The Democratic advocate. [volume] (Westminster, Md.) 1865-1972, 1876-03-18
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crisis camo when an ignorant soldier.
coarse in his tastes and blunt In his percep-
tions, fond Of money aud material enjoy
mcnt and Of low company, was put In the
Presidential chair. We blame nobody fof
this, and nobody was blamable. The
party did the best it could under the cir.
eunstances, but his real character as u
civilian began 10 appear very early 10 his
Administration. 1t was fully revealed
when he received his second nomination,
and on the day he received il the Repub-
lican party assumed the responsibility for
him aud his followers which Is to-day COW
cring il with infamy. We have been
warning the readers Of this journal for
seven years that to this complexion Il
would come at last that the regime under
which we were living was 50 coarse aud
yenal that ii must end in some tremend-
Gus catastrophe that would cover US with
shame aud fll US with despair that the
Southern "outrages" were but blind, set
up by the thieves to throw the police of
the scent, and that the great enemies of
free government in this country were to be
found not in Louisiana aud Mississippi
but in Washington and that the chorus
Of adulation aud apology which was ad.
dressed every year by Republican editors
and Republican conventions to the Presi-
dent were only hardening somewhat
obtuse and selfish nature in courses and
associations which were full Of danger to
the country The mischief is, however,
by no means irreparable. We have just
one year more Of this deplorable admins
tration to bear with, aud during that period
we must, while pushing on the work of
Investigation and praying tina, the discovery
Of. guilt may stop short of the highest place,
possess our souls in patience, But it is
still in the power Of the American people
to sec that the affection does not recar by
electing President whose sympathies and
associations connect him with the best
social life Of tbs country, who belongs to
its men Of honor aud intellect and moral.
ty, who is familiar with its best political
usages and traditions, and who is either
content with the fortune he has got or
whose character has been tried BY tempta.
ton and resisted it, and who has the cour.
age which is needed to head u revelation.
For revolution there must be. The reform
of the army Of $4,000 civil officers must
come, and ii must come in spite Of the
Camerons and Mortons and Conklings aud
Boutwells and Chambers if the form Of
the government is to remain unchanged
The Nation.
THE MOsT HORRIBLE OF ALL THE
REVELATIONS THAT HAVE BEEN MADE
Hartford, March 1.-THE Times
Washington correspondent says: "The
National Cemetery Ring is the vilest Of
the whole. II is the strongest that has
located about the national capital-though
Heaven knows the others are strong
enough. It had its origin just after the
close of the war, when they got contracts
to remove bodies from the battle fields in
the various Southern States to the several
national cemeteries. OF all the frauds in
the world, this shocking scheme is one Of
the most wicked. The contractors receiy.
ed certain sum for removing each body:
and to make the job profitable, they actu.
ally cut the body into pieces, and made
several Of il, thus increasing their pay.
Often, where great number were found,
buried in one ditch, they would take out
a half dozen bones and nail them up IN |
box, and get paid for it rs one body.
II do not telegraph this on hearsay ey-
idenee. have positive knowledge that
these things were done-were' Of daily
occurrence. A rule was afterward made |
that nothing less than nineteen separate
bones would be paid for rs body, but
this did not break up the fraud carried
on at the graves Of our hero dead. The
work of burying these bones was another
job, BY which many thousands Of dollars
were robbed from the Government. This |
finished, then the furnishing IF headstones
came, aud it is estimated that the money
out Of which the Government was swindled |
III these transactions counts up in the |
milliOnsg And yet these chiefs of the
Cemetery Rings are allowed to retain their
ili-gotten gains; and If one word is said
against them, the old cry of disloyalty is
raised.
Rufus Ingalls, the pressbt illegal
Quarter-master-G General, who made the |
present to Mrs. Grant, has a fund of
knowledge on these frauds, and il Il hop ed |
the Committee on the Expenditures of the
War Department will make him diyulge, |
or force him to resign from the position
he now holds. He will, it is said. be re. |
licved by Gen. Meigs within two weeks. |
Gen. Meigs having been ordered home |
from Europe"
FROM WAsHIsGToS.-The Democratic
financial caucus was in session until nearly
IL O'Clock Wednesday night, and finally
agreed upon the Payne bill BY vote Of
90 to 40. This bill provides for the grad.
ual resumption of specie payments by
making it the duty of the Secretary Of the
Treasury annually TO retain in coin an
amount equal to 3 per centum Of legal
tender notes outstanding to constitute a
fund, and also requiring the
national banks to set aside an amount of
coin equal to 3 per cent. Of their cireula-
ting notes. The bill in addition provides
for the repeal Of so much Of the specie re.
sumption act of January II, 1875, as de-
signates the LIST Of January, 1879, as the
date Of resumption. Many amendments
were voted down, including that of the
minority Of the caucus committee. for a
simple repeal Of 30 much Of the act of
1873 as fixes the LIST Of January, 1879. as
the time for resumption. This received
only AZ votes. f4
The Baltimore Gazette has found out
that Oryile Grant, the Presidents brother. 1
has for years been IN the employment Of
Basshor L Co., Of that city, as solicitor"
Of business on a regular salary of 81, 400.
Messrs. Busshor 4 Co., are manufacturers
OF heating apparatus for buildings, vet
among the contracts which Orvil Grant
solicited" and obtained for them were
two TO furnish "white oak ship knees" 20
the United States authorities at Philadel.
phia and New York On these contracts
these gentlemen made only about three