The Louisiana Democrat. [volume] (Alexandria, La.) 1845-1918, 1876-03-22

as stated before, that poor Marsh was
the man against whom that side of
the House would wreak its vengeance.
Yet they don't know what to do with
Bclknap. They are disguised with
his lack of nerve. If he had only
been villain enough to brace up bold
ly, aud deny, like Babcock and the
rest of them, they could have stood
by him and helped him out of it.
Then he could have resigned and re-
ceived certificate of character from
Grant. But to confess! That was
too much, and he must suffer. Eve
ry one of them, even the worse ras-
calls than himself, abhor and de-
nounce him-for that confession
But the whole Radical structure is
like row of bricks, and they are
doomed to tumble over one upon the
other. 1t is established beyond
doubt that the Presidents brother,
Orville Grant has been carrying on a
general brokerage in post trading
sutlerships, Indian agencies, ETC.,
having a sort Of supervision over the
entire business, and obtaining a di-
vision of profits with the holders of
these places. Just what his interest
in the traffic has been and from whom
he got authority to conductit, wheth-
er from the Secretary of War or from
some higher power is a matter the
committee will undertake to learn
1t would be ridiculous to assume that
he did not get it from somebody, or
that he has not divided plumber with
whoever it was. The Secretary of
the Navy too, stands on very danger
Gus ground. There is scarcely a
doubt but that his is the most pleg-
nant with corruption of all the de
partments, yet Robson himself is a
much shrewder man than Belknap.
The prevailing belief is that while
the most unblushing frauds have
been committed, the Secretary has
not been so much a participant, for
his own benefit, as a tool used by the
thieving gang about the White
House, whose orders he has obeyed.
Yet he is just as much responsible
and it is more than probable, unless
the system IF soaring witnesses sue
ceeds, that the labors of the investi-
eating committee will result in his
impeachment. A witness named
Wolf who had knowledge Of facts re-
lative to the division of $4,000 be-
tween some officials in certain tran.
saction was before the bar Of the
House on Wednesday for refusing to
answer questions propounded in COM
mittee. After being kept in confine-
ment over night he told what he. knew
and on being brought before the
House for a final discharge went into
fit, creating scene Of excitement
in the Hall. 1t did not prove serious
however, and he has since recovered.
The nature of his evidence is kept
secret for the present.
All the investigating committees
are prosecuting their labors with re-
newed yigor. The manner in which
the President ''played it, upon the
English authorities IN assisting Min
lister Schenck to get out of the coun-
try by pretending that he VAS COM
ing home, on leave of absence, to ties.
tify, is undergoing an inquiry, as is
also his own and Attorney General
Pierrepont's interference with the
ends of justice in the Babcock trial.
All this has so frightened Grant, and
the gang of advisers with which he
has been surrounded that they trem.
BILE for their own sakes. The Presi
dent himself now sees that his own
impeachment is one of the things te
be feared and that he cannot defy
public opinion forever. 80 he begin:
to act little upon one of his owr
neglected theories. The vigor with
which he commences to "unload'
amounts almost to violence. It ha,
been aptly said that it will help mos
when he gets off himself, but that is
now rendered only a question o
time, and the greatest remaining ser
vice he can render is to weed out hi
crowd. Under the terrible pressure
of the late events scape-goats are .
necessity to the party; and to begil
with Babcock, who but few day
before had been reinstated with addi
tional honors, is ostentatiously dis
missed from the White House in dis
grace. But such is life. Pierrepon