The weekly Thibodaux sentinel and journal of the 8th Senatorial District. [volume] (Thibodaux, Lna. [i.e. La.]) 1875-1898, 1876-03-11
Lifting the Curtain.

William w. Belknap, president
Grants secretary Of war, confes
ses that he has used his office as
means of selling profitable,
places ; that among other things,
the sum OF $500 "a year was pala
to Mrs. Belknap, his wife, bya
post trader at Fort Sill appoint
ed by her husband, as long as he
remained post trader. This con-
fession was pKtOrted from him
not by any voluntary repentance
on his part, but by showing bin
the evidence proving the fact. o.
course this is not the only trans
action of the kind in which Mr.
Belkpap has been engaged; 1T is
merely a specimen, a single pro
duct Of a SYSTEM Which has borne
multifarious and continual fruit.
The man, detected and crushed
is driven out, resIgus, is lmpeaeh
ed, and either escapes or emdures
the punishment Of his crime. The
people are shocked by the the ~
velati0n-by the positive proof
OF what has 80 long been suspect
ed and believed. 1t is indeed a
shocking, a revoltfpg exhibition.
In the Centennial year OF the Re
public, our great enterL rise OF
tree popular government results
in the sale OF offices by one of
our very highest functionaries,
and in the payment of bribes to
the wife of this rotten official. Ii
such is our condition at the end
OF the first century, what will it
be at The end OF the second We
may we'll hang our heads with
shame before other nations
when the very highest executive
officers, those intrusted with the
chief power and the largest hon
ors, turn out to be bride takers,
thieves, robbers, pickpockets,
mere ordinary scoundrels.
But these natural sentiments
and reflections must promptly be
set aside for the sterner purpose
OF thoroughly understanding the
dised Sc which threatens to des-
troy us, and applying a remedy
that shall be thorough, effective,
and adequate. The first necessity
is to know the whole truth : and
for the possibility of this We
must be grateful to the Democrat
tic majority in the House of Rep
resentatives. But for the prepon
derance there of that party, such
discoveries would be impossible.
The country remembers that
when, four years, ago, We took the
responsibility OF charging upon
George NJ. Robesou, Secretary OF
the Navy-a man tar more venal
gross, aud thievish than Belknap
tile fact that, he had illegally
and in direct contraventiOn OF
Jaw, taken from the Treasury the
sum OF $4,000 aid paid it over to
one Secor, the lstpubIican House
OF Representatives, appointed IA
committee, not to discover, but
to suppress aud Whitewash Rober
sons official acts ; and although
We proved the fact Of this public
robbery, before this packed co,n-
mittee, Senators like Freling
Huysen and Conkling joined in
giorifying the public plunderer,
and all the Republican party
newspapers in the country, the
soft and sentimental as we'll as
the bold and trucufent. set up one
chorus Of deiiunciation because
The SWm had presumed 30 far +;
just as a few months later they
denounced us for the Credit Mo
biller revelation. Now, however
a different state of things pre-
walls. and the real facts in all
their hideousness are tobe brought
to light.
1t must not be supposed that
Belknap Is any worse than the
others because he gets justice first.
He has done nothing but what
they have done before him. In its
essential character there is no
difference between his act and
thato Gen. Grant III appointing
men to the Cabinet because they
had given him presents. There is
no essential difference between
Mr.. Belknap's APPOINTING a post
trader because The man offers to
give his wife $4,000 4 year, and
President Grants appointing a
worthless character like Jim Ca
sey Collector of New Orleans be.
cause lie is his brOther-in law. 1t
is the system now universally
known as Grantism, which is dis
honest, larcenous, destructive
alike of public and private morali
ty. Grant engages in the Black
Friday gold conspiracy, aud $25-
600 is sent TO the White House
out of the profits ; Babcock con