Year: 1868

funny fellow of the name Of Fitch, who
got himself into jail in consequence Of certain
false charges against the United States District
Attorney (Courtney) Of this city, has left upon
record in court some curious statements con-
corning the great central whiskey ring or rings
at Washington. Fitch says that he was in
duced to make these aforesaid false charges
against Courtney partly by Buckley and partly
by Mrs. Ann S. Stephens, the authoress, upon
the plea that to get at Rollins it was necessary
first to get Courtney out of the way, and that
the object of Mrs. Stephens in getting Rollins
out was to get General Burbridge. Of Ken
tucky, in as Commissioner of Internal Reve-
nue.. Now, we suspect that Fitch-although
in these confessions he has thrown a pretty
strong light upon the central whiskey lobby
rings at Washington-has hardly told one tenth
part of the story. What he did disclose was
given to soften the wrath of Courtney and to
get out of the stone jug by showing that the
Fitch aforesaid had been used as catspaw by
other parties to rake their chestnuts ont of the
fire.


Having been partly proved at all events,
We think it may be safely assumed that
there is powerful whiskey lobby ring--yea,
two OF these rings-at Washington, and that
on each side there have been and are sOme
lady fingers in the pie. We dare say, too, that
while the anti Rollins ring has the ear of the
President at any time, up stairs and down
stairs and in Cabinet council, the Rollins ring
holds the balance Of power in the Cabinet, in
the Treasury, in the lobby and in New York,
and can at moments notice bring
more active capital to bear upon the
question than the other side. We
are, furthermore, inclined to believe that
President Johnsons greatest difficulty in
getting at the stupendus frauds upon the
revenue Zone hundred millions a year, in
this single article Of contraband whis-
key has been and now lies in the affilia-
tions OF contraband operators with govern
ment iavortes and officials extending to the
Cabinet Indeed from the extraordinary
doiugs Of Tlurlow Weed, Wooley and all
that set of lobby jobbors pending the impeach
ment trial, it would appear thai there was at
least one whiskey ring intent upon saving the
President in order TO save their whiskey. 1t
has been broadly intimated to us that at least
one Washington newspaper, which has nothing
to commend it but the airs and graces Of the
Presidents wou!d-oe confidential organ,
makes, by hook or by crook, neat thing
ont of the whiskey rings through these pre-
tences of influence in the regular Cabinet up
stairs and in the kitchen Cabinet down stairs.


This brings us, then, thirdly, to the main
point-that the whiskey rings, officials,
| hangers-on about the White House and out
siders operating in contraband whiskey
have such grip upon the Cabinet that the
President, so far has been able to do nothing
against them. Binckley. who came on here
with such fodfish Of trumpets to investigate,
lay bare and root out the suspected contra
band operations of the Rollins ring, turned
out dead failure, and some Of his with esses,
in addition TO Fitch. were speedily brought to
grief. Fullerton, the new investigator against
Rollins and all his tribe, is said to be a
horse of another color, or rather cool,
sagacious and skilfnl old ferret; and he
has already caused a terrible rathng
among the dry bones Of the whiskey
officials in these parts. Still, there are rea-
sons to apprehend that Fullerton before long
will discover that the only way to effect tho
rough rectiHcation of these wbiskey frauds is
to begin with the Cabinet, and that upon this
proposition he viii fail with Mr.. Johnson.


Though we stiIl hope for better things it is
possible, In short, that all these whiskey
frauds and whiskey Investigations will end in
smoke and remain unsettled till the 4th of
March next, and be handed over then as one
of the legacies of Mr. Johnson to President
Grant, and that upon his selections for the
new Cabinet the snuhing out or continued
prosperity Of the whiskey rings will materially
depend. We guess, for instance, that with
such champion Of Bourbon as Old Ben
Wade in the Treasury the equal rights and
liberty in all Bourbon companies, East and
West will rejoice exceedingly. Nor can we
tell how the new President is to know whether
this man, that man or the other in his Cabinet
will be for the enforcement of the whisEey tax
or friend of the underground distiller and his
confederates Of the confidential transportation
line and untaxed warehouse. A hundred
millions per annum on whiskey have been
lost to the Treasury and pocketed by the
whiskoy rings under the high temptation tax
Of two dollars a gallon. Under the new tax
Of fifty cents the temptation and the profits to
the underground distiller are less; but still the
saving Of fifty cents q gallon in avoiding tho
tax is equal at least, to . hundred per cent
profit on the raw material. Perhaps the only
way for the new administration to secure the
revenue rightly belonging to the government
on whiskey viii be to bind every member of
the Cabinet and every subordinate Of the
Treasury to a new test oath against all these
r;urs THAR OF ouorx