The Dallas daily herald. [volume] (Dallas, Tex.) 1873-1887, 1876-03-26
WILMINGTON LETTER.


I
.he nation Is now enveloped. For
darker day or more painful aud hu
initiating position, has never befor,
fallen to tile lot Of the United States
WIN corruption at the sent of Gov.
ernment, and dlstrust and fear amono
the people, the whole land seems 10 he
thrown into the horrors of n crisis
from which II Will emerge debilltnted
ana dsgraced, or with stronger prlnel.
PIES asa purer morals, and therefore
az the Detler prepared for "a worthy
celebration Of It's Centennial, and far
the responsibilities OF its future career.
me recent proceedings in Washing.
Ton have not added much To the infor-
hlallpn already possessed on the all.
Als0rblngtoplcs, Matters Indeed serm
To- remain IN Stdta quoj aud there Is,
alter all, danger that the prosecution
or impeachment OF eX-Secrelary Belk.
nap WIZ end In u Understandable farce.
In which the principal actors have al.
ready begun 10 fall foul Of each other.
In the absence of the articles of inn
peachment, the preparation and pres.
enlatlon Of which are unaccountnbly
delayed, General Belknap has been
placed under arrest, cited before n
court and admitted 10 bail. He Is now
awaiting the further action of his me-
cusers. When 1t will be taken, or
what 1t will be, nobody can determine.
The plea IL revived that the resigna-
ton OF Belknap reduces him 70 the po-
sitlon OF n private citizen, and renders
null and void the action tending tow.
ard Impeachment and, as the result
of the whole, there is at least II proha.
blllty THAT he will escape with the loss
of office aud the disgrace attaching to
his character.
MIR. HESTER CLYMER's COMMITTEE.
to which the country already owes so
much, Is making developments in
other directions; but, at present, the
! information is too indefinite to Justify
the assertion of any positive opinion.
! MIR. Orville Grant, n brother of the
President, has admltted to having
| been Interested IN various transactions
which wear very much the appearance
OF lrickery, and to having received
private information from the Presl
dent himself in advance, of certain
offices about 10 he vacant, upon which
information Orville acted with
advantage. Such statement, if well
substantiated, will prove rs damaging
to the President AS to his brother aud
the object, presumably, is to establish
a pyi8id Jdcie ground for charge
against The former, In other cases, the
President and his family have received
valuable presents from different
persons, who have subsequently been
re Sarded with lucrative offices; aud
the only difference between this aud
the crime of BelkHap is that the one
was paid in cash and the other in kind
in either case there was corruption or
favoritism.
PROFESSOR sILLIalAE's DISGRACE.
The appearance of this celebrated
and once respected scientist before the
House Committee on Foreign Affairs,
to give his version of the Emma Mine
Swindle, was sad spectacle. His
narrative was not satisfactory, either
to the comn!,tee or any one else who
heard it. That it was not satisfactory
to the Professor himself, was evident
He looked pitifully Inundated, AZ he
went on condemning himself out Of
his own mouth. He admitted much
OF what has been charged against him,
even to signing the telegram, in con-
nection with Hussey and Williams,
which imposed upon the English peo-
pie 10y making them belieYe that the
mine was one of fabulous value. He
said he regretted having been led into
the swindle. In letter subsequently
addressed to the chairman Of the COM
miltee, he has tried 10 explain away
the bearing Of the telegram, and of his
own general testimony in relation to
the mine. 1t is barely possible that the
Professor 10 q sRiy man, and acted
without any fraudulent intention, hav-
ing been imposed upon by men more
cunning and designing than himself
But, upon his own testimony, the fact
is undeniahle that he helped, however
to puff into notoriety a
worthless speculation-a glaring inn
posture.
THE DEMOCRATIC no USE
deserves much more credit than II
will ever get from the people for the
course it has pursued, and
is still industriously pursuing, through
its several investigating committees,
in exposing the swindling operations
of Republican officials. No one out
side of Washington, and even very
few residents, have any id9a OF the
to which a congressman
Is subjected, and the influences by
which he is sometimes induced to
play, unconsciously, into the hands OF
the Washington ring. This ring,
which is composed of all the Govern
ment " peatsn in Washington, and of
which President Grant is the virtual,
and A. II. Shepherd, the ostenslble,
head.centre, styles itself the Metro
politan Club, aud is as thoroughly or
ganized AS pirate-ship. Its members
are all detailed for work, according TO
their respective tastes and capacities.
There are no drones among them. III
islan important point with the ring to
capture" congressman irrespective OF
politics, race, color, previous aqn d.
ton, etc; and this is about how they
manage it.
THE GAME OF THE WASHINGTON RING.
When O new Congress is elected a
committee is appointed by the Ring to
discover, by all available means, me
peculiar tiles, tastes and general habits
OF all the new members elect, SO tnat
the necessary traps may be laid Tor
them when they arrive in washington
for the first time. Then the Ring goes
for them. If the new member Is
known to be of "pious turn" two or
three mem bers of the Ring contriVe 10
get introduced to him, somehow, ana
snake him Off to prayer meeting IL
he is an evangelical christian, or 10
the church OF any other denomination
to which the victim may belong; Inc
Ring comprises men of all religious
sects, from the othodox Roman Catho'
lie to the Spiritualist; or, more correct,
ly speaking, comprises men VINO ar
willing to represent themselves 10 oe
NTH apu ohnrph nnuer Lille