The Louisiana Democrat. [volume] (Alexandria, La.) 1845-1918, 1876-05-10
THE GRANT RING DESPERATE.

Grant and his cronies are getting
yery tired of the Investigations being
carried on by the House Committees.
As the probe is plunged into the foul
which have disgraced
the rule Of Grants military despot-
ism and the putrid stream of tester
ing corruption becomes stencil in
the nostrils of the people, the rogues
who have been guilty of the wrongs
now being exposed are becoming des-
perate AID banding together for mu-
tual protection. The most damaging
have been brought to
light by the Investigations of the
on expenditures in the
various departments, and the Repub-
lican leaders are beginning to see
that if this thing is to 60 on much
longer and these Committees are al
lowed to get at the bottom facts
there will be nothing left of the party
of great moral ideas. In view of this
alarming condition of affairs the
President called a meeting of the
Cabinet lately to devise some means
to counteract the work of the Com
mittees and keep the Republican
party from going to pieces. A long
and anxious consultation was held.
Bristow had refused q few days be-
fore to produce before one of the
Committees some papers on file in
the Treasury Department, which the
Committee asked for, on the ground
that the clerk of the Committee was
a discharged Treasury employee
Grant caught at the idea as drown
ing man catches at straw and bold
ly insisted that the Cabinet should
take the bull by the horns and refuse
to give up papers, vouchers and or
ders on file in the departments when
asked for by the Investigating Com
mittees. Some of the more timid of
the Presidents advisers objected to
this cour e as likely to have a very
bad effect upon public sentiment, but
it was argued that nothing could have
q more disastrous effect than the ex
posures being made day after day and
that it was policy to stop them at all
hazards and confine them to as limit
ed range as possible. 1t was deter
mined therefore that Grant should
issue a peremptory order that no
original papers should go out of the
Departments to which they belong
and that every obstacle should be
thrown in the way of the investiga-
tions ordered by the House. Pierre
pont, the obsequious Attorney Gene
rel, is to deliver an opinion to bolster
up this outrage and furnish it such
rickety legal props as he can devise.
Bristow, by his connection with this
scheme, has advanced his interests
somewhat with the politicians, but
has lost immensely with the better
element that has been advocating his
claims to the Presidency on account
of his supposed honesty and integri
ty. Blaine is not yet out of his trou-
bles. His explanation of his Arkan-
sas and Pacific Railroad bond trans
actions made on the floor of the
House a few days ago was cunningly
gotten up and if no more disclosures
had followed and his reputation had
been free Of previous faint he might
have been entitled to the verdict OF
mot proven" But having escaped
from the Credit Mobilier wreck I'm.
der very suspicious circumstances
and with the smell of fire on his gar.
ments his vindication was not SO
complete in the minds of some plain
people as his admirers FASTENED to
assert. There were some matter of:
fact individuals who could not accept
as complete vindication Mr.. j. C.
Harrison's statement "that he had
not mentioned the name of Mr.. Blaine
to Mr.. Wilson as the one who had re-
ceived the $4,000 from the Union
Pacific Company" They thought
that if it was not Mr.. Blaine it was
just as easy for Mr.. Harrison to say
so, plainly and distinctly. And now
it seems that it was Blaine, after all
Mr.. Harrison has concluded to make
clean breast of it, and admits tha
Blaine was the man. He furnishes
documentary proof of his assertion
and is willing to testify under oatt
to the facts. Poor Blaine, his elabo
rate explanation only makes the mat
ter worse. Tread lightly and drop /:
sympathizing tear as you read thu
inscription-"gone to meet Colfax.'
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