The times., 1899-06-23

against tue expressed VIII OF the latter.
GriEgs and Carter.
Not to observe that we sympathize with
Attorney General Griggs would be 70 place
ourselves in a position which we do not
wish to occupy. He has been dragged into
the Carter case unnecessarily and we can
not blame him for taking all the time Re
pleases to dispose of it. Before it was
submitted to him it had been properly and
finally passed through the hands of a
court martial. and reviewed by the Judge
Advocate General of the Army. Then the
War Department, hoping that something
of technical character might be found
which would allow the convicted defend
ant to go free. employed the abnormal
and Macchiavellian intellect of George F
Edmunds to work on the matter and it
must be said, by way of credit to the
convicting court that even he could find
no loophole through which guilt could be
whitewashed.
After the papers had been reserved in
Mr.. Alger's desk for many months. they
were finally turned over to the Attorney
General in the hope that he, in turn,
might discover some flaw which would
allow the Administration to escape from
the duty of accepting the court-martial
verdict. or, at least. excuse the President
in modifying the sentence
The situation in which Mr.. Griggs is
placed is a delicate one. As distin-
guished lawyer, it is natural that he should
not want to place himself on record, as
some others have done. in defiance of law
and evidence. merely to subserve the
political or contributory interests of those
who have placed and maintain him in a
position of honor and influence. Still. he
must know that the popular opinion is
that he must save Carter and Carter's
coparceners and friends to have any future
standing with the Republican machine.
Attorney General Griggs is reported to
have said to an interviewer from a local
administration organ. that he would take
his time in reaching conclusion on the
case. We are not disposed to blame him.
He ought never to have been asked to
pass upon it at all. Having accepted the
disagresable brief, he is evidently doing
what he can for his client. by which we
mean the Administration. He asserts that
the public is wrong in suspecting that de-
lay will allow guilty men to go unpublished
by reason of the application OF the Statute
OF Limitations. According to Mir. Griggs,
that will net operate for a year yet And
he says another thing which is interesting:
Some of the people who are credited with
having shared the profits" OF Captain
Carter have filed claims for services.
These. it is Announced have been offset"
by claim on the part of the Government
that it has debts against the same people
arising from their conspiracy and fraud.
We win not stop to argue on the basis of
that kind of bookkeeping.
Without wishing to throw any dis
credit or suspicion upon the Attorney Cen
cral, ii may be as well 10 advise him that
the Carter case is not regarded from an
academic point of view by the country
There is widespread conviction that it
covers whole lot of Administration NAL
versation Of Justice, and not a little DO
litical corruption. as well as private ras-
cality and thievery. For some reason the
influences backing the effort to save Car
ter and his associates are excessively anx-
ious to keep the press still on the sub
jeet. i is the common talk Of Newspaper
Row that money is being offered lavishly
TO muzZie newspapers and get them TO
keep quiet while the deal to save Carter
is being manipulated. We are told that
definite sums have been offered TO certain
correspondents of New York papers In fur
therance Of this object, and the attitude
Of some local publications would be sug-
gestive, in the absence of any other proof.
In all these remarks We have not the
least intention of suggesting that Mr. Griggs
is not doing what he considers his duty.
We are not in the habit OF holding Repub-
lican officeholders to any high standard.
Such as they usually recognize We think
the Attorney General entirely capable OF
living up to. 1t is perhaps unfortunate
for him, in the position in which he has
been needlessly placed, that the popular
opinion should be so unfavorable to the
cause he has been forced TO espouse. in
appearance, at least For there is noth-
ing more certain than that the American
people regard the course and action of the
Administration in the matter of the Car
ter case as simply dishonest and infa-
NOUS