New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1876-02-12
LETTERS FROM THE PEOPLE
THE PRESIDENT AS A WITNESS.


QUESTIONS WHICH IT WOULD DE EMBARRASSING
FOR THE PROSECUTING ATTORNEY TO ASK AND
FOR THE PRESIDENT TO ANSWER.
To TIE Edit0r OF the Tr'o""c'
SIP. Now that the trial of Gen. Babcock has
oprncd. discussion is revived as 10 the PERSONA,
relations of the President to the case III Is sta'tu
that his deposition will he taken in behalf Of me
defendant Ii is to be hoped that this may DE
avoided He cannot become witness ON the triai
without giving the prosecution the night to cross
ov,,ni,c ,icht which it is duty to exercise and
which nav result in placing the President IN posi-
to, moi ronsiSlrnt with the high dignity of his Office
With unanimiiy which proves that however
hid, parti,an feeling may run ihe American people
are ono when the honor of the nation il at stake, the
President has been acquitted Of completely III the
whisky frauds Every good citizen hopes that moth
ing will occur to disturb that verdict Bnt whiic IL
is conceded that he had 40 criminal knowledge
of tie frauds committed, it cannot he denied 'iI'
he is i'm a great degree personally responsive LOT
them. He has been blind and unSilspectlng to a ne
cree LITTLE short of rcprchcnsble in man OF average
tslligcncc.
Duriug a recent visit TO st. Louis found THIS feel
ing very strong in private circles where t'c res
dent is personally known. The facts are That tho
members Of the Ring were his personal lrlrhuS III"
former Intimate. notably Mcdonald. whose cond
have known that IcDonad was not rich when he
went into Office. He was his guest drank his wincs
rod, behind hi. fast horses and knew that he was
by;,g ot tbe rate OF many thousands of dol
lars a year He also knew that his salary
WIZ 50 800. and that it was utterly impoi'-
Bile tla; he shoud honestly receive ono cent hcy"nh
that arnount When one considers TIE ii"t that ire
oucnt and repeated CHARGES were made against
Mcdonald. that the Secretary OF the ircaSur! ana
the Commissioner of Internal Rcs'nu" were pom
convinced of his rascaliiy and that persistent efforts
were made to procure hi, removal on that ground
alone the ohtuscnes> of The President - remarkable
and il Is 20 longer strange that hc still believes III.
GEN Nabrock's innocence.
Such lo,altyto friendship is perhaps commend
able a, ap,r>onal quahiy, bat is hardly consistent
with official responsibility. Suppose that TIE m"n-
agcr of a large corporation who knew that IN en-
plo,G was spending five or ten time, as much - h.
carmel should no. onir fail Ia remove him, hEi
sbo,ld ACCEPT hi, ho>pi:alt and become go fiat cN-
tent shar,s in the th'fts, the stockholders "'na
not b, apt to acqut him Of completely 80 readily ~
the people have In" President IN this parallel IN
stance. Gen. Babco"l has been The most intimate
friend 81 the President for l. years. II II Shonh
bc proved that at the beginning OF thai
period hc p1or and that he Is no" Il'H'
with no other income than thIt OF his ply
an amy "ihDtf, " hIl-"' "'''''l' ''''
duty Of tn pro,ccutiu5 attorney To question the
President - to h~ know dgc Of the sources Of ncn
Babcach' wealth or rs 20 h. opinion III the 1h,cncr
of exact information. Such au inquiry would hr
very much like putting the President himself uI"n
thc defensive. II would at least place im IN meet
embarrassing situation. Tn; should lc avoided NJ
al hgrlrla II is better that oYc clinical >honNd
escape punishment than that thr in>il"" "l tir
United states should be PLACED 10 TIE cqri'a''
position Of an interested WItl">, N e criminal t''
tonching II, personnel ot hi, official family For
the President there should be No middle place h'
tween absolute. mquc5toncd integrity aud in
parchment. LIN
Neir- York. Irh. = ls7G.