Marshall County Republican. (Plymouth, Ind.) 1856-1878, 1876-12-14

the revival OF an Old suit commenced by Aftor-
ney-General Barlow, renewed by Governor Til
den, aud about a week or so ago dismissed nv
the court on motion of the defendants to that
effect
George d. Lord has recently been convicted.
He was tried for Legislative bribery in connec
ton with the Hand award" o. the first
trial the jury failed to agree. On the second
when the case was taken from At,ornev-Cen-
eral Farchiid and put into more competent
bands, the jury rendered verdict OF guilty,
Sentence was postponed, and The prisoners
counsel-a bitter political and personal enemy
OF Governor Tiden-went 81. Louis not
curlously enough 10 oppose the nomination of
that gentleman, but to shout Justify for it. The
questions now asked are, why the sentence was
postponed? what cansed Mr.. Lansing to sup
port his worst enemy at the Convention2 and
VIII George d. Lord ever receive his sentence2
Shrewd men, who know all the circumstances
oil the case, confess that 10 the first and second
OF these questions they can not give an answer:
on the last they venture the opinion TIA: Lord
who belongs TO n powerful family and wields
an almost absolute influence 10 Monroe County.
Will be kept dangling the edge of susne,se
until the next elections safely over aud he
can no longer do good or harm, aud then be re-
manded to the tender mercies OF the Law.
There Is the bare possibility of his escape: but
it would be more cnnsouanI with Gov. Tildep's
character 10 hold cut an implied promise of
clemency until the critical time bad passed
and then leave the to his fate IL NAV NOT
be forgotten that at the last Fail election Mon
roe County was swung clear over from Gov.
Tden, and went against his ticket bv sn enor-
nous majority. 1t IS not bis intention to have
this happen again ii be can help II. This is the
present condition of the single one of the Gov
ernor's three canal reform suits which mas
been successful.
The two other suits brought are. as already
stated, civil suits, and Que has been dismissed
So. l. ID
being received atoul two weeks ago. II was. in
fact. almost hopeless from the start but there
was material for sensation in it aud for this
and other reasons, to be spoken of hereafter il
was put forward ove- the second suit. which
seems to have more promise of success The
suit was not brought BY Gov. Tildeu, who only
renewed il, hut by Attorney General Barlow
during his term of Office some years ago 1t
grew out of he notorious Stanwix Hall auction
sale OF contracts in 1866 and the defendants
were Denison, Belden aud Gale of Syracuse
contractors. Gen. Barlow prepared the case,
brought il TO trial, carried it through various
stages on demurrer to the Court of Appeals.
and there, on the law points raised. ,he decision
was adverse to the State. Alter this the suit
practically abandoned as rntenable. this
being The opinion OF Judge Daniel Pratt who
succeeded Barlow. When the canal reform
commenced Gov. Tilden exhumed the papers
from their place of repose in the Attorney-Gen-
cIdi OilCc, anu again came INTO court Win
them, only to have the case once for all dis.
missed. So ends the second OF the three canal
uits.
The third is against Denison & Belden, and is,
indeed. the only actual prosecution of contrac-
tors begun under the new laws passed at Gov
Tilden's instance. 1t is thus test case of the
canal reform policy, and was brought By Attor-
ney-General Fairchid The decision of Judge
Westbrook In the first case, however, is consid-
cred to have almost decided the second. since
the principles involved are nearly the same. A
little before the st. Louis Convention, the Gov
eruor made several efforts to procure the indict-
ment of the defendants on criminal charges in
connection with the case but after failing in the
counties of Syracuse Utica, and Albany. he gave
up the attempt. The suit is brought for the re-
covery OF moneys alleged to have been frandu-
lenily obtained on Denison & Belden's contract,
and the case will be tried this month before a
struck jury, unless IL is again postponed at the
request of the prosecution.
With this recital the work OF "canal reform
in the prosecution of fraudulent contractors ia
ended. There are, perhaps, dozens of men
against whom as good cases could be made out
ms have been against Lord, or Denison, Belden,
and Gale. n the pending suit against tue lat
ter has any standing at alt then there are num-
erous other contractors who ought By this time
TO have been prosecuted, unless il be desired to
draw ont the work until after November II
Woutu oc easy W w luis w btgluuiuE II Few
case against another man as soon as the lasr
was disposed of; though why several could moi
be brought at once perhaps only Gov. Tiden
can explain. II may be, probably is, only CO.
incidence but the fact Is Interesting that the
only men the Governors reform lightning has
thus far struck, were those who distinguished
themselves By their strenuous opposition to him
when he was seeking the nomination for Gov
ernor in 1874, and who refused TO contribute to
the campaign fund after be was nominated.
There has been much cry aud little wool in
this canal reform business. Three suits COM
menced. One criminal suit carried to a convc-
tion and sentence postponed; one old civil suit
brought years ago by a former Attorney Gene
raj, renewed now, and dismissed by the Court;
another suit OF a similar character against the
same fnen, which has been frequently post
poned. and now awaits trial. This represents
all that has been done against the whole array
OF capal contractors by Governor Tilden since
he assumed the role of a canal reformer, and is
the only visible return he makes for the expen-
dilure OF some 100000 in expenses
of bis Canal Investigating Commission
and in hiring lawyers to do the work
which his own proiege, Attorney-Geitral Fair
child, is ridiculcusly incapable of perform
ing The ouIy in which this young gem
teman figured was the first trial OF George D.
Lord, aud then he failed. The second trial was
conducted by special counsel, and then a con-
viction was obtained. Special counsel were also
employed for the first suit against the Syracuse
contracting firm. Wheiner Mr. Fairchid will
have anything to do with the trial OF the second
is not known. Ia his last annual message, the
Governor asked for $4,000 special appropria-
ton to pay for hiring legal assistance for the
Attorney General. The Legislature un-
willing TO give the Governor the opportunity to
make political capital out OF a refusal. which IL
reasonably concluded he would certainly have
done; but Attorney General Fairchild eau not
show to-day. and dare not institute a COM
parison, that he has done as
much work in the preparation and prosecution
of suits against canal contractors, as did Attor-
ney- General Barlow. who had no extra assist
auce and no appropriation, and asked for none.
IL was this message, in which the Governor
asked for more money, more lawyers, more lava
mere officers, and more every Thing. which sug.
gesteo Nasts humorous cartoon, wherein Gov.
Tilden was depicted as coming before the fright
ened guardian of the State Treasury, with his
mouth open hike a vast gulf, and crying for
";nore more" the more" being required ito
bring these suits (hree) 10 trial." 1t should,
however, be stated that the Commission saved
the Stale $4,000 by stopping payment OF tive
certificates for that amount
"But look at the gigantic system of fraud
which has been broken up say the Governors
partisaus title fraudulent contracts stopped. the