National Republican., 1876-02-25
"HOC GUILTY.

"R0C GUILTY"
This verdict of the Missouri jury in the
ease Of General Babcock, as it circulated
YESTERDAY, through the streets of this Capi
tai city, which he has done so much tc
improve, caused almost universal JOY.
His friends rcjoiced because they believed
it to be just; they did not think it possible
that man whom they had known foI
years as the disburscr of millions of the
public funds here, before their eyes, with,
out exciting the breath of suspicion OF
his integrity, could, in the nature OF things,
be so foolish and depravcd as 10 conspire
against the Treasury Of the people in dis
tant city, or wink and connivc at such con-
apiracy in others who would thus hold in
their hands the keeping Of his fair name
and fame. Setting aside all question of
integrity even, and every other view of the
case, they gave him credit for too much
common sense and sagacity to have placed
himself in a position so dangerous. If he
were a thief why should he not commit
ms malfeasance here where the whole
business would be under his control? lie
occupied position which in the hands OF
n corrupt and designing knaye. or pol
ishcd scoundrel, such es the Detective
press would have the people believe him
&c be, could have been made to net him
millions annually, without half the danger
Of exposure which was certain to attend
this whisky conspiracy; and yet so faithful
has been his performance Of the duties in.
oidcnt 10 it, and so careful and discreet has
he siwsys been in the execution of the deli
cate and confidential trusts confded to him
as secretary to the Executive, that no
scandal has ever attached Othose relations.
His Outgoings and inComings have been
frank and open before the world, his record
has been pure and uRblenlished alike in
the army, in the Executive Office, in the
Improvement of Public Buildings and
Grounds and in the social ciIclc5 Of private
life. His career since the VIZ has been a
siHeularly busy one. He has had no timo
10 devote to intrigucs and conspiracieS
LimsG!f and less IL which 10 indulge in
thc suspicion Of these ViliaInics in others.
Niat a grand thing it would be for this
country ii it had 10 idlcrs to conceive and
rTol gate suspicious OC their uci sLbors!
Bat we have said that the foregoing views
oi Gen. BabCCCk'S case were those in
GeIctd by his fiicnds who kacw him
best, Great anxiety. nevertheless, per
vaGcd such circles lest the Jury in ii dis
teat State, ignorant Of all these surround
ings. 10 US so familiar, and breathing an
atn.cEphere redolcnt Of conviction and
punishment Of Corrar! officials and men of
wealth and character, might each the
epidemic and, urged on by tLo pr@judg
meat Of vindictive. relentless, unscrupu-
I,;;s and shameless Detective Press, which
represented asd deemed that tie President
~ we'll as his secretary was upon trial,
c"u5ign him 70 disgrace aud in(anIy in the
hcat Of the prevailing excitement, instead
TrronOuucing his acquiLtsl IS the rcsul;
OF a careful Weighing uf all the testimony
This anxiety was most happily relieved
yesterday afternoon about u'clcck by the
receipt Of the magic words al the head Of
this article. The rejoicing vas general.
Only the mcst bitter partisans, with whom
paItv transcenGs love OF country, refused
to join in tho gratulations that, by this
CcEsiderste and just verdict Of a strange
Jury, in q distant and Democratic State,
our country had been saved from the damn
ing disgrace that would have attached to
the conviction Of the President E conficn-
tial friend and secretary or completely in
the rObbery Of the national revenues. For
this was the second thought. ETsd this
verdict been different, what would be said
oil our republican institutions abroad! The
Imagination was busted in the conception
of the comments that would have Jccu ex-
cited by it upon the army. the politicians,
the people and the courts. As il is, the
court has ruled impartially. and held with
even and nerVeless grasp the scales o. jus
ticc; the honor Of our army has again as
serted itself and our American juries have
achieved the proud distinction Of the ability
to weigh and sift evidence so as to separate
the credible from the spurious, regardless
Of surrounding excitement and the clamor
of the Detective Press. The SQUIRT and
jury in this case have labored with remark
able patience and assiduity, a1d they have
their reward in the consciousness of having
elevated the jurisprudence Of the country
gy the result Of tleir efforts.
Il will be remembered that this journal
has from the outset assumed the probable
innocence Of both Avery and Babcook Of
oomplicity in the conspiracy and Of guilty
knowledge of its existence. This assump-
tion was based upon knowledge OF the tac-
tics of the conspirators, as developed else
where and in other cases. We denounced
the threats Of Mogrue and others to con-
vict high officials as menacos 70 make the
Secretary of the Treasury call off his
scandal hounds, as the conspirators eS
pressed it, and gave the opinion that these
prscticed perjurers would not hesitate to
swear innocent men into prison in order TO
save themselves. When the premature ru-
NOR Of General Babcock's indictment was
sot sfoat, and the name of the Presidents
brother coupled with it, we characterized
that % further menace directed to the
President, which meant, "Call halt, or
1--WE will disgrace you and your family
"name and your administration and oil
intimately associated with you. Wewill
compel you to open the pardon.door of
"our prison by taking them in with us
when we can all escape" But even