The Jasper weekly courier. [volume] (Jasper, Ind.) 1858-1922, 1876-04-07
Belknep's Offense and Grant's.

From the Detroit Free Press
Had IL not been for the preparation ~ the
public mind by the disclosures IN tine case ~
kelknap. the testimony of brNil Grant. tho
Presidents brother before the Committee
on Expenditures ia the War Department.
would have fallen upon the people like
thunderbOt and would have raised against
Grant storm uf indignation compared with
which that excited against his secretary 81
War wa summer zephyr. For The charge
which OWL makes against hi brother l.
precisely the same a. that made hy Marsh
against Belknsp: and 10y A. much A. the
President stands higher than the member of
hi Cabinet hy much l. HI Oficnse the
greater aud more di-graceful.
II l. true that. 20 far a. ha> vet appeared.
no money consideration passed between
Oryil and Ulysses. nor did the former APP
proaeh the latter indirectly. a. Marsh did
Belknap. by the coniugal road. But II the
President granted OWNS request out ~
fraternal affection. or from feeling that he
owed compliance 10 him n a brother, he re-
ciNed consideration just a. much ~ Bel
KNAPP did. The ohense may not be tech
nically punishable in the courts OF law, per-
haps not even in the high court OF impcach-
ment. because there was nothing passed
between the brothers which can be tech
nically called . bride. But IN the court
Of morals II Is not easy 10 see any real dis
tnction between the case OF the President
ana lIdl Oh his lAtt SECRETARY hl W AIs IlAl
the latter sold Marsh piece OF land instead
OF post-tradershp. without receiving any
money, the conveyance could have been set
aside on the ground that no consideration
passed. bat had Grant sold all the real es-
tate he owns TO his brother without receiy-
ing a dollar. the iraiernal relation would
have been sufficient 10 support the convey
ance. And II .hc fraternal reelection l.
perfect substitute for money in a business
Transaction OF an honest character, upon
what theory can IL be held 10 be no sub-ti-
'ute in corrupt and dishonorable trans
actions
Amid all the clouds which have darkened
around the administration OF President
Grant we have chung, a. We believe the vast
majority Of the American people have chung,
10 belief In his freedom from personal corr
ruption. That he exercised the appointing
power with an utter disregard for his own
dignity and for tie interests Of the public
We well knew. A. we did that he chung To his
friends long after the people had become
convinced 81 their unwor,hines- and even
~ their criminality. But that he had stained
his hands with a bride or became personally
involved, with an eve 10 his own interests in
the corrupt practices OF his chosen ministers
and assistants. we have ~teadfastly refused
70 believe. We have done 20 because II has
been impossible To figure up in imagination
the amount Of spoil which could present IT,
self in sufficiently seductive form Ia tempt
man elevated To the high position Of Pres
ident ~ these United States, or which would
seem 10 such one a sufficient compensation
for the overwhelming load OF infamy which
would attach 10 his name forever should he
betray his trust. But by the recent reyela-
tons. and especially by the story which the
President = brother tells 30 unblushingly.
this belief j. rudcy shaken: and though
there j. still some slight ground for thank
fulness in the fact that there has A. yet been
M Nutl. fh.4 les nal
palm. there l. far less ground than there has
been for the trust that the future has no
such humiliation in store for the American
people. When IL l. shown that the highest
official in the nation has used his power 10
advance the schemes " a member ofhis own
household for tratficking in sutlerships, IL Is
but single step, and short one, to the
conviction that such an official would not
hesitate to advance his own fortunes ia a
similar way.