Clarksville weekly chronicle. (Clarksville, Tenn.) 1873-1890, 1876-04-22
OUR WASHINGTON LETTER.
Washiaaton D. G. april Z. 1876
WHAT TUE THIEVES ARE DOING.


WHAT TIE THIEVES ARE DOING.
The Republican Congressional Com
mittee is admirably organized for its
criminal work of endeavoring to foist
some thief or thief's associate upon
the people as their next president.
This is pretty rough language. But
truth, and the exact idea sought to be
expressed, call for it. Certainly, no
man who is not the friend and associ-
ate of Grant, Belknap, Babcock, Lam
daulet Williams, Creswell, Robeson,
Delano, Shepherd and other men of
like kidney, can get the Republican
nomination. No honorable man
would accept it if hampered by such
associates. 1t is certain that Grant
will have the power TO designate the
nominee, if he is not candidate him.
! self, and that he win not hesitate to
4 use this power is equally certain. To
nominate their man being an easy mat
ter, the next thing will be to elect
him; and to this point the Republican
Congressional Committee is bending
all its energies even at this early day.
They recognize the fact that neither
party can win unless it carries the
State of New York, and they are to-
day bending every energy to secure
that State. This is the meaning of
the Conkling movement in New York;
Conkling being the intimate friend Of
Grant, and the chief representative Of
the thieves and scoundrels who have
held this nation by the throat for the
past eight years. His strength in New
j York is derived from his control of
the Federal patronage there. inclu-
ding the principal Custom House in
the country. Whether he shall be the
Republican candidate for President, or
not. he will not fail to use the inn
mense power in his hands to secure
that State if possible for the Republi-
can party. While l do not believe
that this effort will succeed, it will
not do for the Democratic party to
lose sight of the nature of the combi-
nation they have to fight, or of the
fact that if by any accident or mistake,
the thirty-five electoral votes of New
York are lost, aoe shall be bedtea.-
Now is the time to go to work. The
Democratic House is doing its part
nobly. If the people will second its
efforts, and resolving to sink sectional
differences, will send their delegates
to the National Convention, instructed
to vote for the man most certain to be
elected, on the great issue of Reform
in every department of the Govern
ment, we shall inevitably achieve sue
cess.
THE NATIONAL REPUBLICAN,
the organ of the White House Ring,
editorially alludes to the Belknap
crime as "a simple accident of admin
istratioa," and thinks that "as long as
man is human and liable to steal,
there will necessarily be corruption
and traud-even in the purest sys-
TENS" This is very graceful sort of
apology for the iniquities of Grants
Administration. and there is some
thing gained when the Republican
press admits that there has been any
corruption in their party. But such
philosophical disquisitions on the in
expugnability of political "cussed-
ness" will hardly induce the people to
continue the Republican party in
power. In short, 1T Is too ethereal"
The same paper continues to be very
much agitated over the continued i'm
prisonment of Kilbourn, the contuma.
cious witness, by order of the House.
Kilbourn still refuses to speak, but as
long as there is any danger that he
may be forced to answer the questions
put to him, there will be no rest for
his confederates, who are hanging on
''the ragged edge" of apprehension,
lest their operations may be made
public. 1t must be something very
terrible they are so anxious to conceal,
and the fact already known that Grant
and his son were-interested in the Real
Estate Pool, leads to the belief that
it is the precise character of their
connection with the swindle which it
is deemed SO essential by the Ring to
cover up.
THE SPENCER INVESTIGATION
is rapidly drawing to close. In view
of the character of the evidence, the
result is easily anticipated. A few
months ago, committee of the Ala
bama Legislature made similar in
vestigation, during the progress Of
which, testimony was adduced plainly
showing that Spencer and his friend
had used corrupt means to secure his
election. The evidence was of the
most conclusive character-so conclu
sive, in fact, that the legislature felt
warranted in hoping that even Re
publican Committee of the United
States Senate would be convinced,
after slight investigation, that Spen-
Ger had no valid claim to his seat
No one could have been more aston
ished than General Morgan, the ceun-
sci for the legislative memOrialists and
his associates, when on placing upon
the stand the very same witnesses who
made damaging statements against
Spencer before the legislative commit
tee, they took the "back track" abso-
lutely and positively denying that they
had ever made any such statements as
those attributed to them in the report
of the legislative investigating com
mittse. One witness, Moulton. for
merly postmaster, and now deputy col
lector of Internal Revenue at Mobile.
swore positively that he did not know
of any improper use Of money by Spen-
Ger or his friends, Notwithstanding the
fact that before the State legislative