The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1876-07-27

crime or evidence OF a crime, II was a sin and
shame to drag the Secretary of War before TINS
they allowed the President to 1nish his career
OF wickedne ess without Interruption. Were those
gallant gentlemen afraid 20 ko the Cniei nse sh,
the Senate would use one measure of Justice 70.
Grant. and another for Belknspf No, thev did
no such injustice either to you or themselves.
They thought they could produce satisfactory
evidence to show that the gift to Belknap was
something more than gift-thst ~ was nflpe'
paid In pursuance OF contract or in considera-
ton OF of1cial favors bestowed lor promised.
That is what they alleee in the articles but,
having utterly failed to prove II, they ought In
honor ana conscience to give up the case.
II the giving or receiving Of presents Is neces,,
s.rily and In Its own nature always criminal ana
term OF once, why have they overlooked the
offence OF Judge Hoar, who gave the Pres,,gasns
misSs % prove tSss @ the % siyer Of that present was
afterwsrd commissioned BY the receiye. ~
Attorney General aud nominsted ,,S, ,3r srsve
with some show Of reason thst tDese
appointments being post hoe were also prnpter ppa
for Judge Hoar, making the gif, acted merely
upon the impulses OF generous heart and the
best M an for the Offices he put him in. Such
being the natural and the legal presumption In
that case, why should it not also DO made In
Another distinguished gentleman held the
ONCE OF Attorney General, and was afterwsrd
by kind OF TRANSLATION, sent to the Court OF
st. Jemes's, where he now resides as the Ameri-
can plenipotentiary. Before he got these high
that be had subscribed $4,000 to a fund for the
beneht OF the President. Who can prove that
these acts were corrupt or who will dare to
There Is another class OF cases, moro extern
sive and more numerous thsn these, In which
the law and public opinion indulge officers IN
giving and In receiving m oney for their personal
purposes. A high placed gentleman wants TO
humber OF popusr 10 ~ctes is reoaiSeS req" lie de-
mands from his subordinates money enough to
get the votes. and he enforces the order by dis
tinct notification that whosoever refuses to con-
tribute will be dismissed from mis- place. These
very post traders were forced to make enormous
sum thus raised for an Important election
thus amounts to many millions OF dollars. ls
this criminsll Certainly 1t Is, " you adopt the
principle Of the Managers that every voluntary
payment by an oficer to an ofncer Is tpso flcto
crime. Is II corrupt7 l do not s,y SO. But II
from Marsh without being corrupt, then YOU
condemn TO utter infamy the system to which
tstration II IL be corrupt, then all the ofioers
of the Government are thriving or corruption
alone. They can kesp their places y they % Pay Pay
honest means alone can they hope to RaiD pro-
motion.
public man, to use the figure of Curran ap.
Piled to similar condition OF things In another
country, Is like dead body In mill pond. lie
| lies quietly and obscurely at the lotion as long
as there Is any soundness in him; but his bulk
expands with the gases which corruption
| evolves; he becomes buoyant by putfefacuon
| say that this system Is corrupt, seeing tnat oil
| the great and good men now In the executive
| departments constantly practice Il. Whether II
is an evil that ought TO be abolished, or virtue
| to be encouraged, Is certainly question o1
| which there Is some difference OF opinion. What
| assert Is that there is no law which forbids It.
/ nor rule of morality among public of1cer,
which forbids It. That being the case. is Il not
| horrible to convict this party, VINO has certainl,
done nothing worse.
| | bring no railing accusation against any on,
| Of the persons / have mentioned. / declare
| that all these ofncers who have received and
given money are innocent OF any onense know
to the law and therefore not impeachabls
have mentioned their cases merely for the pur
pose OF illustration, and to show that Gen. Bel
| KNAPP has not acted crimnaly any more thar
| the rest OF them. do not ask you to acqui
| him " be 10 guilty, on the ground that other
| are equally guilty, but show his freedom frou
| criminslity BY proving that others who hav
| done similar things are not only free from guilt
| but In universal estimation, honored and 10
| spected.