hard to believe that th'
President would now, under any
circumstance, throw any obstacle:
in the way of Secretary Bristov
in his prosecution of the whisky
ring. However reluctant Genera
Grant may have been, or is now, .to
believe that any of his friends have
been directly engaged in these con-
spiricies to defraud the Govern
mept, the positive step he took at
the beginning of Mr. Bristow's cru
SADIE, and tho equally positive APP
proyal he has according to the
Secretary's recent letter, given to
the proceedings, commit him inre-
vocably to the full exposure of the
whole affair.
1t has been characteristic of
President Grant that he has never
gone back on friend, and that he
has never hesitated to exercise his
own judgement, even when it con-
ilicted with ascertained public SEN
timent, for the direction Of his Of
fetal action /; but such personal f.
deity and such independence of
actions must have some limit, and
Gen. G ant would fail of his ordin-
airy sagacity if he did not perceive
that both his own action and pub
lio snntimert hive fixed the limit
in the present instance. He. effect
ually crossed his Rubicon when he
admonished Secretary Bristow TO
let 10 guilty man escape. Even if
he were disposed, i is too late now
to shield his personal friends, aud
to attempt now to remedy the error
=
he committed in permitting crowd
OF, harpies to, flutter about him, by
throwing any obstacle; in the way
of full exposure of their real char
acter would only be to sacrifice his
honor to futile attempt to, vip-
dictate his Judgement. Gen. Grant
knows as we'll as any one that a
generous people may forgive an
erTor. Of judgement. even when it
is hlamahle,, but that when q peo-
pie are convinced Of a deliberate
purpose of wrong no more relent-
less judges could be called to pass
sentence on a convicted criminal.
General Grant has been repeated
~ urged in the last few weeks to
press the whisky ring prosecutions
in orderto CIGAR off the shadow. of
spspi ION that his unfortunate con
nection. with some of, the 'gnilty
parties has, thrown across his paple
hut General Grant has not hereto
fore shown any very great sensi-
tiveness under such attacks, Or, at
least, he has not. given evidence Of
it by the usual means of explana-
ton and exculpatiQn, and it i
doubtful whether he has been much
influenced by such suggestions
The President is a. man who con-
siders what's done as done. H.
bas few explanations on record
indeed, about the only record 81
such an event in his career is that
given by General Sherman when
he refers, in his memoirs, to the
fact that General Grant was re-
stored TO the command of all the
troops up, the Tennessee river by
reason of General Smiths extreme
illness, "and because he had ex-
planned TO General Halleck salts
factorily his conduct after. Donel-
son." The most ardent personal
admirers Of the President point to
his habitual silence under censure
rs an example of sublime patience
that is confident Of vindication in
In, the end; his enemies declare
that he is silent because he is cal
lous; while those WHO have with
out bias observed his character as
criie his silence under such cir
cumstanccs tot deliberate exercise
Of an hcutepess that tells him that
there is danger of explaining a
thing till all men doubt II,
Just as the gsard might die, hut