Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1876-10-02
ALEXANDRIA, VA.
MONDAY, OCTOBER 2, 1876.

The LESSON OF LAST WEEK.-Thc second
safe.purglary trial concluded asst Saturday
night by verdict Of acqulttal. Whatever may
be thought by the honest public OF the charac
ter of the leading witnesses brought on the
stand to convict Gen. Babcock, they were just
such witnesses as have been produced 90 every
trial of SO called Ku.kiux couspirators 10 the
South. The principal witness, Whitley, was
described by Gen. Babcock as zone of his
friends" be had held, for years, Que OF the
eadiug positionsio the Executive departments;
a position, OF all others, requiring, not only
keen sagaclty, but pure honesty OF purpose,
and most of the other witnesses Tor the prose
cutiou had been employees OF the Grant adj
mipistration, 10 positions Implying great trust
and confidence, and requiring the most scrupu-
lous fidelity to duty. Yet no coe man out of
the twelve men on the jury would believe these
men on oath. And these very mcu were at
one time the delegated agents Of the govern
ment, sent down South armed with secret
power over the lives and Liberty OF the mil
lions of good, honest people that were there
hard at work trying to recover from the rarages
OF war. This is u fair exhibition If the spirit
which seemed to animate the Administration
from the time when more SOlld witches than
those that cheated Macbeth Luug up The dia-
dem of a third term il the Presidents path
way, now melted, as breath luto the wlud.
A notable feature of the trial Was the proof,
and FULL admission by all parties, that the Pres
idept had given the prisoner at the bar, whom
one of the couSe described "as otteu mistaken
for tie President, and sometimes making that
mistake himself such complete coutro 10 the
government that at his Deck and nod, the So
l!ctor OF the Treasury turned over TO him the
whole bureau OF government detectives. to be
employed 10 whatever manner ne should
chose His present. friends say that General
Babcock turned them over to Harrington (who
is now fugitive FROM two indictments TO
protect his reputation against charges made by
certain leading cilzeus of the District OF Co.
lumbia. His late friend, Whitley, swears it
was turned over for another purpose; but
it is with the version of the matter which
General Batcock himself give, and which
has been for the past TWO weeks, especially,
dinned into the ears of the public, that we
are DOW concerned. 10 this shameful state
ment we desire to call public attention.
The Secret Service of the United States is an
organized division OF the treasury Department,
which has often cost the government as much
as one hundred thou>a dollars per anuun.
Its legitimate function is to detect the COULTER
teiting of the currency and frauds on the rev.
enue, and By diigent watchfulness to prevent
loss to the public by that meaus As matter
of fact this organization was used in 1874 TO
carry out, with the assistance of the official
power of the d. S. District Attorney at the
Capitol plot to use burglar, first to CON-
NIT crime, and second to swear that crime on
a leading democrat. for the purpose of punish
iug that democrat for settirg on foot an inves-
tiga,ion into radical misdeeds, ADD to stop
their further Investigation. The administra.
tion declines to take the responsibility for this,
and declaring that it was done without author
ity, was compelled, after some of the couspira-
tors nau cOniesSed anu oln"Fs were blgH con-
viction, to drop some ADD to accept the resg-
natioos of others. The administration does
however, assume the responsibility Of the en-
ployment by Gen. Babcock. of whole gov
ernment bureau 10 his personal service, and
keeps him in office. viii not such an avowal
Of making the government personal machine
arouse the public to clear appreciation Of
the dangers which menace the institutions
founded by our fathers and we'll epitomlzed by
Mr.. Lincoln as government by the people,
for the people %