The New York herald., 1876-02-28
THE PEOPLE and YHE Ring.
Bold Attempts Of Politicians to Avoid the
WhiSkey Prosecutions.
THE INFLUENCES BROUGHT TO BEAR.
The Proceedings Taken to Prevent
Babcock's Indictment.
VICTORY OF PUBLIC SENTIMENT.
Searching Questions To Be Asked by the
House Committee
[rHoM AN OCCASIONAL coRREsPoNDENr.l ]


by alarming and arousing the people in the last two
weeks achieved a very notable victory over the Whs-
key Ring and It's powerful political adhcrents week
ago II was highly probable that Secretary Brstow
would be before this out OF Office. More than two
three Senators and numerous lesser politicians were
quietly jubiant over what they considered a sure
thing. But to-day Mr. Bristow to be
nrmly seated than ever there is more talk OF his
going out and IL is among the possibilities, and, in
deed, probable, that the President will let the
politicians their fate viii adr from the
vile influences which we're dragging him down into the
mire.
IL is worth while to review the past few months and
ITS transactions in crooked whskey.
The prosecution OF the whiskey trials under the
Presidents famous order "Let guilty escape"
went smoothly as any one could have expected
considering the degree to which politicians have here
oiore controlled such trials up the time of the order
assembling the military court OF inquiry in Babcock's
Thequcstbn Of has indictment pending that
limo in ST Louis and the pressure from all disreputa-
Bile political about that time and the influences
which General Babcock's friends naturally able
to exert was too for the President and that
hour his surrender for the time being may be dated
The first open difference with the Secretary of the
Treasury occurred time, though the President
almost Immediately brought to the false posi-
lion he bent upon assuming. His proposition was
20 take the whole case from the jurisdiction Of the
;ivi courts St Louis and transfer IT, with all the
evidence, to the military court at Chicago and this
insisted upon, even though 1t was known that at the
lime the Grand Jury at St Louis discussing the
question OF ndicting General Babcock The President
1t first insisted that the Attorney General should take
means to discontinue all civil proceedings at ST. Louis
In this and order tho evidence sent to Chicago
the Attorney General and to his SURPRISE it with
a bold and fiat refusal from District Attorney Dyer.
There two Cabinet meetings this matter.
At tho first the President was positive and insisted
upon taking the Babcock out OF the civil courts.
The Secretary of the Treasury however promptly pre-
Sented the legal difficulties the way, and did this with
such force and coarness that the suicidal policy Of such
course began to appear. The Attorney General who,
before this time, had ceased TO give candid sup
port to the whskey prosecution, then asked TO
take the matter under consideration and give legal
opinion thereon Thus called to face the question at
issue a lawyer, there but open to
him. and he felt constrained TO ADVISE the President
that military court could not, under the circum-
Stances supersede tho proceedings at St Louis The
President himself, upon mature thought accepted
This view
ATTORNEY GENERALS EXTRAORDINARY CONDUCT.
Previous this Mr. Pierrepont had shown his will
ngness to aid in blocking the of justice in St
Louis by ordering Mr. Dyer send the evidence upon
which IL was proposed to ndic General Babcock TO the
Department OF Justice before it given the Grand
Jury, order that he might examine IL and determine
whether it sufficient This is probably the first
instance OF such proceeding the history of the gov
ernment This attempt TO get the full evidence TO
Washington under these circumstances failed by the
refusal Of Mr. Dyer to comply with the request
was not matter 10 put the form OF order and
In sist upon So this move failed.
wRIsKEY RING RUsHEs IN.
The knowledge of the Presidents in regard to
the military court of Mr. Pierreponts feelings and
attitude encouraged all the friends OF the Western whis-
key rings and IRON that moment the President be-
set by the whole INSCRIPTIONS and dsreputable
array, and 10 an extent which is very far
from credtable he has been under its control Before
this II almost impossible TO approach him in the
OF any Of the inculpated suspected parties
But the moment the outer works were carried per-
feet horde poured in upon him and began to poison
bis mind toward the Secretary and all his agents here
and the officers of the law in St Louis
First the politicians, and chief among them
honorable Senators Of high standing, and urged that
Secretary Bristow was working with AMBITIOUS pur
poses to undermine him, and that to make OF do
stroyiDg the President no forcing the indictment
OF member of his family This view was presented
constantly with all the variations which the cunning
practical demagogues could devise To say that the
President at length strongly impressed with this
style OF talk is to make quite within the
bounds OF truth.
Among these politicians were those who desired that
The fires which the Secretary had lighted about Chicago
and Milwaukee might be put out before either they
their friends suffered These all, OF course,
highly indignant General Babcocks case, and at
Cabinet ocer who would dare to enter the Presidents
hmily." They all speaking word for Babcock
md several for themselves. Next came a stil more
aisreputabe class Emory storrs came here from
Chicago as General Babcock's counsel and at once
began such work to arrange a defence has not been
performed IN Washington since the days Of the safe
burglary As his right hand man no had W. A. Cook,
sx District Ring Attorney and these gentlemen with
the whole gang which they employed had for several
weeks free access TO tho White House, and made
themselves entirely at home there Their chief
object appears to have been TO keep
detectives At work 10 manufacture evidence
and frame lying reports In regard to Secretary Brisow
and Solicitor Wilson. To support them and secure
Them full countenancc from the President they received
the applause Of the District Ring and Of prominent
politicians. The result was that In few weeks the
Presidents attitude wholly changed' and instead Of the
watchword being ''Let no guilty man escape" it be-
came nearly the exact reverse.
Injected INTO the midst Of such condition OF affairs
this came the Attorney Generals letter to district
attorneys, written solely to deter informcrs from
making further advances The offence Of the Attorney
6enera this matter consists chiefly the fact that
was fully aware when he wrote It that no such con-
dtion Of affairs existed he assumed in the letter did
exist He was fully acquainted with all that had been
done In the matter OF which he was writing,
and he had also gwen his sanction to IL
and clearly indicated his Therefore
while Il was bad enough to write the letter
even II the reasons he assumed for preparing had
existed It Is difficult TO nnd name severe enough
characterize his act In OF the that he knew
no such Of affairs existed he assumed. It
true that he wrote It by the direction President
and that the latter satisfied with It when it
vas finished and thought might have been stronger