The Lancaster gazette. (Lancaster, Ohio) 1846-1852, 1849-08-17
barious alatters.
nxnnslr of Peculnlors.

~ Dynasty Of PeculaIors.
The outcry raised by the opposition press
es against removal from office, and the in
decent viluperation Of Gen Taylor for his
very moderate use Of the removing power,
mean more than reach the ear 1t is the
outcry Of the bully aud the cnlprit. One
motive is to shake the purposes Of the ad.
minstration--to arrest femovals-to post :.
pone action. Another motive, springing
from the consciousness of guilt, is the
fear that every removal will lead 10
new detection and exposure Of official NAL
versation. ..t,t .al4.,s.
The leading men Of the party which op-
posed General Tayl or as a candidate belong
ed to the school of politicians which fattened
on the spoils from 1880 to 1910. They were
the defaulters, plunderers, and peculators Of
that period when Levi Woodbury. presided
over the Treasury and Amos Kendall over the
Post Office of the United States. These
men knew very we'll that there would be no
chance for them if an "honest soldier"
should be seated in the Presidential chair.
They knew that General Taylor had no
sympathy for corruption. From Mr.. Van
Buren they might hope for something, They
had tried him once, and had carried mat
ters in their own way and with a pretty
high hand. They had not only enormously
multiplied the public expenditures during
his administration, but they had been able
to steal the public money by thousands and
hundreds of thousands of dollars. From
Lewis Cass they might expect something.
A public officer who had managed to multi
ply himself by four-draw four salaries at
the same time-with lights to illuminate
and fuel to keep him warm in four different
capacities al the same noment-they knew
that they should find him easy enough in
overlooking their money matters. All
these old defauters and plunderers, there
fore, opposed General Tay lor and went into
the ranks OF Martin Vrn Buren, or Lewis
Cass. -. IL .,.5. ,s..r.. r. -
The great effort of these men has always
been to prevent the inyssiigaiion in the de-
partments, bureaus, and public Offices. They
have labored always to exclude light from
tn people. We all remember the difficult
ties experienced by Mr.. Wise in pushing
his investigations in the House of fRepreseu-
tatves, and afterwards getting the result OF
them published. In 1878, this band of pee
ulators opposed violently the printing OF a
report which had been prepared by the Sec
retary Of the Treasury himselfon the sub
ject OF the public defaulters "Give us
light" said Mr.. Wise, in the debate on a
motion to print this report, not the light Of
my specs, but the light which is to be found
in your Documents" ''Let the people have
the facts" said Mr.. Thompson; give them
iight-let them see that their functionaries
have done thus, and my life 'on the result %
But investigation, in spite Of Locofoco
opposition, produced results; and the results
we're given to tho people. Hence followed
the overthrow Of the dynasty OF pecuators
and defaulters in 1910, and the election by
an overwhelming majority, of General Har
rson to the Presidency. e
But the defaulters aud pecnlators re-estab-
lished themselves in power in 1874 They
went out with Mr.. Van Burcn in disgrace
they returned with Mr.. Polk 10 fraud. The
men who robbed the Treasury would not
hesitate to cheat the people. They re estab.
lisheG themselves with the cry Of Polk
Dallas, and the Tariff of A." The country
discovered the fraud.-Pennsyluania re-
buked it--for she had been the dupe and
victim. The old peculation dynasty was
broken down in the election of lS45. Mean
while, they had been four years in power.
New materials of public interest have been
accommodating during that period. There is
a new crop of defalcatIons to be gathered
Men who robbed the public under Mr. Van
Buren,, would rob 1t under Mr.. Polk The
proposition requires no argument to enforce
it. But how are these deialcatiOns to be
reached! Some have been made public al.
roady, as in the case Of Eli Moore, who was
reached only by the removing power OF the
President Others have been discovered
(uot yet made pubc) in the same way, in
spite of the impsdiments thrown in the way
of Investigation by LocOfoco cle-ks aud sub
ordinales, who will not revel the secrets o
their prison houses, Others have beer
pretty strongly suspected, and every remov.
al facilitates the satisfaction Of suspicious
This is which makes every removed sore
thing to the opposition. This is which
makes them groan in spirit when LoeofocC
officer is displaced. As long as the public
offices are filed with LocofocOs, ii is plair
enough that we shall never know the NAL
practices thai has prevailed in tncm The
opposition game is, therefore, to retard re
movals and exposure, by raising genera
cry Of prescription. II they can succeed
in this, they disgust the friends of the Ad
ministration, and stimulate it's enemies: ant
the result they pray for is an opposition ma
jority in the House composed Of f,arnburn
ers, Abolitionists aud Locofocos. Wit
such a majority, they can electa Speaker
pack the committees, defeat investigation
or prevent the publication Of its results
The Administration then will have no me IN
of getting these abuses and nal practice
officially before the people. i.v7 EX q
We are not surprised that men made COW
ards by the consciousness Of guilt shoul
hopeI to profit by menaces aud lntimida
tions; but we should be very much surprise
if, by such acts, they should make the slight
est impression on the opinions of The peo
pie or the policy ofthe administration -ReT
Heights Of Localities in the Holy Land
The summit Of Horeb, 6,O97 Parisian fee
above the sea; Jericho, TIT below the sea
bathing place ofthe pilgrims in Jordan, |
29l below the sea; summit Of Tabor, rs