Lexington weekly intelligencer. (Lexington, Mo.) 1871-1887, 1878-04-27


before the country thatched with po!it- |
ical corruption, was re-appointed and !
confirmed as collector of the port of |
New Orleans. Even George William
Curtis, so long hoping against hope, |
and so faithfully clirgimg to the presi- |
dent through thick and thin, was at last
obliged to resign bis position in disgust,
and to declare that the appointments OF
the president showed Ian utter ubau-
donment Of both the letter and spirit OF
the civil-service rcgulation.' About the
same time Peter Cooper wrote most
earnest and friendly letter to the presi-
dent. begging HIM to rescue the city
house "OgueS who had so long dsgraced
our civil service and duiied the people;
but the president seemed entirely un-
conscious that anything was going
amiss. When congress abolished the
government OF the District OF Columbia
in order to get rid of Boss Shepherd,
who stood revealed rs q disgraced pub
lie swindlcr. the pre- ident Immediately
appointed him one Of the commissioners
of the new district government. When
the satr-burgiary criminals were on
trial, the machinery of the district at
torney's office was employed to cheat
public justice; and the president, pend
ing the trial, made 4 most remark able
demonstration upon the jury by inviting
one of the defendants to join a company
of distinguished guests in Il feast al the
white house. What was called Grant
ISM found still filter illustration in
the case OF Orvi!ie Grant. He asked the
president, who Is his brother, to lct hIm
know when anything under his control
should tranSpire by which he (Orville)
| could make some money. The president
thought 1t right to grItity him. and in
due time proceeded to designate GER
tain posttradershIp which he might
control, not, as it would seem, because
the incunbents Of the places We're in
competent or unworthy. but that Orvilic
should have 4 share o.! the profits by
imposing eXactions to that effect. or
through the removal OF the incumbcuts
If they should object to the division
The department of justice was dl>grac-
ed by continuing in office Attorney-tien-
eral Williams a year and Il half alter it
had been proved that he had appropr-
ated the public revenue to the private
use of himself and his family: and this
same Encouragement was atterward
appointed chiel-ju,tice OF the supreme
court OF the United States. The real
working of"the best cIyiI serv ice on the
planet" and ''the purest and best ad-
ministratinn this country has ever had. :"
is made strikingly manifest in the con
viction of the secretary of war. on his
own confession, OF making merchandise
OF the post-traderships under his con-
troll. while the president. who ha'i
knowledge OF his criminal acts four
years before, accepted his resignation
with regret and with such surpris-
ing promptness AS to prevent his legal
conviction OF high crimes and mi-dt-
meanors by the senate
The president stood by Secretary
Delano in his disgracelul performances
involving the management OF Indian
affairs till forced by public opinion to
give him up, and then ''vindicated" him
by his customary farewell letter OF APP.
proval. BY one of those accidents that
now and then checkered his Almiustra-
ton, he appointed BriStow aS his secre-
tary of the treasury: and after the wort,
OF hunting down and bringing to Justice
the whisky thieves had been resolved
upon by the new secretary. and while
the brave words Let no guilty man
escape were winning the p,auditS ut
the people. and finding their WAY into
the party platform as the watchwOrdS
of reform, the president himself was
drawing from the secretary and his sub
ordinates whatever Information his high
and trusted position could command
relative to the prosecution OF his friend
Babcock. and placing it in the hands OF
I.,t.tl ,,tp
pose than that of securing his arquittal
and defeating the execution Of the laws
he was sworn to enforce. According to
the sworn testimony of men of high
character, he had no sooner discovered
that Bristuw was the enemy OF thieves
than he resolved upon his removal and.
although his purpose was TEN porarily
delayed, 1t was not defeated He seems
to have demanded the head OF Buiord
Wilson for kindred reasons. Pratt was
decapitatcd because he spoke a friend
ly word IN behalf OF Iaryan. who was
also sacrificed. DYER was another vic
tim, and for no reason known to the
public. which naturally inferred that
his sole otfense was his refusal to prosti-
tute his office to the use of the guilty.
Henderson was stricken down Tor no
|
courageous performance OF his official
, duty threatened to involve the white
house, or such idolized friends of the
president as Gen. Babcock. II Jewell was
not dismissed from the cabinet because he
was the friend of Bristow and his CO.
worker in reform, then the cause ui his
dismissal was inscrutabe. The appoint
ment OF Tyner rs Jewels successor
naturally enters into the warp and woOi
OF the same civil-service fabric, he being
the facile instrument Ex-senator Morton.
the leader of the Indiana delegation in
theCincinnati convention in opposition to
Bristow. and claiming also the glory OF
having secured the nomination uT Gov
ernor Hayes. When the nation was
| groaning under an enormous burden OF
debt and taxation, and the representa-
tives Of the people voted themselves
salaries they had never earned. and
doubled the pay of the president. he
personally lobbied for the measure in
both houses of congress aud promptly
legalized the THEFT by his signature. He
clung to his minister to England till
public opinion on both sides of the
Atlantic compelled his withdrawal on
account of his disgraceiu connection
with the Emma Mine fraud He with
drew the custody OF government bontis
from the house OF Barring Brothers Il
Co.. who had held it Tor generations.
and intrusted them to Clews. Hahich &
Co, who afterward became bankrupt.
as reward for their partisan services,
and in spite OF the warning that tins
house was untrustworthy. He defended
the mo:ety system by which the revenues
of the country were farmed ont 10 l,o!it-
lea, scullions for the purpose OF srcur-
ing the fortunes of some of his favorltcs; :;
while General Babcock, who had been
justly branded by the press rs a "sneak-
thief" in the methods employing by
him IN securing his acquittal OF high
crime, was allowed TO hold on TO his
position rs chief OF engineers and com
missioner of public buildings and
/ grounds.
The management of public affairs in
the south was equally shameful and re-
voting. What that section of country
needed above all things was delivcrancc
from the borde OF thieves ard dema-
gogues who had been fastened. like
| lie eches. upon the welfare of the people.
and backed in their misdceds by the
whole power OF the administration. In
the state of Alabama the federal patron
age and the use of the United States
army were turned over to George +.
Spencer. thoroughly corrupt and un-
principled political adventurer. to enable