Year: 1875

GEAWiEG A FILE.


The St Louis revenue thieves appear at
last TO have been goaded to desperation
They have been Caught in the tolls, and
are now turning to rend their pursuers
We know not whether any reliance is to be
placed upon the Cincinnati EnqYirer's St.
Louis special which appeared In our news
columns yesterday, alleging that Mr.. Or
vile Grant, General Babcock and others
have been indicted by the grand jury of the
United States Court in st. Louis Its state
ments lacked official confirmation by news
at the Department of Justice last evening,
and they were discredited by the Attorney
General and Secretary Bristow. These
gentlemen have neither of them heard or
seen anything in their connection with the
alleged whisky frauds casting suspicion of
completely in them upon the Presidents
brother or upon his secretary, nor do they
believe that either of these gentlemen are
in any way implicated in the dishonorable
transactions of which the whisky ring stand
accused, and of which Colonel Joyce has
recently been found guilty, and to which
several others have pleaded guilty.


The Attorney General is in frequent
communication with Mr.. Dyer, the District
Attorney in St, Louis, regarding the con-
duct of the fraud prosecutions, but he has
had no intimation of the presentment of
Messrs. Grant and Babcock, although he
has been advised of some parties against
whom Indictments have been found. He
Indignantly repudiaes the idea that there
is the slightest foundation in truth for the
Enouirer's telegram so far as it relates to
the secretary and brother of the President.


When the St. Louis frauds were first
fully exposed the boldest of the conspira-
tors blatantly acknowledged their own
guilt, and boosted that they had coadjutors
so highly connected with the Government
that they would have to be protected, or
they would drag high officials in the Treas
ury down to ignominy and disgrace with
them. Upon that occasion (July s. 1859
the NATIONAL REPUBLICAN made the fol-
lowing editorial comments


at is a favorite method of revenue thieves,
whether they be illicit distillers, compouniers
or rectifers of spirits, or smugglers of silks,
laces, Jewels or other merchandise. to deny
their guilt as long as possible, and endeavor to
throw the officers of the scent or divert their
attention in other directions, but when at last
their operations are exposed, and the whole
plan Of their iniquitOus proceedings is laid bare
to the public, they change their tactics and eX-
press a desire to negotiate. They wish to COM
promise, if possible not because they are
guilty, but because their commercial credit
will suffer from the unexpected interruption to
4bofr Tho of1iafal nf ha
ring are always the most active in directing
negotiations. They strongly favor compro-
mise. In fact, they do not believe in being too
hard on the owners, who, perhaps, were not
fully aware of the length TO which their
subordinates were going in their names. But
finally, when it transpires that the whole
party, officials and unofficials, are Grimm ally
indicted for infringement of the law and felo-
niously keeping back part of the price of the
Government taxes, then these delinquent Off
cials begin to get frightened, and want to
change tactics again. They want to be made
States witnesses. They are willing to swear
any and everybody else into the penitentiary
in order to save themselves. We can now
recall few instances, both in New York and
Virginia, where innocent detectives were in
dicted and sworn into prison by the very par
ties who should have gone there themselves,
but who made interest with the prosecuting
officers to be allowed to escape through the
StdIek gaze. W. LlerS Will De
no such huggermugger permitted in the rev.
enue cases now under investigation and about
to be tried in several Western cities. The evil
dence of an accomplice who does not confess
until he is inevitably caught is always to be
taken with distrust, and seldom results in
good. 1t is usually made strongest against the
least guilty parties. 1t may assist TO convict
some small rogues and aid some great ones to
escape scot free or with light punishment. 1t
is believed that Secretary Bristow and Solicitor
Wilson will guard against all such results in
the present cases if possible, but the local Off
GERS at the various points will bear watching"


The President, about the same time, made
the following emphatic Endorsement upon
q private letter received by him containing
certain allegations concerning the revenue
frauds in St. Louis, and forwarded the let
ter to the Secretary of the Treasury for his
information and guidance:


tEReferred to the Secretary of the Treasury.
This was intended as a private letter for nv
information and contained many extracts from
st. Louis papers not deemed necessary to for
ward They are obtainable, and have no doubt
been read by the Federal officials in st. Louis.
forward this for information, and to the end
that If it throws any light upon new PARTIES
to summon as witnesses they may be brought
out. Let no guilty man escape If it can be
avoided. Be specially Tlg1lant, or instruct
those engaged in the prosecution of fraud to
be, against all who insinuate that they have
high influence to protect them. No personal
consideration should stand in the way of per-
forming public duty. US. GRANT.


''JULY q, lS75,''


Secretary Bristow caused copies of the
letter and the above Endorsement by the
President to be forwarded to the officers in
St. Louis upon whom devolved the duty of
prosecuting the charges against the persons
accused for their instruction and guidance.
They were ordered to leave no consistent
and proper effort untried to convict the
guilty regardless of political or social sta
ton or private or official connections. Ali
compromises were prohibited, and the
whole matter was intrusted to the courts
for judicial determination. The Depart
ment of Justice was instructed to pursue
like uncompromising course, and these
instructions stand to this day unmodlied,
in full force, and without countermand or
restriction. And they will SO stand, and
will be vigorously pursued to the bitter end
regardless of whom they may affect.


These are the plain facts in the history
of the st. Louis frauds. They serve to
show that the desperate men accused OF
robbing the revenues of the people, having