St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1884-04-16
ERAUDS COMING OUT.


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FRAUDS COMING OUT.
It has already chrystalized into public
opinion and belief that Grants admi nistra-
ton was the most corrupt of any known to
the history of the Government. He was sur
rounded by gang of, it is hardly to much
to say, political and moral desperadoes, and
gave them countenance and opportunity,
and they improved their advantages without
scruple, to plumber the government, and to
advance the ends and purposes of a ring
syndicate of political adventures unscrupul-
Gus corruptionists, bribe takers and bride
givers and base scoundrels generally. These
are severe epithets, but they are deserved by
the gang that surrounded President Grant,
and received his confidence and patronage.
Prominent among the superserviceable
leeches that surrounded the President, was
General" Orville E. Babcock his private sec
rotary. This man basely betrayed the conf
dence of his chief and his constitutional adj
wiser, by giving state secrets, and private
personal and political points, to the ring syn
dictate of greedy CORN grants and camp-fol-
lowers that crowded around the centre of
power and patronage, to gain dishonest adj
Vantages.
No man is more susceptible to fiattery than
is Gen. Grant, and through that avenue, Or
vile E. Babcock and his syndicate approach
ed him with uniform success. However,
others might doubt, President Grant himself
never questioned the statement that he was
tI,a oraatast apd moot oonahla oit;zan Of +ba
Republic, the unsurpassed soldier, the I'M
equalled statesman, riValling the fame of the
greatest names known to the country's, or
the worlds history, for his sycophantic flat
tiers had told him so.
In some secret coterie of the syndicate
plOtters, the project of acquiring the Island
of San Domingo was preached and adopted,
presented to President Grant, by its unscrup-
ulous projectors, and by him accepted.
Forthwith he sent secretly his private
secretary, Orville E. .,Babcock to San Domingo
to negotiate a treaty for the acquisition of
the Island. The secret agent went, the
treaty was made and the Island purchased.
But the treaty had to be submitted to the
Senate for ratification. Then the astounding
secret came out, that secret treaty had
been negotiated by the private secretary
of the President, and produced the most pro-
found sensation.
Senator Sumner took the lead in de-
nouncing the dishonorable and unjustifable
treaty, and caused its rejection. For this
act President Grant relentlessly prosecuted
Charles Summer to the day of
his death, arrayed bitter
opposition to him in the senate which dis
placed him from the head of the committee
on foreign affairs, and even by the power
and influence of high presidential official pat
ronaage' caused the legislature of his own
state, Massachusetts,, to pass resolution
crnsuring their distinguished sena-
tor It is but just to say, that better senti-
ment afterwards prevailed, and the Legisla-
ture rescinded its vote of censure.
This fierce persecution by President Grant
of Mr.. Sumner, in his enfeebled health, has
tened his death, and as if
in hollow mockery, the prosecuting
Executive appeared in solemn, decorus state
at the funeral of the accomplished statesman,
hurried to his grave by the persecut-
ing venom of official power. When old
Massachusetts turned against her great and
honest Senator, the very steel entered his
soul, and he dropped and died. In the
great debate on the San Domingo treaty,
Senator Sumner characterized the President,
whom his flatterers had characterized as a
great statesman, "a colossus of ignorance
and a truer designation, was never
given to depict the character
of an overnated man. Neither by education,
experience, or natural ability, was he en-
career, when elected President, commenced
in disgraceful and ridiculous blundering, and
ended, clouded with foulest corruption.
This General Orville E. Babcock, President
Grants pet, and Private Secretary, has just
now been appointed by President Arthur, no
doubt by the influence and procurement of
President Grant, Lieutenant Colonel of Engi-
neers, the highest position in the Army. The.
Senate have to pass upon the appointment.
To enlighten the senate. as to the charac-
ter of this Orville E. Babcock, charges form
ulated by John Mcdonald have been sent to
that body. Babcock was arrested and tried
for being involved in the whisky frauds of
1876, but by the most powerful official infu-
ence he was saved from condemnation,
though the public believed, and those intim-
ately acquainted with the case knew he was
guilty.
This John Mcdonald was associated in
these whisky frauds, and he, having no pow
erful influences to aid him was convicted
and served term of Imprisonment, while
the confederate was white washed. Babcock
came out of this whisky fraud trial with a
loss of reputation from which he has never
recovered.
But, now, he is put in nomination by our
acting President for high army position.
Those formulated charges of a convicted
rascal, would not be worthy of belief, were
they not sustained, as they are, by corrobora-
tive testimony. Thus supported they are I'M
doubleday true and worthy of credence.
The following are the charges:
1. That Orvie E. Babcock was not only
member of the (whiskey) ring and a sharer in
the vast sums of money obtained through its
guilty operations, but that he was its most pow
erful promoter by reason of the position he held
during the period named as private secretary
to President Grant.
2. That as the trusted friend and confidential
secretary of the President, he became the custo-
dian Of executive and department secrets, which