The Columbian. [volume] (Bloomsburg, Pa.) 1866-1910, 1876-04-14
WASHINGTON LETTER.
WASHINGTON, ID. c., April 10, 1875.
Special Correspondence.

The disclosures of the last week, while
they are not SO startling as the Belknap al
fair, are of much greater Importance. Be
fore Mr.. Cymer's committee 1t has been
proven, that President Grant himself sent a
spy to st. Louis to prevent the conviction of
Babcock The witness Bell, who was the
spy, tried to protect Grant, his old COM
mander, but his testimony and that of Bah
cock, Luckey, Bradley and Pierrepont of
Washington and of Mr.. Dyer and Col. Brod-
head the prosecuting lawyers in the whisky
cases, leaves very little doubt in the minds
of those who have read the testimony, that
IL was the intention of the President to do
all in his power to protect bis guilty Secre-
tary and he did this after his spy had in
formed him that there was no doubt of Bah
cocks guilt. A spy was even kept in the
grand jury room and Grant was informed of
all that was done there, so that from the
beginning he could not have been in doubt
as to Babcock's connection with the whisky
ring.
The naval committee have taken an i'm
mense amount of testimony and have un-
earthed such show Of corruption in the
manner of conducting that department, that
the country will stand absolutely appalled,
when it is made public. Secretary Robson
has not only diverted the public funds from
their legitimate use but he used millions of
the government money and risked its loss to
sustain the sinking fortunes of the house of
Jay Cooke, McCuloch and Co., of London
when he knew that house to be virtually
bankrupt. Large amounts will be lost by
his criminal conduct The Navy Yards
everywhere were used as political machines
to forward the election Of Radicals and the
funds that should have been expended in
building ships were used to secure votes.
Robeson's friend, Cattell, was paid five per
cent on all contracts and no one desiring to
sell anything to the navy department could
do so without submitting to this black
mail.
But the Indian committee have demon
strated even more of rascality than could be
found in the navy department, in the treat
ment of the Indians-veery species of
venality that could be devised and the ex-
istence of ring which permeated every de-
partment of the government and even pene-
trated into the very committee room where
the examination was being made. Congress
man Page of California is on the Indian
committee and was one of the sub committee
over which Wiltshire of Arkansas presided.
Wiltshire has been most industrious in hunt
ing up frauds. He Isl good lawyer and un-
derstands how to extract the truth from even
an unwilling witness. Page was continually
in the habit of brow beating witnesses before
the committee and had to be reproved more
than once for his conduct. 1t finally came
out that he had reason for his action, as
one of the witnesses, Mr.. Mceker a CORES
pondent Of the Herald, swore that he had
been informed that Page was himself a
member of the Indian ring, Meeker refused |
to give the name of his informant, and Page |
clustered about having him taken before the |
house and compelled to answer, but he has |
not done so nor does he intend to. Scales |
and Wiltshire of Arkansas deserve credit for |
the manner in which they have conducted !
this investigation.
The Post Office committee have also |
proven that contracts were bought in the |
most shameful manner, from the highest
officials in. the department, some of the
paid employees of the contractors being in
the very room of the Post Master General |
and another being assistant P. NJ. General. |
Every day new revelations are being made |
and new investigations ordered, but the busi- |
ness of Congress is not neglected on this ac-
count. The House sits daily from noon un- |
til five or six p. m. and has three night |
meetings per week. The discussion on |
the Legislative, Executive and Judicial bill |
is prolonged as the Republicans are using |
every effort to defeat the proposed saving |
of six millions of dollars made by the bill |
as reported by the committee, but it will |
finally pass about as originally reported 1t |
is said that the Texas and Pacific bill will |
be reported next week ,as the only opposition
to it now, comes from the Union and Cen
tral Pacific railroads which do not want their
monopoly broken down.
Col. James o. Broadhead of St. Louis who
is most favorably spoken Of as compro-
mise candidate before the st. Louis conven-
tion is in Washington to testify in the
whisky trials No name presented to the
convention is entitled to higher respect than
of unimpeachabe integrity, has never been
mixed up with any disreputabie transactions,
was Union man and war democrat and
is the peer of any man in lhe country in
ability. Bayard, Judge Davis and Hen
bricks are much talked Of but il il too soon