Year: 1868

1t was the general impression that the late
civil war was the most astonishing feature In
the history of this country-astonishing in its
incidents, the breadth and compass of its aims,
the extent of the area over which its battle
fields extended, and the results, which may be
measured by the success of the central govern
ment over organized rebellion 1t is not sur
prising that Europe was amazed at the sight
of two armies consisting Of four millions of
men operating in the field for four years-one
army fighting to preserve the unity of the
nation, the other army fighting to destroy it;
and all this at the cost of thousands of millions
of dollars, besides leaving national debt as
legacy of the war amounting to hundreds OF
thousands of millions more. The strength of
both North and South was brought out in these
four terrible years of confict-the North to
conquer and strangulate rebellion the South,
with equal determination, to resist power
which it could not subdue. Such events, we
say, astonished all Europe; but we have pre-
pared greater astonishment for the Old
World now in the gigantic frauds and corrup-
tions which have followed the war, as buzzards
and other foul birds pursue the track of the
battle.


These frauds, which are eating into the very
vitals of the government and poisoning all the
atmosphere of society, are almost too numerous
to keep pace with, for they crowd upon public
attention almost by the hour. There are.
however, most conspicuous among them
the whiskey frauds, the emigrant frauds,
railroad frauds and the conflicts between
the courts upon questions arising ont Of
these public scandals Upon 50 gigantic a
| scale have we gone into these corruptions that
one might almost regard the country as mere
| child during the war for national existence, but
a very Titan in the struggle for spoils which
has sprung from the war and which to-day
besets us everywhere. Official and non-o official
parties are alike mingled in the vortex of
crime. The men to whom the public should
look for protection are the very men who are
either 80 deeply stepped in the slough of cor
ruption or so imbecile that they dare not face
the risk of confronting the 'rings" before
judicial tribunal. Where attempts to corrupt
public officers fail threats are employed to
keep them silent or fraudulent witnesses are
hired to defame them or indictments are pro-
cured to brand them for the time as criminals,
in order to render powerless their efforts to
bring the real criminals to justice. Take the
case of Judge Fullerton, who has been indicted
at the instance of the United States District
Attorney, an officer OF the government repre-
senting the President himself Mr.. Fullerton
states his own case in his published card in
these words:-


The parties implicated in what are known as the
whiskey frauds under the leadership OF s. q. Court
ney the United states District Attorney have sue.
ceeded after an effort OF two weeks duration
in procuring an indictment against me for an
alleged conspiracy 10 defraud revenue officer.
do not know upon what evidence this has been OBJ
taned but do know that. whatever 1t Is. II Is
wholly false:


This body OF men who have instigatcd this pro-
ceeoing have done so IN sefdefence. l am EN-
poyed by the President Of the United States and am
frauds which have been committed on the revenue


OF the country The only hope OF escape OF the parties
involved IL to crush me. This they nave attempted
by vile conspiracy.


This is but one specimen Of the mannuvres
of the whiskey ring, the influence of which
covers the whole country and ramifes itself by
telegraphic communication through every part
Of the Continent where the interests Of fraud
and corruption, either in the whiskey business
or railroad business, are flourshing. Brareus,
Of NEUROLOGICAL fame, gifted with his hundred
hands, could not grasp everything more effec-
tually than these conspirators seige ali the
viest means to carry put their purpose through
the fundamentally Of the telegraph. Whether
they reside in the East or in the West they ap-
pear TO be unit in iniquity.


II is to be hoped that Congress when il as
sembles will take hold Of this matter and in
some way provide remedy. General Grant
will undoubtedly undertake II when lie enters
upon his duties az President; but what seri-
Gus task he has before him The labor Of
Hercules In the Augean stable was pastime
compared with what Grant will have to
perform. He has to meet the accumulated
abuses of eight years and wipe them out
no easy task after the enjoyment by the most
corrupt political dynasty the country has ever
seen OF eight years of plumber and fraud.
lie must inherit the difficulties of the past, as
Louis XVI did the corruptions and scandals,
the weakness and proiiigacy Of his three pre-
decessors, Louis Kill, XIV. and xv.--bur-
dens which the unfortunate husband Of Marie
Antoinette had not the moral strength to carry
and under which he perished. Grant, how
ever, is not q Louis Capet. He is soldier
and not courtier; q man Of firm mind and
rigid discipline, and not trifler with popular
passion nor slave to political corruption.
But he has nevertheless severe task before
him If he means, as we have no doubt he
does, to strike at the root Of all these abomiqa-