The daily Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1873-1877, 1875-11-24
Ghe 19ailg Argns,
Graft and the Crooked Whiskev

As il is evidently the purpose Of the
prosecution in TIE St. Louis whiskey cases
to call off the dogs when they strike "a
scent leading in the direction of the White
House, it becoults j matter Of interest to
the public, who are not permitted to know
the secrets of the treasury detective ser
vice, to put together the ends OF threads
which are occasionally dropped by subor-
dinate officials. in following clues, and to
draw conclusions thercirom,
1t is certain, from the published e7i-
dence, that the st. Louis ring supposed
they We're SO securely protected that they
could afford TO laugh at the idea of BgiS-
tow 5 interfering with their conspiracy
against the treasury; and yet there is only
Que man III the United States who could
override Mr. BriStOw5 acts. 1t is in evi
dence that IA letter signed Bah" was
freely exhibited by "a revenue officer OF the
goyernmen', now in the penitentiary, to
strengthen the back bone Of distilers who
were frightened at the enorm;ty OF the
frauds they had been committing, but
there does not seem to have been any ar
du0us effort made to establish the authen
ITCHY of the letter. The name of the con
6dential illegal private secretary of the
president begins with the syllable Bah,
aud that individual, who has gained great
notorieSy by certifying to false measure
ments for the Washington ring, is known
to have grown suddenly rich ia an unac-
c, untabie manner
When Mr.. Bristow began his warfare on
the ring, Supervisor Mcdonald said lie
would set it all right, and by going to the
president, taking with him "a air of fine
horses, he did set it all right for a time,
by getting from Grant an order counter
maGding one OF the secretary'S most i'm
pDrtant measures for the detection of the
implicated swindlers. As Gel. Grosvcnor
of St Louis says, who had excellent onpor
tunities for watching the whole business,
he was received ~ the president aud rode
with h.ui nu Toe avenue inns vas NOR
than year after NcDonald's Connection
W,,h the wliskyY ring had been made
ppbiie in tae SIN when the president
vi>itc -. ir"ls, Ned maid was usually in
his company; and as late as Ocobcr. 1877,
en- TIE y. sldeGt visited the fair grounds
It the pr =, nee of %, 0OJ people, Mcdonald
vas b. is side. 1t was currently reported
It that tine that, having praised 4 horse
the tair, the president received it the
next day as a present from Mcdonald,
and that he permitted the officials there to
ave carriage manufactured expressly
for him, aud to pay his bills at the hotel.
All this occurred after Med maid $ COL
nectipn with the whlskey ring had been
| publicly exposed in the newspapers, and
| he main facts in regard to the nature 81
| re whiskey frauds were as comalon a sui
| ject of conversation in Washington as the
| resident S eagerness to make money, oI
is equivalent, in every possible way by
use OF his official opportunities. All these
things are extremely suggestive, and theil
gniicance is not impaired by the stern
'titude which Grant assumed against the
ring when the whiskey prosecutions haC
passed beyond his control. The presiden
is reported to have sent word to Mcdonald
after gran Jury had passed upon the ey
hence against him, and he had agail
sought to set it all right: Tell Gen. &c
Donald that | cannot see lnan who is un
Ter indictment"
In reference to this outhurst Of Roman
irmneSs the Hartford Times periinentl
inquiries how it happened that Il presden
- scrupulou should not only have secl
tut invited to the " hite House the late As
>istant District Attorney Huntington, whe
- was actually On trial for being concern
ed in the safe burglary conspiracy? \
answer to this question may perhaps b
uggestcd by the fact that 1t is n5w muc
nearer to the assembling of the RcpGbli
eau nominating convention than it wa
when Dick Harrington was in the prison
RS dock We doubt if that worthy wouI
receive favorable reception at the Whit
House now, even if he should be accom-
panied by Boss Shepherd, the president
most attached adviser. Circumstance
alter cases, and we should not be surprise
TO see Boss Grant BLOSSOM out as an exit
berant Reformer almost any day.-N. !