The Eaton Democrat. (Eaton, Ohio) 1875-1903, 1884-02-28
WASHINGTON LETTER.
From Our Regular Correspondent
WASHINGTON, D. c.. !.

Feb. 25, 1881
Nothing new has transpired in
connection with the investigation in
to the methods of the Department Of
Justice, but it is said new evidences
is to be produced shortly which will
show up this department in a still
worse light than that already given.
1t seems odd to be hunting for crook
edness and %rottenness in q depart
ment created to facilitate The admin
istration Of law and justice, but it is
there. There has not been in the
history of the Government so much
of newspaper critism, nor so much
absolute public scandal in relation to
the methods, political and otherwise
of this particular department, as
there has been within the past two
years. 1t deals out justice with the
strong hand of Government at it's
back, to the poor devil who chances
to be caught rifing a letter in the
post office, and throws its protecting
degts around the thieves who steal
the Governments money by the
millions. 1t sends its ~emissaries to
the remotest confines of the earth to
gather evidence to convict an i'm
pecunious thief who steals a dollars
worth of postage stamps, while it
compromises with the gigantic pub
lie plunderers and allows them to 90
scot free with the spells of the Gov
eminent in their pockets. 1t sends
a poor fellow to the ~penitentiary for
certifying to mileage in travelling
upon Government duty when he had
travelled on a railroad pass, while
its W officials are constantly doing
that very thing and aggravating the
offense by including exorbitant items
for. ho.el-fare, hack-hire and other
i~ncidentals. If there is anything
that demands 4 thorough investiga-
ton and a thorough showing up be
fore the public, it is the detailed
rascalities, the mercenary persecu-
%tions, and the collusio.s with the
high criminals against the Govern
ment that have recently characteriz-
ed this mis-named Department of
Justice.
Senator Sherman is reported as
admitting that the Danville investi
cation does not pan out as his com
mittee had expected and that thus
far there is no credible evidence that
the aati-election riot there was pre-
meditated, "but," he adds, cit does
show a great many things that are
not creditable To Southern civiliza-
tion." This result, we are left to in.
fer, refreshes and cheers Senator
Sherman so much that he. feels rich
" repaid for his labors. "These
Universalists believe that everybody
is going to be saved" said the ortho-
dox old woman, "but We hope better
things" Suppose a committee Of the
House were to go ont and investigate
a riot in Ohio, where riots have been
known, and come back declaring
that, although the investigation did
not directly make capital for the
Democratic party, it showed a great
many things that were not creditable
to the Ohio system of civilization.
What on earth has the United States
Senate to do with the defeats of the
civilization of Virginia or Ohio? If
an election to its own body is sus
pected to be vitiated by fraud OF force
it may inquire into the facts. But
that the mere finding of faults which
it a do nothing to mend is fit work
for the Senate, is an opinion which
Senator Sherman has Pretty much to
himself.
The other outrage committee
which has gone to New Orleans to
investigate Mississippi 'civilization,'
does not appear to be getting along
much better. Why don't this com
mistee go on to Copiah county?
Why stop in New Orleans? 1t is only
on the spot that they can get testi-
mony worth anything. Those who
will go to New Orleans to testify will
be merely the tools Of politicians on
either side, men who have nothing
else to do, and will be glad to make
a trip to get the witness fees. Every
n of them will he coached nv the
politicians and will reel off a plausi-