The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1876-03-10
Current Notes.

OuAAOhO HNOtCct
Make note of it, that the Democratic in
vestigation into the real-estate pool at Wash
ington will not be pushed to conclusion.
Too many big Democrats in that pool.
The Democrats are indignant at the idea of
prosecuting Belknap in the courts. They
didn't expose him in the interest of justice,
but for party capital, and don't propose that
justice shall get ahead of party in his treat
ment.
Attorney General Pierrepont, at the order
of the President, wants to indict Belknap
and have him behind prison bars within a
fortnight, but the Democratic majority in
the House interposes to save him from the
clutches of the law. That's about the how
of it.
Why does the virtuous Democratic house
refuse or delay to take action concerning
Democratic Congressman Schumacher, who,
according to report. was not only bribed him.
self but is supposed to have purchased quite
a number of his fellow Democrats Can it
be that the House is afraid?
There is strong belief in Washington that
the investigation into the affairs of the navy
department will be sham. Rumor says that
Sammy Randall and Mr.. Whitthorne, 1.-THE
latter the Democratic chairman of the naval
committee) have private reasons for not car
ing to have any fuss made about Mr.. Robe
son.
The belief that the flight of Marsh into Can
ada was encouraged, if not abetted and con-
nived at, by one or more of the Democratic
members of the Investigating Committee, is
slowly gaining ground. The refusal of the
House yesterday to permit the introduction
of a resolution of inquiry into the escape of
Marsh gives still stronger color to the pre-
sumption that the policy of the Democrats is
to proceed from this point forth with all pos
sible slowness, for the purpose of making the
most of their capital, and to prevent the Re-
publicans from ofsetting the damaging effect
of the exposure by the prompt and severe
punishment OF the guilty officer. 1t is diff
cult to account for the negligence which per-
mitted Marsh to leave Washington without
hndrance upon any other hypothesis; there
was plainly method and purpose in it,
Chicago Tribune.
1t is curious coincidence that the Hon.
Fernando Wood, who had possession of the
floor when the committee reported the Bel
knap scandal, is himself undergoing investi-
cation before New York court on similar
charge. The creditors of one N. II. Fowler
have brought suit against MI. Wood, aleg.
ing that Fowler paid Fernando Wood some
$4,000 in return for his appointment as cor
poration attorney. The agreement was that
when Fowler got the appointment he was to
pay Wood $4,000 in cash and the first years
salary of the office and to divide with Wood
the salary and perquisites for the subsequent
period of his holding office. Wood denies
that there was any bargain, but admits the
receipt of money to be used for political pur-
poses.-Ve,o HGuen Palladium.
The impeachment managers in the Bel
knap case, having sent their witnesses out of
the country, are now obliged to delay pro-
ceedings until they can discover new testimo-
no. The reason why the witnesses were
spirited away is now discovered to be that if
they had remained to appear before the court
CT impeachment they might have damaged
the character of the Hon. Geo. Fl. Pendleton,
the eminent Democratic statesman. 1t is
not the Democratic policy to push the great
reform movement into the Democratic camp,
and consequently those swindlers who have
been wise enough to obtain Democratic con-
tederates-as most of them have-are con-
sidered perfectly secure. But it must make
Fernando Wood feel sick and disheartened
to find the reformers SO insincere aud one
sided.-Hdrtord Courant.