Litchfield enquirer., 1876-03-09
BeIknap's Fall.

The news of the fall of Secretary Bel knap came as unexpectedly as a clap ot thunder from January sky. Although there was much talk of investigation, when an Opposition House of Represent alive first met, there has been so little ac- complished, or even attempted, that the expectation of startling developments from such source had almost died out of the public mind. On Thursday of last week, came report from an insignificant committee. as it usually ranks, charging the Secretary of War with having received some S20, 900 for the sale of post tra- dership, and demanding his impeachment for that crime. The report was unanI- nous, the offence confessed by MT. Bel knap himself, and at the same time came the announcement of his resignation and its acceptance by the President. On Fri day MT. Belknap was formally impeached before the Senate by the Committee of the House of Representatives.
 There are legal objections to the i'm peachment of public officer after resig-
 
 nation. Still, as one of the penalties the Senate may infiict is disfranchisement. it would seem hardly proper that an accused person should be allowed to escape that penalty of misconduct by resignation. No doubt the matter will be pushed to conviction if this objection is not decided to be insuperable. a
 Of the awful disgrace that has fallen on us, it is impossible to speak in terms of exaggeratlon. Gen. Belknap disgraces President Grant, who appointed him; the Republican party, whose administration this is supposed to be; and the nation at large, whose civil service has fallen so low that its chef officers are confessed takers of bribes. To the President tlae biow ;- the eeverest of all. because Secretary Belknap did not receive his appointment as A representative Republican, but as a personal friend of the President. He is one of the 'aids de camp" against whom Mfr. Sumner used to declaim so savagely. Hence the Republican party suffers dis grace in Belknap only from the fact that ha was appointed by the President of their choice. The Secretary of War was never, like Minister Schenck, premi- nent Republican, and would never been selected for high office by any Republican President but Gen. Grant.
 The nation, and the democratic prinei- pie on which our government is founded, cannot but suffer severely from tLis crowning infamy. Abroad. the Credit Mobilier, the Tweed Ring, the thefts of the Carpet BagRers, are all credited to republicanism. The rascalities which grew ont of the demoralization of great war, and out of the ignorance of large foreign born, or of a recently emancipated popula tiOn, are believed to be the natural out. come of popular instit ltions The fact that the like corruption develops from similar causes under despotic or aristo. cratic forms of government is forgotten.
 Still. it is useless denying that much of the blame for the scandals of the past few years of American history must rest on President Grant. He seems not only to like good horses and good whiskey, but the kind of fellows who go with good horses and good whiskey. They have done something worse than give 6 "horsey," alcoholic flavor to his administration they have been notoriously .''on the make" Yet the President has clung to them when under shrewd suspicion, if not in actual disgrace, to the intense disgust of a sensitive people. We still believe in the personal honesty of President Grant and give him full credit for the strong sense and discreet frmness that have from time to time marked his civil career; but. oa the other hand, we must admit that his ways have often and most sorely tried the patience of the. party which elected him, and of the country whose government he has so long administered. .
 The commission having the repairs of the jail in charge. fail to make any con- tract ~ith Mir. Bartram. They met here, some time since, and agreed unanimously sn plans and specifications to be submit ted to builders, under the vote of the rep. resentesives. The lowest bid they re- ceived was s17. .301. Mfr. Bartram. found fault with the specifications. although almost identical. as we understand, with thOss hs had himself proposed. and offer. cd no bid. He wrote, however. that he would do tho mason and iron work as he had promised in the county meeting, for $S.S0O. In other words, Mir. Bartram is ready to make certain repairs on his o,cs plan. but not to work up to the specifica- tiOns prepared by dislnterested commia. sion of gentlemen from all parts of the ss.vRwkw