Daily evening star. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1852-1854, 1854-08-04
WASHINGTON NEWS AND GOSSIP

| WASHIHafoN NEWS AND GOSSIP.
The 0nslaught On xr. Forney 1t seemed
10 be understood yesterday morning, that le
the report Of the Minnesota land bin invest.
ssting committee be what it might with refer
snce to Mr.. Forney's connection with the alter.
sdon Of the bill, his personal enemies would
contrive to have resolution for his removal
essayed. Had not Mr.. Hunt come forward to
present his 50 signally defeated movement,
some one acting under the influence of sym.
pathy with them would surely have made a
like effort. We do not class Mr.. H. among
those parties, feeling we'll assured that his
movement sprang from his own views cf the
fitness of things, which, We need hardly say,
often differ widely from those of most of his
compeers in Congress; and it strikes us, not
uhfrequently arise from the imperfection of
his hearing, which, we have observed, often
leads him, for the instant, to misapprehend
what may be read or spoken in the hall. In
this case, he understood the reports 50 as to
justify and require his resolution. But sew
enteen others Of the House took the same
view Of them, among these seventeen being
i've or six who are regarded notoriously as Mr..
Forney bitter ard uncompromising enemies
gentlemen who have let no occasion pass, IN
which they could testify their dislike to the
man, without so doing ''
We do not wonder that he has bitter and un-
compromising enemies. as being all things to
all men is no part of Mr.. Forney's system.
He is an ardent and uncompromising politi
clan. saying and publishing precisely what he
thinks Of all men and all things without hesi-
tation. So, as he has two hundred and thirty.
one masters to serve, who, as class, are the
most Jealous men in America with reference to
matters affecting their own political future, d.
rectly or indirectly, it is very natural that he
should have such enemies. As Clerk Of the
House he controls much patronage, and it is
customary for one in his position to administer
it under the advice Of members of his political
sentiments. There is always great struggle
among them for places for their respective
friends in the gift of the Clerk, for they are
decidedly the "fsttsst'' to be enjoyed in Wash.
ington. To refuse any body of them what they
now hold to be their rights in tho distribution
Of this patronage il too often, as politics have
come to run Of late, to make uncompromisipg
enemies Of men, with ample opportunities to
strike In various ways, who should, from their
position, by tho by, be the last men in the
world to permit their fancied personal griev
ances to influence their action It is melan-
choly to contemplate the fact that, already, in
our political affairs, kissing" has come to
60 by favor. almost as completely as under
the older and more degenerate governments on
the other side of the Atlantic. The history
published and unwritten-of the war on John
W. Forney, however, embraces ample proof of
the fact r .-.
1t is fortunate for him, indeed, that this last
effort to crush him was made From Bennett
of the Herald down, every man who hates
him because he cannot nse him, or who
imagines that striking at him is wounding the
political organization to which he belongs, has
been pertinaciously seeking to hound him down
To believe them, one must conclude that he
is about the worst man, morally, ever in posi-
ton in public affairs in the United States
Since this Investigating committee were ap-
pointed, some of his many personal enemies in
Washington have been chuckling over the
hope that they could use their expected report
as the lever with which to get him out of their
path. 1t was doubtless thought by mo of
them that tho Wings of the House, as a party,
would gladly embrace the opportunity of
striking blow at their political opponents,
by voting in body to disgrace one the latter
had elevsted, upon any sort of testimony that
could be twisted to justify such action on their
part. These folks, however, committed the
mistake Of measuring the moral honesty Of the
Wing party Of the House by the standard Sc
cretly carried in their own hearts. The two
reports having entirely exonerated Mr.. Forney
from all suspicion of having been actuated by
an improper motive in consenting to the alter
ati0n ef the Minnesota land bill, the Wing
party of the HOUSE, with a true sense of honor,
it seems to US, scornea to do injustice to an n
dividusl for political effect. His personal
enemies have their thumb nails to biz 9, at the
result Of this investigation. The subsequent
action of the House in refusing, by a vote of
155 to Is, to remove him under dishonorable
vote Of the majority, too, being
irrespective Of psrty-canpot fail to strike the
country as complete triumphant vindication
Of Mr.. Forney, from the many vindictive and
sinister efforts to ruin his standing, with which
ali newspaper readers are doubtless familiar
The Usual Closing scene.-By six o'clock
last evening, both chambers Of Congress ex
hibitsd the nfual signs of the /" last night
half the members present being wearied out,
while the rest were unduiy szs;ted by the in
tensity of their long application to business;
flushed countensnces and disordered dress
and hair, marking the personal appearance Of
most of them. Lass noise and confusion than
usual at such . time prevailed, however, and
they legislated much more undeEstandingiy
than We ever before knew them to do under
similar circumstances; owing, We presume, to
the fact, that they lad had no complicated
business before them in the course OF the day
TO middle their brains, Is Il were.