The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1860-03-19

1
and they will not scruple to take full advan-
tage fit 1t may be pleasant for members Of
Congress to read these comments upon their
misconduct; but we can assure them that 1t is
not particularly agreeable to such Of their con-
atituents "a may be travelling abroad. II
would be hard, indeed, for the most enthusiast
tic American 10 carry along such fellows as
Forney and Pryor, or even to give any reason
able apology for their occupancy Of the places
they disgrace.
The Market Rates Of Public Virtue 1t
Albany and NlsswAsee.
We print elsewhere very comicA article,
published tho other day in the Courier and En-
| qarrer, and certainly one Of the richest pieces
Of fun that has come from the pen Of our mill
tary and diplomatic contemporary for many .
day. 1t was altogether too good to be rolled
up in Wall street blanket, and We reprint 1t as
one Of the very best of recent contributions to
the current comic literature Of the day.
The Chevalier Webb should be quite compe.
tent to treat the question which is taken up In
this article, from broad, philanthropic stand
point. For thirty years and more he has been
Gin the business" in one way and another, and
should be capable of telling us exactly the
market price of the goods Of all kinds, from q
ffty-two thousand dollar douceur to news.
paper editor, down to ten dollar bride for
school officer. We cannot deny that the Cheva-
lier does give us some valuable information.
His subject is the big Gridiron brought into
the Senate by George Law. OF course he is
very angry about the extensive utensil. he
does not, however, say o word about the five or
six nice little steaks which are broiling In the
Assembly for somebody. Is it possible that
Thurlow Weed is watching one Of these little
fellows, and will turn it over for the Chevalier
Webb?
AS regards the Chevaliers style, there are
people who object to it. They call his distinc-
tons absurd and his argument all nonsense,
and say that he injured rather than helped bis
case; but we believe, with Sir Lucius O'Trig-
ger, that when affection guides the pen he'd be
brute that would quarrel with the style. We
admire Webbs style. We always did. It is
sui 9eneris He is like some clowns, who,
without the smallest perception of wit or hui
NOR, make the audience laugh at them by their
utter and irrepressible stupidity.
The Chevalier Webb goes to work mathema-
tcally to prove himself donkey. He pro-
ceeds to tell us that Senatorial votes were
bought for the Gridiron bill at from twenty
five to seventy-fve thousand dollars each; that
upon test vote nine republicans and seven
democrats voted for the Ubiquitous measure
And further, the comical Chevalier proceeds to
argue that the republican party is a very vir-
tuous and pure organization, because greater
proportion Of democrats than republicans were
bought up by the Law clique. Grand is the
Chevalier when he says that 20 majority of the
republicans proved themselves incorruptible
honest and honorable men, when the enormous
sum Of seventy-ive thousand dollars, well &C.
cured, was offered for vote" Wonderful
chaps they must be. Astonishing fellows,
who could resist such temptation to commit
official perjury, and become amenable to the
penalty Of ten years Incarceration in the
State prison" Well may the Chevalier
be proud of the virtuous fraction of his
party, a greater fraction than that of
the incorruptible Solons on the democratic
side Of the chamber. The way in which our
contemporary ignores the fact that the repub-
lican Senators outnumbered the democrats in
the proportion Of nearly four to one is as
good as play.
Then look at his virtuous indignation" No
honest man will offer excuse or apology for
any legislator who can be induced to sell his
vote" That's true that's wonderful dis
covery. Further, every debauched public SER
want should be made to serve ten years in the
State prison, no matter to what party he may
belong Good But let US have enlarged
prison accommodations, or a Governor like
Clark or King, or Seward The facts in the case
are all in favor Of the integrity of the repub-
lican party, says the Chevalier, directly after
stating that considerable number of the Sena-
tors on that side sold themselves out and out.
If that does not reach the climax of absurdity,
then we have no idea of what the article is.
Come now to the grand heroic and magnani-
= nous peroration. The Chevalier will give
" one word of justice" to the two democratic
Senators who voted against the bill. Irish vir-
tue, in the person of Mr.. Connolly, proved too
much for the wiles of the seducer, though he
offered seventy-fve thousand dollars "guarau-
teed" webb emphasizes that; and the repu-
tation Of Long Island was safe in the hands of
Mr.. Gardiner. Thus the Metropolitan Police
District has two just men Cat least two whose
price has not been ascertained), who keep the
Senatorial toga clean, and who may yet save
it from the fate of Sodom and Gomorrah, to
which localities we are affeetionately compared
by the rural editors.