New Orleans daily crescent. [volume] ([New Orleans, La.]) 1851-1866, 1860-06-02
THE covoDE COMMITTEE.

Sometime about the beginning of the present
session Of Congress, committee was raised in the
House of Representatives, ON the motion of the
Hon. John Covode, Of Pennsylvania, and whereof
the same was appointed chairman, to inquire into
and report upon any corrupt practices or malver-
sations in Office of the present Administration. We
know nothing personally of Mr.. Covode, but we
have come to the conclusion that he is one of the
most Industrious and interchangeable men that ever
lived. Although his committee has been in session
every day for about four months, 1t does not ap-
pear that Covode is halfway through yet, but that
he is constantly turning up something fresh and
new in the way of personal corruption and party
raseaIity. His report, when it shall be made will
be one of the most entertaining, and at the same
| time one of the most marvellous contributions to
the literature of the country in the whole annals of
book. making. 1t will possess the combined inter-
est of Guliver's Travels, the Wandering Jew, the
| Newgate Calendar, and the Life and Adventures
| of Jack Cade. The latest sensation novel, or the
most recent contribution of Sylvanus Cobb, Jr. to
the blood and thunder" department of the New
York Ledger, will fail altogether of interest in
comparison with the forthcoming report of the de-
| tectiye Coyode.
| Decidedly the richest mine which Coyode has
vet worked is that we'll known individual of rather
scaly reputation, who goeth by the name of Cor
nelius Wendell. Cornelius knows so much of party
rascaIity and has served so long and faithfully as
laundress of political dirty linen, that his re-
sources as witness before the Covode Committee
are perfectly inexhaustible. Covode has been
| pumping him almost daily for four months, and
yet-so prolific of information is he-it will take
at least four months more to pump him dry. Es-
pecialiy rich and raey the revelations of Cor
| neus in respect of Kansas affairs, the Lecompton
| Constitution the Public Printing, and the under
current of operations by which various measures
of legislation are engineered through Congress.
Wendell is graduate of the Albany Regency
| school of politicians, than which there is none
more corrupt or unscrupuous, within the limits Of
this or any other country on earth. From the
times of Martin Van Buren, down to this day. when
Cagger, CASSIDY & Co. rule the roast, the Albany
Regency have been famous for being adopts in
every species of personal and political intrigue
4 and for having no more regard for the claims o
honesty and fairness than Digger Indian has fol
the rights of property, or an East India Thug fol
the rights of life. But Albany was too contracted
field of operations for man of the push and en-
terprise of Cornelius Wendell He looked dowr
to Washington, and there he saw eighty millions
of plumber going off every year. Here was the
alter worthy of the genius and boldness of Corne
Illus; and, like provincial actor who, finding tina
he has talent above the common, hastens tt
make his appearance upon metropolitan boards
! so Wendell advanced to the broader field Of Fed
eral operations, where no pent.np Utica nigh
contract his powers.
Elected Public Printer and holding the office 70
four years, besides being the moving spirit of tn
Stedman combination which succeeded him, it
not to be wondered at that this enterprising ind
yidual weeded the widest sort of row in the il
side operations of the Congressional lobby. An
it must be set down to his credit-f there be an
credit at all in the act-that he bled, withor
stint, for the interests of g the party,' as well
the different State elections, as in furnishing tn
J, material aid without which many of the fattel
sorts of Federal jobs would have had but a poe
show of successful issue.
But, in an evil hour, Wendell had quarrel wit
Bowman, the chief blower Of that wheezy o.
Government organ formerly called the Union,
and now the Constitution" And thus relieve
of all interest in keeping SILENT and restrained
a. no fear of the personal stain that would attach
him from his revelations, and stimulated to son
i'll extent, perhaps, by feeling Of revenge, he dete
m mined to blow'' on his old confederates; al
under the persuasive eloquence Of Goyode, he h
"blown" and "bown' until he has develop,
= rasealty and chieanery enough, practiced with
the last few years, to furnish literary gentlemt
with good, wholesome, light reading for the emit
q summer now before Us.
Is In all seriousness, the revelations made befo
- this Covode Committee, not by Cornelius Wend
alone, bat by many other witnesses, will constits
u a dark chapter in the history of this country.
~ say this in no partisan spirit, because we have
N before, and we now repeat the declaration, i
. if we are to judge the Black Republican party