New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1876-02-09
A REMARKABLE Defense.

The Private Secretary of tho President his
most trusted and confidential associate, is on
trial for conspiracy to rob the Government.
The spectacle il one to make Americans blush.
Not presuming that he is guilty, presuming, IA
charity and Justice require, that he Is inno-
cent. Americans must nevertheless feel shame
when they consider that their public service has
been i'm such condition that Grand jury, COM
posed i'm part Of political associates has found an
Indictment against an officer 80 trusted and so
near the Executive head. Is it possible, men ask,
that such an official could have been indicted,
if his relations with convicted criminals had
not been in the highest degree discredtable !
Can the President himself be fit for his high
station, the world must ask, if he has to this
day retained as his most confidential associate
n man whose relations with convicted crilni-
nails have been such as to compel his indIct-
ment for felony?
The nature of the evidence against Gen.
Babcock is partially known already from tes-
timony and documents produced i'll other trials.
1t is known that conspiators against the Gov
eminent relied with absolute confidence upon
his power to warn and protect them. 1t is
known that kilograms and letters, appearing
to Justify this absolute confidence, were shown
by leading cOnspirators as having been
received from Gen. Babcock. IL il
known that his relations with those
leading cOnspirators were very intimate.
Finally, kilograms actually sent by him from
the White House to the chief conspirators ut
st. Louis, and from them to him, were pro-
duced - kilograms which, though they were
produced months ago, he has not been able to
explain to the public satisfaction, and which,,
indisputably, were exactly such as leading
conspratOrs could use most efiectuay to con-
vince their associates that they were fully
protected in the Executive Mansion itself.
| So much appeared in previous trials. Not
an item of this staggering array OF proof seems
to be denied. If statements Of Gen. BabcOck
and his counsel are to be trusted, his defense
will be that he was exceedingly intimate with
certain of tho conspratOrs, that he did
trust them implicitly, that ne did COM
municate with them by letter and telegraph,
but that he did this from no dishonorable
motive, knew nothing of their conspiracy,
and had no part in it. 1t is stated that
he will show that these persons were the most
active and trusted friends of the President in
their section that they had been very success
| full in gaining strength there for him and his
party; that they were therefore regarded as
| the very men of all others to be most implicitly
trusted and that Gen. BabcOck supposed that
it was best for the President and for the
party to follow unhesitatingly the advice
given by these managing Republicans. This
is very ingenious defense. 1t may not be
the only one possible, but it is obviously
stronger, and more likely to produce the be-
lief that, in spite of ugly facts, Gen. Babcock
was not guilty of conspiracy to defraud the
Government, than any other yet suggested.
But does not everybody see that this defense
would clear Gen. Babcock at the expense OF
the President and the partyf
What does it meant It means, first, that
the public service was conducted, not for the
public interest, but for the interest of Gen
Grant and the party. That is not an indict