The Indiana State sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis) 1868-1895, 1876-03-15

The Old Story.
Unhsppily for the credit of our nation.
at home and abroad, cases of scandal have
been by no means rare among Washing
ton officials during the seven years of the
present administration. One tale of
Off cisl venslity, incompetency and cor
rup:ion has followed SO closely upon the
heels of another that the history OF the
administration has been an almost
unbroken record of such shameful
scandals and exposures as almost TO
make an American citizen blush for his
nationality. The names upon which this
long succession of exposures hiss brought
disgrace comprise stsrtlingly large pro-
portion Of all those which have been asso-
ciated with places of national trust and
honor since the 4th of March, 1869. Those
OF Richardson, Delsuo, Williams, Doug
lass, Schenck, Babcock and Belknsp are
only few OF the most conspicuous among
them, and the roll of dishonor is still far
from complete, and the infamies with
which these names have been connected
have been as varied in kind and degree as
the characters of the men who committed
them. They have run through all the
varying shades of open theft aud more in
direct means of conveying the public
money TO the private pocket, wholesale
bribery and sale of official influence snd
personal incapacity in office so gross as TO
merit the name OF crime. Only in one
constant feature do all these circumstances
declare their common source and manifest
the existence OF a thread of evidence that
connects them all into one stu
pedonus mass OF corruption for which
the administration of Gen. Grant as q
whole, and not merely number of
isolated subordinstes, is responsible. This
constant feature Is the total immunity
from any adequate degree OF punishment
enjoyed by the perpetrators OF the most
dishont st practice. Throughout the whole
history Of the administration II has seemed
rather the sbettor and pallistor than the
stern Judge aud swift sveuger OF wrongs
done to the state. Not cabinet officer or
foreign minister who has disgraced the
country by corrupt conduct but has found
in the president his most stsunch
been retained in his position until out
ragged deceDcy compelled his withdrawal,
and finally permitted to resign with al
the honor that could be conferred upon
him by complimentary letter from his
sympathetic chief. And now &C seems
more than probable that the old story, 30
often reiterated, will be sgsin repeated,
and that the last crowning instance OF Of
fetal corruption Will receive the same
criminslly lenient treatment as those
which have gone before. General Bel
knap's resignation has been accepted
by the president with regret" but be-
yond this his powerful friends have made
his punishment difficult matter. True,
a Democratic House has prepared articles
of impeachment against him, but the sin
gulsr zeal Of the president for the punish
ment, not OF the guilty minister, but of
the witness whose evidence disgrsced him,
has made it extremely difficult to present
testimony upon which a Republican Sem
ate Will declare his condemnation. More
than this, the severer penalty which would
in Justice be inflicted upon the
corrupt secretary by she courts
of the country is likely to be defeated by
the same untimely interposition. The
criminal prosecutor of the district in
whose hands lies the bringing of the guilty
minister to trial reports that, on account OF
the removal of the principal witness, it
will net be possible for him TO make out 8
case upon which to secure even an indict-
ment. So IL seems that the name of
Belknsp is to be added TO the long list OF
dishonest officials who have swindled the
government with impunity.
In view of this last and
most convincing addition 70 the long
succession of eliminating circum-
stances against it, can any one doubt the
responsibility and connection Of the sd-
ministrstion with the tissue of fraudulent
and corrupt practices that have marked its
entire continuance, Il Is no longer posi-
BILE to regard them as isolated and acct
dental incidents, or to avoid the conclu-
SIGN that the administration and the party
to which it belongs are irredeemsbly cor
rupt and debssed, and that the only safety
for the nation lies in their immediate and
final dethronement from power.