Centre Democrat. [volume] (Bellefonte, Pa.) 1848-1989, 1883-06-28
Corruption and ENtra'agancc.


Under the above heading the Na-h.
ington Post has some pertinent remarks
on the mismanagemnut and incompc
tency of Ben. Harris Brewster the dude
representative Of Pennsylvania in the
Cabinet Of President Arthur The y 80
says:
When law w.abiding citizens OF South
Carolina were being arrested on utterly
Croundless charges, and transported
long distances TO be arraguei before
United States commissioners, TOR the
sole purpose of giving corrupt officials
of the Department of JUstIc" ChauC"
TO make fees, the Pa.. called attention
to those outrages and demanded such
interference on the part OF the Attor
ney General IS would protect molten
sive citizens from summary arrests and
maltreatment At the hands OF his min.
ions.
But the Attorney General gave no
heed to the call for protection Of honest
men in their inalicnable rights, and
newspapers. conducted in the interest
and expressing the views Of tn" Admin.
istration. sneered and jeerei At the
complaints OF dozens OF quiet, law keep
ing farmers who had been dragged from
their homes in planting time, and sub
jected to gross insults hy gang OF vii.
laiuous deputies bearing commissions
or other credentials from Mr. Brewster =
department
4 few days after the Pet had made
its first appeal and while the Admins
tratiOn organs were still sneering. Judge
Bond, who is more intensely radical in
his Republicani-m than any member Of
the Cabinet, and who has displayed a
more partizan spirit than auy other
Judge who has ever sat on the Federal
bench, felt constrained by the condI.
ton OF things which be found in South
Carolina. to issue manifesto which
fully bore out all the Poet had alleged
of unlawful, tyranuical and most cNas
peratlngly outrageous arrests. Thus the
judicial rebuked the executive depart
ment; but this stlnging humiliation
or, rather, the rebuke that would have
been humllatlng 10 the last degree had
there been capacity to appreciate it
had no more influence on the head Of
the Department Of Justice than vol.
ley OF boiled peas would have on the
eleven inch steel turrets OF monitor
Not one Of the Ta.cals rehuked 10y two
judges was publicly ceusured by the
Attorney General. All were retained
in the employ and, presumably, in the
confidence OF his department.
At later day the P0H published q
number OF specific allegations made by
the grand Jury in the Circuit court Of
the United States for the Middle dis.
trict Of Alabama, showing systematic
fraud and a regular combination Of
officials OF the Department Of Justice
to cheat the Government. ct tho fifty
bills OF indictment found by that grand
jury, all but two charged ofenscs by
Federal officers against the laws OF the
United States. But even this did not
move the Attorney General, and not a
single rascal OF his corps in Alabama
lost his official head or even got a re.
buke, 80 far rs we have been able to
learn.
Then came the Ottman compromise,
arranged by one Of Mr. Brewster's spe.
cial attorneys, who was also the attorney
for Ottman. This fragrant scandal will
last a long time and be heard Of in
many ways. We are confident that
Congress will want to know why the
$4,000 Of recovered money was return.
ed to the attorney OF the thiefs pal -
will want TO know why Ouman was not
permitted TO go on indefinitely asking
or whistling for it,
L., ,I;s Irfnf rayt;n.- 49,. l... l. -
mention Of the gross indecency Of EN-.
ploying contestants and contestees ol
seats in Congress to defend their own
claims to such seats--of paying at least
one man for such service who ia and
has been, while thus employed and
paid, drawing pay as member Of Con
gress. When the Congress meets ther,
will be impertinent members Of tn,
House who will want to know some
thing about this.
The New York Sun of the 10Th in
slant, in an article on "EXtravagance il
the department Of Justice" charges
and, and what ia more TO the point
proves-that gross and glaring abuse
nave been conspicuous in that depart
ment in three branches of its service.
The Sun states the following facts;
Nearly the whole sum of 5000 600 70
witnesses were exhausted i'm the frs
nine months of the current fiscal yeaI
The fund OF $32j,000 "for payment @
district attorneys and their assistants
is also exhausted, the greater part q
the appropriation having been paid I
the different counsel in the star rout
.,roseeution. Personal and politics
fIyorites have been retained In eighteei