Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1876-03-09
LET NOT THE GUILTY ESCAPE.

The recent Secretary of War shame
lessly violated his official oath. trampled
under foot personal honor and govern
ment morality. betrayed his friends. and
outraged the great party which had given
him confidence. He should be tried, con-
demned. and punished, according to the ex-
act intent of the law and the enormity of
his offense. The Republican party whose
welfare and good name he cared so little
to regard. will not excuse his crimes, but
will demand that impartial and relentless
Justice shall have full sway. The party
which crushed the Rebellion, abolished
Slavery. and restored the broken Union TO
more than its former prestige and renown,
will show that it can stamp out Corruption
as well as Treason.
The Democratic leaders have not con
cealed their rejoicings that Belknap be-
trayed his country and the party that gave
him confidence. But they cannot expect
the public to forget that the last knowl-
edge and experience it had of the Demo
Gratis in power was the gigantic defalca-
ton of their War Secretary Floyd and its
accompanying corruptions, which cast the
offenses of Belknap far in the shade-that
$780, 900 of Bonds were distracted from
the government deposit and never re-
turned. 1t stands US an memorable fact
in history that Floyd and Thompsen-the
two Democratic Cabinet officers in this
great crime-were never punished. And
when William Tweed had stolen six mil
lions of dollars from the public funds of
New York, had corrupted Herewith scores
Of Democratic officials, had for years
largely contributed with his stolen treas
ures to the funds of the Democratic State
Committee, of whom Samuel j. Tilden
was Chairman. he was exposed and pun
ished by Republican citizens and officials.
The Republican party must and will
show of how much sterner stuff it is made
of and how much truer to the country it
will prove, by handling Belknap without
gloves. 1t crushed the Rebellion. 1t
guarantees the sacred rights OF citizenship
North and South. 1t fosters Education
among whites and blacks alike. 1t main
tains the Public Faith in respect to the
finances. 1t will punish Corruption with
a stern and inv:ncible resolution.
Staggering cockneys of the English
press may exclaim against the present
sins of American official life as something
unknown in the former history the Eng
lish race, and some American editors in a
panic or for sensation purposes may in
dulge in similar Misrepresentation
insist that the golden age in this regard
was in the past. Englishmen would do
well to recall The friShtful sweep of cor
ruption, the crimes and misdemeanors of
Warren Hastings, and the failure of the
British Parliament to impeach and punish
him after one ofthe most remarkable trials
in history. The English government and
the English people had not enough virtue
to convict and punish him. English cor
ruption was used without stint to defeat
the ends of justice. Edmund Burke de-
clared in the House of Commons that
100000 had been used to corrupt the Eng
lish press TO shield Hastings from convic-
ton. Macauley remarks that "every ship
that arrived from Madras or Bengal
brought cuddy full OF his admirers
Every gentleman from India speaks of the
late Governor General as having deserved
better" Yet afterwards, within the mem
DRY Of living persons, this unconvict-
ed criminal was received in the Brit
ish House of Commons with acclamatons,
a chair was ordered to be set before him
to his honor. and when he retired that au-
gust body. so sacred to the eyes of Eng
lishmen, arose and uncovered, and these
marks of Parliamentary honor were soon
followed by marks of favor from the Brit
ish Crown. But recently an English
Chancellor was caught trafficing in official
patronage, and member of Parliament
broken for corruption, yet there are those
who think that this generation of Ameri-
cans is much worse than those of preced-
ing decades. The Tory press of Great
Britain and the Democratic press of this
country blend their voices in harmony as
they did In the days of the Rebellion and
seek to cover the true party of the Nation
with infamy and misrepresentation. Blu,
the Republican party will not be diverted
from its high mission and imperative du
ties. Its watchwords must continue to b.