New Orleans Republican. [volume] (New Orleans, La) 1867-1878, 1876-03-24
THE CROOKED AT HOME.

THE CROOKED AT HOME.
The government prosecution appears at
last to have struck pay gravel. The
Picayune, some days since, impatiently
said:
The question is beginning to be asked on
all sides, why do not the government Off
GERS proceed TO the trial Of the persons
against whom charges have been made by
the grand juryl
This impotence is about to be gratified.
The Times says:
1t is now definitely aacertained that the
grand jury presented between thirty five
and fOrty-ive indictments on Monday. Yes
terday afternoon thirteen of the indicted
persons were arraigned, some of them on
more than one count. About ten persons
will be arraigned this morning, most of
whom. it is said, will appear for the first
time, and are therefore entirely new game.
Then follows list of ten or twelve
persons indicted on numerous counts for
having conspired to defraud the treasury
by putting in their own pockets part of
the revenue. That these parties arraigned
are persons of substance and standing, is
rendered probable by the fact that each
of them seems to have found security and
bail in considerable sums, and upon the
names of men well known in the business
and politics of the city. Our Democratic
Puritans who have stationed men on the
lookout at Washington, and who have
expressed such salutary adherence Of the
frauds alleged against crooked suffers
and defaulting cabinet officers will no
doubt recall their inspectors of public
morals and devote their columns to the
impartial scrutiny of the offenses charged
against some of our own citizens. It will
be by no means satisfactory to those who
value commercial character if our own
citizens should be whitewashed after the
manner that Lawyer Pendle:on and Law
yer Tilden are whitened by the same
Democratic correspondents 1t is due to
the character of our city that these
charges shall be investigated, and that
the Democratic press shall evince the
same laudable zeal for the punishment of
crooked deeds at home that they have
manifested by stationing at Washington
special agents to report daily the enormity
Of Republican otfenses.
That the Republican administration is
no respecter OF persons is proven by the
inexorable manner in which it has prose-
cuted official offenders of its own party
and appointment. That this impartial
precedent will be continued is shown by
the fact that fifteen rectifers and dis
tillers, comprising part Of the whisky ring
of Chicago, have pleaded guilty and await
sentence, and that numerous revenue off,
cials and others are said to be celebrating
between Canada, the penitentiary and
suicide"
1t is probable that those Democratic
journals which occupied themselves with
such care of the public morals at dis
lance, and treated parties implicated at
home with such distinguished considera-
ton, may have misled these parties. The
press first ridiculed the prosecution of
the government. The agent in charge of
these prosecutions had hid himself; had
left the city; the government could make
nothing out Of the charges. This may
have so misled the parties arraigned that
some Of them may wish before the thing
is over that they had bought through
ticket to NJ ontreal.
The Democratic press aided to found |
the Ku-Klux. It was thought an easy
enterprise to terrify the negroes out Of
their right of suffrage. Affairs took a
more serious turn. Congress enacted laws
and sent officers and soldiers to enforce
them. The Democratic press exhorted
the Ku-Klux to stand fast even to martyr |
dom. They did so, even to the martyr
dom of the State prison at Auburn,
New York. Then came petitions for |
pardon, most Of which were granted. Ku-
Kluxism died out and the Democratic |
politicians instituted other modes of |
defeating colored suffrage by intimidation