The sun., 1895-05-19

The Ltfc oT Samuel J. Tyidon, by JoRN BIoEJow
(Harpers), we had only the advantage OF seeing
the fret volume and inferred from sentence
of the preface that the author had chosen to
put forth at this time only an installment OF his
work. We are glad to find that we were mis-
taken. and that the book, AZ now published, is
complete. the second volume dealing with tho
most intorcsting part Of the subjects life. name
ly, his election to the Presidency by a majority
Of tho popular vote. and by what is now gen.
erally acknowledged to have been majority
Of tho qualified Presidential electors.
Mr.. Bigelow begins his account OF the Presi-
Dental contest OF 1870 by setting forth the
reasons for its exceptional bitterness. He points
out that the public officers Of the party in con-
troll Of the Federal Government had been
charged In tho press and on the platform, by
eminent and responsible Republicans as we'll as
by the opposition, not only with gross neglect OF
official duty. but with Official conduct for much
OF which the laws provided the most degrading
penalties. II was alleged, among other things,
that during the eight years Of Gen. Grants ad-
ministraton the ordinary expenses OF the Gov
eminent, exclusive OF pensions and interest on
tho public debt, had been increased at
the inordlnate rate OF S75.OO0,OO0 annually.
1t was further asserted that the influence
moto a bill that was to double the Presidents
salary, and that by way OF furthering its pas
sage q provision was inserted that the increase
of nay which Congress had already awarded the
members should date back to tho beginning OF
their term. whereby they would receive back pay
amounting to about IL million Of dollars 1t was
charged, moreover. that In a single month in
1874 there were sold In St. Louis alone million
gallons Of whiskey which had not paid the law
full tax. amounting TO 100000. This sale
was made through the collusion OF officials
attached to the Treasury Department who
were tried and convicted OF sharing in the plum
der As st. Louis was but one, and by no
means tho most considerable OF the cities In
which largo distilleries were in operation, II
estimated that, from these frauds alone, which
had been going on for many years, the loss to
tho Treasury had been not less than 81 ., ,OOO 900
q year. The Presidents private secretary. O.
c. Babcock, and one Avery. the Chief Clerk of
the Treasury. were both indicted for participnt-
ing In these robberies. Avery was convicted,
but, to save the Presidents private secretary
from imprisonment and for other reasons.
which Mr.. Blgelow deems 1t too painful even to
suggest, Mr.. Henderson, the lawyer selected by
the Attorney General for the prosecution Of
these roRues, was displaced at the special In
stance of the President. without enumerating
all the unsavory charges which were current it
will suffice to add that one Vice. President, one
speaker of the House of Representatives, three
Senators, and five Chairmen of Congress
sional committees, all partisans o! the Execu-
tive, dishonored themselves, the Government,
and the nation, by mark citing their influence as
legislators; that a Secretary OF the Treasury
forced balances in the public accounts: that an
Attorney. General appropriated public funds to
his own use; that Secretary of tho Navy en-
siched himself and his confederates out of
percentages levied upon contractors with his
department; and, finally, that a Secretary of
War was impeached for high crimes and mis-
deneanors Then there were the Venezuela
scandal, the San Domingo scheme, and the Credit
Nobilier scandal, while defalcatiors of public
officers were so numerous as almost to consti-
tuts the rule rather than the exception in the
paS,ic service; so numerous, indeed, that the
Secretary OF tho Treasury persistently refused
In comply with the law which required him an.
nunly to report them to Congress.
lest Of these charges were established by
Cnpuressional or nv judicial inuuiry many by