The Louisiana Democrat. [volume] (Alexandria, La.) 1845-1918, 1876-03-01
Who Buys and Sells the Prcsitent /,

The practices of the rascal Worms
upon the amazing credulity Of a Chi,
cago hotel keeper, whom he persia.
ded into entrusting him with f,v.
thousand dollars in an envelope IN
exchange for forged contract ia
supply the Indians of the Northwe.t
with red flannel shirts, will hardly
perhaps excite SO much indignation
in the country at large as might hare
been felt if he had swindled som.
citizen of another city and Of another
calling. 1t is difficult 10 weep oser
the misfortpnes Of = man Who could
not at least learn certain elementary
lessons in human nature in the course
of several years. experience as no.
tel-keeper in Chicago! But one feat.
ure in the story has serious nation.
al significance. After Worms had
secured what he made his victim b..
lieve was contract with the Dep.r,.
ment of the Interior, he banislled Al
doubts of its authenticity from hi,
victims mind by informing him tina,
he was expected to pay five Thousand
dollars to the President of the United
States! If one will but think Of Il for
a moment, what q humi'iating reve.
lation is here made to US Of the gen.
eral reputation which this Admins.
tration has earned for itself. Worms
was an ex-oflcer of the Union army.
Newman, his victim, was resident
in the chief city of President Grants
own State of Illinois. Yet the one
did not hesitate for a moment to pre-.
tend that he had procured public
contract by the simple process Of
bribing the President, and the other
accepted the assertion that the Pres.
idcnt expected a bride as decisive of
the authenticity of the contract! It
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
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 9TH
er to accept such a disgraceful asser-
ton about an American Chief Maeis-
trate. Now, not only are these men
found, but though the intolerable sto-
ry 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 it's most sicken.
ing aspect.
Whose is the fault that it has thus
come to be thought, even by secon.l-
class Chicago l,otel-keepcr, the like
|liest thing in the world that Presi
dent of the United States will TAKE \
bribe2 Whose fault can it be-! M
man in the high station filled by
President Grant ever fell so low in
public repute through, the nets Or the
neglects Of any human being but him
self alone. II may be trne, aid there
certainly is not a single high minded
American OF any political faith what
ever in this country who does not
hope and Tray that it may be- true,
that President Grant has never di.
rectly and personally done or for
borne to do anything which could be
twisted even by manevolence into m
indication that his official con.lnct
could be controlled by pecuniary
bride. But it must be true, or such
an incident as this Of the swindling
in this particular way Of Newman BY
Worms could not possibly have OF
curred-it must be true that individ.
uals 80 near the person Of the Presi.
dent as to be able fatally to compro.
mise his good name have not once,
nor twice, but habitually and sys-
tematically trafiicked in hts odicial
conduct. Who are these individuals9
The impending trial Of Babcock, per-
haps, may throw some light upon
this painful subject; but light upon
it we must in one way or another &c.
cure, il the good name Of President
Grant, already dragged so low in the
repute Of the numerous classes repre-.
sented by this story Of Worms and
Newman, Is to be saved from drifting
hopelessly into history as dishon.
ored wreck. IN. Y. World.
~~~~~>s~>-~o>.~>--~---
"A LADY will do many things
which gentleman could not bring
himself to do. There is no gentle
man in Springfield, for instance, Who
could walk through Main street drag
ging part of his raiment on the