Portage sentinel. [volume] (Ravenna, Ohio) 1845-1854, 1852-08-11
Dangers of Electing an Incompetent
Man President.
THE GALPHIN CASEl
Facts for the People Of bo.l. Parties.

~ proclaimed, as u Nns the prophecy of.
lhose.who first opposed The establishment Of
a republic on this continent, That il ever,
free institutions perisAad on these shores, it
would be by the corruption Of cur states.
men,. the lavish expenditures Of our Gov.
ernment and tho absence of all restraint
upon the egents of the recple, Many
wise men md great al this day remember
the prophecy as warning; md while, iH
their Owl lives. they give daily evidence
OF purity and integrity worthy Of the Ro.
man era, whom virtue ruled the State, thew
exhort the Republic to beware of the dam
gers That menace and surround IT. The
most trying experiment that can be made
in this country. is to elect incompetent men
10 the presidential station, because, from
such calamity must flow the appointnent
Of inscriptions nnG irresponsible poIicians,
who, safe from the iBtelIjgen: and fearIess
scrutiny of OF experienced, sngncious, and
patriotic Chief Nag strate rio. with impu-
nifty in their own selfish desires, nno plum
der with high hand where they should be
guardians and protectors.
When General Taylor was chosen Fres.
ident, in burst of nn,ionol gratitude for
his victories in Mexico, the best men in he
nation predicted the worst consequences
from on administration which cou'd mol be
more than n regency. Indeed, the gallant
Taylor hiniself proclaimed his inexperieuce
and his incapacity in advance, and side by
side with his own snljier-like conft ssisn,
was the declaration Of Mr.. w ebster, row
the SecI etury of State, that it was ncmi.
nation "noi fiji to be made.' The edmis.
sion on the one hnnd, and the prophecy ON
the other, were abundaDtly aud alormingly
realized in The near future. General Fay.
lived; but the men who surrounded hilH
were condemned by the great body Of li.e,,
American People Congress rebukt thcm;
the intelligent and honest men OF all pa es
rebuked them. The race Of public plum
derers did not cease With the Galphin wrong.
O.her enormities have come TO light; some
Of which will soor be fully exposed, and
others which caLbo, long be conceded freu
public scrutiny ard scorn. The n.nst
frightful extravogance in California, the
mos: bruzen corruption among eminent Of f
fculs, and generai reckless ness. Of FIX.
pendiiure, ore few Of the practices that
have followed the grea, example set by the
Galphin fraud.
In order to lei the people see and r q ct
upon the character Of tho men Who1come
in with General Taylor, and who now clos.
Ter under ihe banrer Of General Scoii, the
following facts are presented. Those who
doubt their authenticity can refer TO the file
of The Congressional Globe ond Appe ndix,
containing the authorized reports OF. Con,
gress, and they will there ird dnie md
page, word for word. as here sci forth. We
give the testimony Of men Of both parties
on this subject: sss s!a.5,-.,,
The. history Of tie case, MS taken from the
report Of Mr.. Disney, Mt. Featherston,
and Mr.. Mr.. Mann, made to the House
of Representatives, and found in the Ap-,
pendix TO ihe Globe, Volume %, Part
/, Is. Session 3Iss Congress, pp. .553,
and 554.
Mf. Crawford was. appointed agen, and
counsel for lhis claim as far back as the
year 1888. As such. he asked pnymeot,
from the legislature OF Georgia; from the
Indians a, the Treaty Of New Echoia; and
lastly from the Government Of the United
States. Up to the year 1885, with the ex.
ception Of the application 10 the British
Government, the claimants had beseiged
the government Of Georgia alone. No one
concerned seemed to have thought that the
United Stales were under any obligation els
ther legal or moral, 10 pay the debt; but
q, tho Treaty Of New EehQia, the United
States Commissioners agreed that the -Eed>
eral Government should guaranty its pay
ment "wilhout expense TO the Indiana
The claim was, however, rejected by the
Senate, as is shown in the history of the
case, but that event. marked the first deyel-
opment Of the thought that the United
States might be induced 10 pay it. More
than half a century had rolled away, from
the time that the War of Independence had
closed; the claim had been kept alive by
the industry of Galphin's representatives.;
i, had been urged and argued again and
and again before the Legislature Of Geor-
gia; bu. no iptimation had dropped from
any quarter that the Government OF the
United States ought to be answerabls for
the debt. The proceedings at New Echo.
ia, however, opened new quarter, from
which payment might be obtained; but, in
the first instance the efforts failed. The
Senate OF the United States rejected the
provision, and the uniiring claimants re-
newed their application to the Georgia Leg
isloiure, though again without success
Not yet discouraged in 1874, they again
applied 10 Congress; and finally, in ls4s,
Congress passed the act requiring the Sec,
re,ary of the Treasury TO examine and nd.
lust The claim. Mr.. Crnwford still mains
tained his relations TO it, and, by agrees
ment, virtually owned one>half Of its en-
lire amount. Under the terms Of the uct. !
The late Secretary Of the Treasary felt it
10 be his duty to pay the principal; but his
Term Of Office being about to close, he was
unable to devote the time necessary to that
examination which alone could enable bin
10 decide the question Of interest; and, al
though his impressions were against its nls
lowance, he left the matter open for bis sue
cessor to decide. The principal vas paid,
and Mr.. Crawford received his share
Such WINS the position of the matter when
Mr.. Crawford entered the cabinet as Sec
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