The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1876-06-05

know the actual facts ot the situation
could easily see who were supporting Mr..
Bristow. There was scarcely hummer
among them. And generally speak.
ing they were old time Repub'
licans, such men as William Cullen
Bryant, OF the New York Post; Joseph
Medill, Of the Chicago Tribune; Richard
Smith, of the Cincinnati Gasette; Mr.. Hal
stead, OF the Cincinnati Commercial; Mr..
BOwles, of the Springfield Republican;
George W. Curtis, of Harpers Weekly,
and the New York Times.
Some people may turn up their noseS
at this array of credentials. We notice
that some OF our Republican SCribes and
Pharisees do turn up their noses at them.
But, in all candor, we ask disinterested
voters whittier these are not really
good credentials for any man TO have at
bis BACK? Their value consists in the
fact that they are unpurchased and mn
purchasable as hackers ofany cause they
espouse. No taint attaches to single
one Of them. No more fearless men
write for the public than Just these.
They have not hesitated to expose 9nd
denounce evety symptom OF corruption
in the public service for years past, and
they haSe done more TO save the Repub.
lican Party,purifyit and make it strong
ip the public respect to-day than any
coterie OF men who can be named against
them. Forthis service they have neith-
er asked nor received any reward save
the increased power Of the powerful
journals they control. G.
These men have no favors to ask Of Mr..
Bristow or any other man. Personally
they care nothing for him save SO far as
he represents the reforms they advocate.
They have singled him out for support
solely on the ground that they saw that
he was zeaIously at work, like Hercules,
tryipgto. strangle great hydra, in the
shape OF a powerful Whisky Ring, that
had fastened is coils around tie very
department whose chief he was, and that
had actually invaded the Executive Man.
sion Of the government and captured the
Presidents private Secretary. Phey raj.
lied to his support, one and allSand al
though Babcock was acquitted they did
not let hin go unpunished, but lashed
lhim publicly before the world.
| But for the Independence and power Of
one Of these journals, the New YQEk
Times, New York City would to-day be
Truled by Boss Tweed and his
Democratic ring,-a ring that not
only ruled New York, but that, like
the Whisky Ring, actually aspired to rule
the country, and that was only fully over.
thrown u last by the United States gov
ernmcnt coming to the rescue and passing
a law providing for the appointment by
the United States Judges OF Supervisors
Of Election,-a provision, BY the way, that
cut down the shameless frauds Of the
Ring from COSTS majority for Seymour
in 1868 to 42,59s for Tilden in 1874. Had
this most Internal Ring not been over.
thrown it might at last have overthrown
the power Of the ballot box in this coun.
try. Aud Just SO with the Whisky
Ring. Had Bfistbw not fearlessly
throttled it, it would have gone on,
as il had under his predecessors, in.
creasing its power, getting nearer and
nearer all the time to the very vitals OF
the government, III indeed it could get
nearer than the Chief Clerk Of the Treas
ury Department and the Presidents pri-
vate Secretary until at last all opposition
would have beentparayzed.
Now il Mr.. Bristow deserves no credit
for the work he has done, why did not his
two predecessors IN the Treasury Depart
ment tlischarge their duty Cif it
was matter Of simple duty and dis
cover and put down this Nam
moth ring2 In these days it is a
great desideratum to find a public officer
who will both discover and do his duty
fearlessly. The price OF all such is like
the price Of the model woman described
by Solomon, "above rubies." As Mr..
John Hubbard said in his speech at the
Court House the other day, the people
can save the Government from foreign
invasion or domestic insurreetion, but
who can save 1t from destruction II cor.
rupt Rings are TO have control? rs