Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1857-05-22

Maine, and number of other States have made
recent proclamaton of their place favors, the cit
liens OF Alabama-remote from the head of Fed
eTal afalrs-have allowed no unmeaning cupidity
TO stir their bosoms with the mere aspirations Of
The place hunter; but have, with that constant
devotion to principle, and that exemplary modesty
and 1orbearance peculiar to them, refrained from
thrusting upon the attention OF the Administra-
tlon the claims of any of her gifted sons, and
stoutly refused at all times any active
that she has not many men within; her bordefs
who would not accept and who are not qualified
by singular combination Of all those rare quail
tiles which constitute the man OF Intelligence
and experience with which TO illustrate the hon
ors of official position, but that she has hitherto
been satisfied with contributing alone, by her
preservation of the Constitution and the perpetu-
alton Of that spirit of fraternal concord and good
will which ought everywhere and In everything
to characterize and prevail in Democratic coun-
sells. Ever steadfast in the conflict for principle,
she has always and involuntarily shrunk from the
indiscriminafe scramble for office. e
Loving and sustaining the Constitution of the
land the broad agis OF federative existence,
her democratic masses have never exhibited any
symptoms of different political faith than that
planted deep in their bosoms by the nerve and
soul Of the glorious old hero Of Talledega and
Emuchfaw. Contributing this, not only to the
present supremacy Of democratic ideas, she has
likewise the more substantial honor of annually
augmentins the material resources and support of
the country by the free will offering of the largest
cotton grOiring State in the UnireTSt! IT. in COM
mercial Parlance, Cotton is King. this periodical
augmentation of the material wealth and pros
Perity Of the country Is certainly no Insignificant
and worthless tribute from the Z" peculiar institu-
tom to whatever relates to the growth and de-
velopment Of the entire country. And as custom
has reduced to practice the disposition Of Federal
favors according to the ''eternal fitness of
things" circumstances have peculiarly combined
at this time in pointing to Alabama as spot of
democratic earth to which this fitness Of
thlnUSs3 Wnnlh 10 I'm nj
BILE, and which would enforce truth ordinarily
as powerful with governments as il is with indi-
viduals-that of praising the bridge that carries
you over.o
The people Of Alabama never have, nor will
they ever permit themselves to engage in clamor
for public office and its precarious emolumehtS
but whilst, as dutifui member of the great sis
tei hood of States, she is willing by her public
utterances to assist in shaping the expansive and
definite policy Of the country, and at the same
time to bear the comparative burthen of its taxa
ton. she is equally jealous and appreciative of
her public men-in whom she cOntdes with de-
votion that does honor to her loyal heart. Since
her admission into the Union in 1919, she has
stood buckled in her Democratic armor, and for
Is years, like the young Norvell upon the Gram
plan hills, she has felt the first flush of every
great battle which has been fought against Demo-
principles from that day until the present,
without having lost a single contest within her
borders. And for the long period of nearly forty
years service to the Democratic party. we believe
that the full Democratic list of her federal honors
comprises one Vice President of the United states
one Supreme Court Judge, three full missions
abroad, one Minister Resident, four or five Con-
neutrality-suspicious. either Cabinet officer "A single
head of Bureau, even leading clerk.-super-
added to the diminutive and doubtful number OF
ten lower class clerkships in all the various
subordinate branches of the Government.
Now, no complaint is made of this fact-as no
one has the right, moral or political, to complain
or clamor about condition of things which
ought alone to be measured and consulted by
virtue of the public good but inasmuch as other
Wi ifv nd ;nfp taIy
have recently seen proper through the ewspapers,
to Haunt their busy p-etentions to the public gaze
il Is not deemed uniting in one of her sons to
say that State, where democratic principles have
been planted with no niggard hand, and where
those principles have not been the growth of a
desire for power-that such State can only re-
count the bestOwal of so small number of Fed
eral honors upon her sons through a period of
forty years service to the constitution and the
Union. The public men of Alabama, however
people of prayer, patience and long suffering
are willing to bide their time'f in matters
at once secondary in their nature, and await that
reconstruction OF political conditions which the
enlightened and liberal policy of the present
Administration will sooner or later embrace-a
process of adaptation which is now going on
among the democratic masses of Alabama and
which Will send to the next Congress of the United
States an unbroken democratic phalanx with
which to energize the measures and confirm the
hopes of the friends fthe present Administration
North and South, throughout the wide borders of
the Republic. The only motive then. which in
duces this communication, is that Justice may
be done, though lie heavens fall - and that Ala
bama. long neglected in the Departments here
and in the representation abroad may not 90 on
TO the . end of the chapter with vOiceless
plea against the apparently aforementioned condi-
ton that has hitherto surrounded her ever con-
slant and hopeful sons. O.
The Work on THE AQUEDUCT-Greati inter
ist is just now felt in the result of the bidding
for contracts on the Washington Aoueduct.
which must be known very shortly. There are,
nine contracts to be let out, for each of which
large number Of bids were put in many con-
tractors having attended from far-Off distances
to participate in the bidding, some among them
being quite as famous as contractors of public
works as any other living men in America
Each of these nine contracts embraced multi
tude OF items-work of all descriptions, in vari-
Gus locations and under various circumstances.
such as to induce bidders to make complicated
offers for them Thus arises the delay in the ar
nouncement of the results of the letting We
hear that the tenders are now all before the
President, accompanied by the necessary calcu-
lations OF the engineers upon them. According
to the general understanding, a single firm Of
well-known northern contractors has bid for
the whole work, at price-about 81 $50 900
which would probably permit the Aqueduct to
be finished within the estimate of Engineer
Meigs. That il, the bid of this firm leaves a
sufficient margin to pay for the land required,
engineering, superintendent, clerk hire, &c,
within Engineer Meigs's original estimate !;
while other bids for separate contracts are said
to be still lower. Those Immediately interested
in the results of the bidding are just now nerv-
OuSly anxious, and will continue to rest on net |
ties until the Presidents decisions may be |
dennitely known. For their information, we |
can give them but two items of information |
bearing on their hopes and fears First. that |
yesterday, or the day before, additional calcu. |
lations are said to have been required of the |
Engineer by the President; and, next, that i'm |
answer to anxious inquiries of some bidders,
the President told them, bluntly and emnhati. |
'ally, that their prospects of carrying of the
for which thay ba1 male to,1... = /