National Republican. (Washington City (D.C.)) 1872-1888, 1881-06-24
General Brady Demands a Hearing.

COuuSel, MeSSTS. lOVuen anu wilson, anu
moved the court to direct that the
grand jury proceed at once to consider
the charges which have for months been
heralded to the world against him by the
agents of the Government. A letter ad-
dressed to his counsel by General Brady
on the subject forms part of the pro-
ceedings, and is an eloquent, manly, and
indignant protest against the laws de-
lay-the insolence of office"
Mr.. William A. Cook appeared for the
Government and INDUCED in a strain
which fell but little short of burlesque. He
affected to regard the appeal for justice
as an exhibition Of impatience, and de-
clared that there was as yet no accusation
against General Brady. He could not,
and the court could not, regard the ru-
mors of the press-this, too, in face of
the fact that the court had but two days
before taken judicial notice of the public
rumor in the press concerning alleged
postal frauds and made it the basis of
portion of the charge to the grand jury.
The speech of Mr.. Cook was a coarse
specimen of pettifogging, and was
thoroughly disingenuous from beginning
to end.
Mr.. Wilson, on behalf Of General Brady,
stated plumply that the persons engaged
in working up the cases were guilty of
the gross misconduct of giving the press
access to records of the Post-Office De-
partment, which was denied to his law
firm as counsel for General Brady.
The court decided that it could not ac-
celerate the movements of the counsel
for the Government, and denied the ap-
plication for instructions to the grand
jury.
All Of which demonstrates that citi-
zen may be prosecuted, hbeled, and
abused through the public press for
months by gang of detective lawyers,
detective suborners of perjury, disgraced
contractors, spies, and blackmailers, paid
by the Government, and that when these
have thus used their official employment
as an ambush from which to assail pri-
vate character they cannot be compelled
to put their charges in form and give
them to the grand jury for Indictment
or dismissal
Mr. Cook may deny till doomsday that
the Government has furnished the press
with its daily accusations against General
Brady and others, but it is nevertheless
true that this infamous course has been
pursued. The Postmaster-General and
the Attorney-General have employed the
most characterless creatures they could
find and given them the task of work
ing up" cases against General Brady.
One of these instruments was shown
to have suborned perjury in New Orleans
to endeavor to put John Sherman in the
penitentiary. Another was discharged
Treasury detective, another discharged
Post-Office detective, and so to the
end of the chapter. The Attorney-Gen-
eral has wallowed in the mire with the
detective Gibson and allowed the latter
TO usurp his entire power. If he does
not soon thrust him into Cabinet councils
with the President he has so outrageously
DETAINED it will be marvel.
Theodore Parker once characterized
shysters, informers, detectives, spies,
witnesses, professional jurors,
and suborners of perjury as " court YER
min" What else can Attorney-General
staff be so appropriately
called? They crammed the newspapers
with boasts weeks ago that the tes-
timony was all ready upon which
the citizens they were employed
to prosecute were to be indicted
and convicted of appalling frauds. But
they would wait for new grand jury.
The new grand jury is no sooner en-
paneled than they announce through
their newspapers that they will not even
commence operations until September.
Is this honest or decent? The court can
not, of course, compel the Attorney-Gen-
eral or his representatives to act The
grand jury can do nothing until they
move.
The Post-Ofice Department is the
of sensational correspondents.
These own the Postmaster General, who
breathes an exhilarating atmosphere of
puffery and prostrates himself to any
man who will carelessly but
nod at him. Woodward and Kinds, !
Gibson and Cook, and the vermin |
of the court with which he is
said to be so familiar, are all at |
work generating the matter which is
ever ready for the press, but never for the |
grand jury room. The counsel for the |
accused cannot look at the records of the |
which are an open book to |
the vilest wretch who can command
corner in newspaper in which to un-
load his venom against those who will |
not buy his silence. And yet Mr.. Cook |
tells the court that "there is no case
to present to the grand jury against |
General Brady or anybody else" |
in the star-route transactions; and |
again, that it is not out judicially or in |
regular form of decent administration of |
the law that General Brady is suspected" |
The papers are fed with statements from |
official sources that the " thieves are |
already convicted, and that the mere |
formalities of law need not take place be- |
fore September.
If the testimony is not ready now it
never will be, and the outcry has been a |
base persecution.
If the testimony is ready now, and is
not presented to the grand jury, it raises
1 presumption that under certain cir
,umstances. it never would be presented.
If the records of cases cannot be seen
oy the attorneys of General Brady, it
nay be because they are not as complete
IS when the "vermin" took them in