Public ledger. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1865-1893, 1876-04-24
MORE CIsTERNs OF CORRUPTION
OPENED,

Sergeant Prender, late clerk in
the Treasury department, makes
some ugly disclosures. He is in
charge Of the Signal Service Sta
ton at st. Louis, and states that
when formerly in the Treasury de-
partment under McCulloch, large
fortunes were made out Of the re-
demption bureau. He reported.
the facts, but no Investigations were
made. The whole Radical admin
istration seems to have been honey
combed with fraud and corruption.
The party that claimed. to save the
country has fastened itself upon
the people for years, to feast and
fatten upon the yitals Of their pros
perity. 1t is no wonder, then, that
every industry l~anguishes; that
people cannot pay their debts, and
the cry of hard times comes up
from every State, county, city and
town in the Union, without a
single exception. There is one
place which has complained
less than all others, and that
is Washington City. The corrupt
rings there, the Shopkeepers and
clearinghouse keepers, the subsi-
died newspapers and swarms of
officials and lobbyists there have
grown rich and insolent upon the
life blood of the nation, and their
corruptions have been diffuSed into
the great arteries Of commerce and
politics to the remotest sections Of
the country until public faith and
morals seem well nigh destroyed.
The Republican papers, instead of
sustaining the Democratic majority
of the House engaged in exposing
the enormities of rascality and
crime that have grown up under
the shadow Of the capital in the
last eight years, simply sheer at the
''rebel House" All possible obsta-
cles are thrown in the way, and the
Republican minority lag reluct-
antly in the rear while these investi-
cations are going on. There has
been more or less rascality in every
department Of the government and
almost every one in the confidence
of the President has betrayed some
trust. We had hoped, for the sake
of the country's fair name abroad,
that the President himself would
escape untarnished. No one who
has any national pride or a sense Of
decency can take any satisfaction
in the disgrace of the President.
When Belknap's turpitude was ex-
posed and he resigned in dismay
the Republican papers made haste
to explain that he was originally &
Democrat, making the impression
that he had been a rascal all The
time, although for seven years the
trusted adviser and confident of the
Administration. And should any.
thing wrong be traced to the
President we suppose the excuse
will be hal he too had Democratic
proclivities in early life. The de
Velopments of last week were NOR
unfavorable to his reputation thai
anything yet brought to light. Tn.
fact that he ordered $35, 900 to b
paid out to Davenport, a note
New York politician, to influenc
the elections will require explains
ton. The President is reported
be greatly troubled over it. H
says he thought it was all right
yet ex-Attorney General William
through whom the order was given
had his doubts aroused about tn
legality ofthe disbursement. Whe
Williams thought an act that pre-
NOTED party success was Of doubt
full legality it must have been bat
The vouchers found in the d.
partment of Justice proved tn
disgraceful fact that in I'll
Presidential contest Of 1872 ne;
$40, 900 was expended in Ne.
York city to elect Republica
candidates. This year a large SUI
has been paid to Davenport fc
which no vouchers were taken. II
cluded in these extraordinary e1
penses was $19, 900 for hack hire Q
Marshals and Deputy Marshali
This is but an item and a Specimet
of the manner in which the people
money has been squandered by tn
"forty thieves" party that claims I'll
49,