The Louisiana Democrat. [volume] (Alexandria, La.) 1845-1918, 1876-06-21
Radical Drift.
A KNACK THE REPUBLICANS HAVE or
SUSTAINING CORRUPTION.

ted in more conclusive proof of incom
potency, malfeasance in Office, and sys-
tematic fraud than that of the Public
Printer, which recently closed at Wash
ington. His own books, his own SUI
bordinates, his own accounts, and his
own testimony, without reference to
the experts called in, establish every
charge made, leaving no doubt what
ever that in the last seven years Of
Clapp's administration three or four
millions of the peoples money have
been squandered and stolen. But in
spite of these deadly exposures, the
printing ring was strong enough to fnd
a defender on the committee, and to
rally the Republicans of the House to
its support. Mr.. BaIlou, of Rhode Is
land, appeared as the champion of all
these iniquities, and attempted to cx-
tenuate them on the most himsy and
feeble pretexts. He first pleaded to
the jurisdiction of the House, as Clapp
did when he found the evidence crush
ing him, upon the ground that the
Public Printer is an officer of the Sen
ate, and is not subject to investigation
by any other tribunal. Mr.. Ballou did
not attempt to- deny the charges
against this officer, or to dispute the
testimony proving them. But he had
the ,effrontery to Justify the most bare. !
faced violations of law, misappropria-
tion Of public money, false charges and
fraudulent vouchers, as il they were
common trifles not to be condemned,
but rather to be commended. 10 &
As Mr.. Anthony has habitually de-
Tended the Public Printer, and white
washed him in the last Congress,it is
perhaps natural that Mr.. Ballou should
initiate his example, and thus strive to
break the force,of this real iuvestiga-
ton, which is the first that has ever at
tempted to 50 down to the roots of this
corruption. The influences that opera
ted heretofore to suppress and rervert
the truth were eqnally industrious on
this OCCASION, but they only succeeded
in capturing the Republican, member
from Rhode Island. al .ig
MIR. Singleton, of mississippi, grasped
the whele subject with markell ability,
and presented it, SO clearly and concise
~ to. the House on Tuesday,. with sup
portinss extracts from the testimony,
as to leave no doubt in any candid
mind as to the enormity of the system
attic frauds which have been practiced,
or as to the absolute truth Of every
charge which had been preferred. His
,, speech was free f1om partisansqip,
and confined to careful review bf the
evidence and to an exposure of the
astounding rascality in every branch
tof the Government Printing Office.
But the Republican minority did moi
care for proofs. One of'their partisan
officials, who had been loyal aud Law.
ish in contributions of money and in
other ways at the public cost, was
arraigned before the country. H {
must be backed up, as Kellogg, tSpen.
Ger, Babcock, Belknap, Mcdonald
Joyce, and other friends Of the Presi
dent have been, or perhaps lie, too
1 might turn States evidence and make
more trouble in the camp. So the,
turned out nearly solid on the tes
vote of the day, and voted the Pbbli,
Printer to be prosecuted patriot
and the rotten printing offic to be I
noble institution'-[N. Y. Sun.