The daily Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1873-1877, 1876-02-10
Who Buys and Sells the PRESIDENT

The practices Of the rascal Worms upon
the amazing credulity of Chicago hotel
keeper, whom he persuaded into entrust-
ing him with five thousand dollars in an
envelope in exchange for forged contract
to supply the Indians of the northwest
with red-fannel shirts, will hardly perhaps
excite so much indignation in the country
at large as might have been felt if he had
swindled some citizen of another city and
of another calling. 1t is difficult to weep
over the misfortunes of man who could
not at least learn certain elementary
lessons in human nature in the course Of
several years experience as hotel-keeper
in Chicagol But one feature in the story
has serious national significance. After
Worms had secured what he made his
victim believe was a contract with the
department of the interior, he banished all
doubts of its authenticity from his victim S
mind by informing him that he was ex-
pected to pay FIVE thousand dollars to the
president of the United States! If one
will but think of it for a moment, what a
humiliating revelation is here made to US
Of the general reputation which this
administration has earned for itself!
Worms was an ex-offcer of the union
army. Newman, his victim, was a resi-
dent in the chief city of President Grants
own state of Illinois. Yet the one did not
hesitate for a moment to pretend that he
had procured public contract by the
simple process of bribing the president,
and the other accepted the assertion that
the president expected bride as decisive
evidence Of the authenticity of the con-
tract 1t is impossible to add anything to
the shameful force of this simple state
ment. From the foundation of the republic
down to the second election of President
Grant there never was an hour in the
history of this country in which two men
could have been found, the one to hazard
and the other to accept such disgraceful
assertion about an American Chief Magis-
trate. Now, not only are these men
found, but though the intolerable story
has been going the rounds Of the press for
several days, we have seen so far not one
solitary comment in the public press upon
this, which is its most salient and its most
sickening aspect.
Whose is the fault that it has thus come
to be thought, even by second class
Chicago hotel keeper the likeliest thing in
the world that president Of the United
States will take bribe2 Whose fault
can it be? No man in the high station
filled by President Grant ever fell so low
In public repute through the acts or the
neglects Of any human being but himself
alone. 1t may be true, and there certainly
is not single high-minded American Of
any political faith whatever in this country
who does not hope and pray that it may b.
true, that President Grant has meyer
directly and personally done or forborne t.
do anything which could be twisted ever
by maleyolence into an indication that hi:
official conduct could be controlled by 4;
pecun;ary bride. But it must be true, o.
such an incident as this of the swindline
in this particular way of Newman by
Worms could not possibly have occurred
it must be true that individuals so near thu
person of the president as to be abl;
fatally to compromise his good name have
not once, or twice, but habtually and sys
tematically traficked in his official con
duct. Who are these individuals? This
impending trial of Babcock perhaps, may
throw some light upon this painful sub
ject; but light upon it we must in one wa,
or another secure, if the good name o
President Grant already dragged so loy
in the repute Of the numerous classe
represented by this story OF Worms an,
Newman. is to be saved from griffin
hopelessly into history as dishonore
wreck.-N T. World.