St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1877-06-22

advising that the President should issue
his order for the government of all.
ONE MAN AS GOOD AS ANOTHER IN THE
RACE FOR OFFICE.
The continued practice, persisted in
by the cOlOred people in some sections
of the Union, of sending delegations to
Washington to interview the President
for the purpose of impressing upon him
their claims for Office, is being severely
criticized. A Louisiana colored delega-
ton called upon Secretary Sherman the
other day, and claimed one third of the
appoin tments in that state. The laws,
in political sense, obliterate the line
of demarcation between the races, so
that there exists no distinction. There
would be as much propriety in Irish
men, Germans, Italians, or indeed citi-
zens of any nationality, and their off
spring, claiming recognition because OF
special descent. No one should be
viewed in any other character than as
an American citizen, when he applies
for Office. He can have no higher claim.
LIBELLEkS.
The freedom of the press has aptly
been termed the palladium of liberty,
but it would as closely approximate the
truth to say that its unbridled license to
defame private character is subversive
of good morals and individual rights.
OF this latter truism we have almost
daily illustration of the columns of the
New York Sun. 1t sneers at response
bility for violations of truth and the
besmearing of the good name of an in
tended victim is an objective point, to
reach which it claims that the end JUS
titles the means. We have case be-
fore us. For no other reason than Il
general desire to defame the reputation
of all Government officials, it recently
published letter attacking the private
and public character of AlonzO Bell,
gave to the public Il tissue of falsehOOds,
all impeaching his integrity and his
ability us an officer.
Mr.. Bell has resorted to the only
means within his reach, to vindicate
himself against these foul aspersions.
He has brought suit for libel in the Su-
periOr- Court of New York, laying his
damages at 100000. In a community
in which Mr.. Bell is known, any effort
to guard himself from the poisoned
arrows of his calumniators would be il
work of supererogation, as the missiles
there would fall harmless to the ground.
1t is, however, BETTING that the whole
country should know the iniquity of the
assailant, and the unimpeachable char
acter of the assailed.
THE DEVELOPMENTS AT THE MANHAT-
TAN CLUB ENTERTAINMENT.
The speeches made at the Manhattan
Club entertainment in New York, on
last Tuesday evening, express the true
inwardneSs of the representative Demo-
Gratis of this country. Both Tilden and
Hendricks denounced the Inauguration
of Hayes as fraud, and while they ad-
vised no open assault upon his admins
tration, and gave him no praise for
adopting some of their theories, they
claim that he is only de .tactO Presi-
dent. They strongly insinuated that
the Southern policy was intended to
reconcile the Democracy to the ''count-
ing in process" by which they said he
reached the White House, but that no
true Democrat could esteem him other
than as usurper. Now, this is the
exact relative situation of the parties
All concessions to the Democracy serve
to strengthen them, and to weaken the
party in power. 1t were far better to
get back to the real position occupied
when we claimed that Louisiana, South
Carolina, and Florida were Republican
states, and had elected Republican cleo
tors and State officers. This is the only
tenable ground for us to occupy as a
political organization.
HELPLESSNESS OF THE FEDERAL GOV
EMINENT TO PROTECT CITIZENS.
The evident impossibiIity to bring the
murderers of the Chisholm family, in
Mississippi, to punishment for their
tieudish crime is unanswerable evidence
of the inability of the General Govern
ment to furnish protection to life and
liberty in the late insurrectionary states,
where red-handed violence stalks bold
ly around at MONDAY. There is no dis
guising the fact that this threefold hon.
icide had its origin in partisan antipathy
on the part of the assassins, and that
they have been and will be protected
by their political associates. Now, will
not this lamentable state of insecurity
in the south suggest to Congress that
something must be done to stay the
reign of lawlessness in those states in
which state laws afford no defense from
injury?
INVESTIGATION IN THE INDIAN BUREAU.
Startling developments are anticipat-
ed of gross frauds heretofore perpetrated
in the Indian Bureau. Rumor has it
that there is evidence of systematic ar
rangement by which a false return of
the numbers of Indians in the tribes to
which supplies have been issued, as
well as in the issuing of land-scrip TO
the Indians, which got into the hands
of ring, who, by collision with Wash
ingtOn officials, used it to strip land of
its timber, then raised and relocated
it, so that it was made to extend to any
number of tracts. The Secretary of the
Interior has entered upon the work of ex-
posing these and other fraudulent trans
actions. There is considerable trepida-
ton, and some vacancies may result
from the revelations that will come from
a thorough inquiry. ETA.
The Ogdensburg Railroad.
GEN. ANDERSON'S ACCOUNT OF THE LIT
TCATInN IN NEW uANIpSuIpE