The Toledo chronicle. [volume] (Toledo, Tama County, Iowa) 1873-1924, 1876-03-09
HOW ARE TIE MIGHTY FALLEN !.

Ihe WhoIe country was thrown into
Intense excitement last week by the news
that Gen. Belknap, Secretary of War, had
been found guilty of accepting brides.
The Secretary had the appointment of
Post Traders at various places on our
frontier, and 1t seems that among others
She position at Fort Sill has proved
very lucr tive one, SO much SO that
there was good deal OF strife among tie
applicants for it. One Marsh of New
York City, whose family was on intimate
terms with the family of Gen. Belknap,
succeeded through the influence of Mrs.
Belknup in securing the appointment as
Post Trader at Fort Sill The then in
cumbrcnt. John s. Evans, was an appli-
cant for re-appointment and in order to
save trouble it was a. reed to by him and
IIarsh that he was to continue in the po-
sIth'a, but Marsh WAS to receive the ap-
pointment and ne was to pay Marsl,
81, 03e per year from the profits of the
position. Marsh made the agreement
md was in turn to pay one-half Of this
amount to Mrs. Belknap for her infu-
cnce used in getting him the position
No man stood higher in public esteem
than Gen. Brlkuap, and no man was sup
posed to be more honest than he, and yet
this has been going on for almost six
years. He made good run IN our late
Senatorial contest, and several of the
prominent papers of the State signifed
their intention to support him two years
hence.
from high estate rs this without feelings
of pity and sorrow. and it but adds force
to the words Of the Wise mar centuries
ago who said: "He that maketh haste to
become rich shall not be innocent" We
believe in achoing the words Of President
Grant when he said Let no guilty man
escape" If General Beknap is as guilty
rs it now appears he is he should be
made to suffer the penalty of the law
just as much as any other man.
There is no doubt but great amount
of political capital will be made out of
this'affair and the story of Gen. Belknap
viii be used to point many a Democratic
moral and adorn many Democratic
tale, during the approaching Presidential
campaign, and on this account the fol-
lowing which we clip from that sterling
paper the N Y Ecening Nail should
have peculiar force. 1t is particularly
pertinent just now:
There is no charge that he, in any
way, subverted government funds; that
he connived at robbery or fraud; that he
IN any way, diverted funds that should
have gone to the public treasury to his
private purposes; no charge that he tol-
Grated abuses, or closed his eyes to pccu-
luton; no charge that lac aided his couH-
try's enemies, or plotted how to betray
her life by placing the nations arms,
entrusted to his care for her defence in
in time of need, just where he knew the
'open enemies of the nation would find
them ready for their use wien tine should
come for the breaking out of long plotted
war, as, not many years ago, did GER
tain Democratic Secretary of War named
Floyd!
No charge that he scattered over the
face Of earth's broad oceans the country's
sluen of war, SO that when needed the be-
trayed land should not be obliged to sum
mon her winged war ships to her aid, as
It'd IL Democratic Secretary of the Navy
named Toucey
No charge that he abandoned his seat
in the councils of the nation to hasten to
put himself at the head of her foes, as a
Democratic ex Secretary of War named
Jefferson Davis did
No charge that he connived with thiev
ing contractors, who were building forti-
tications and providing munitions Of War,
to put up sham forts and provide worth
Tess ammunition and to divide the shame
iui savings, as has been charged against
Russian and Turkish and Preach Minis
tiers of war; while in the early months of
the Crimean war England's officials were
Charged with criminM iacapactty, it not
guilty conrivance in the furnishing OF
shoddy stores and useless material to the
distant suffering soldiers.
Not one of these grave charges that
have been proved against others holding
rs exalted stations in this aud foreign
countries are even limited at; yet, Hon.
Hester Clymer could say in his place in
the House, that the late Secretary of
War had been guilty of crimes unknown
before in the history of our own, Or any
other nation F" ....
This Hester Clymcr was former
scfloeImate of Gen. Belknap's, and pro-
fesses yet to have great friendship for
him. But when we see such actions
are constrainedto cry out GOOD Lord
.deliyer VIC frcr,, our frippdsw