Bedford inquirer. [volume] (Bedford, Pa.) 1857-1884, 1861-03-29
From The N. Y. Tribune.
COhh,a CONTINGENCIES.


sury, Mr.. Howell Cobb, must be interesting to
The people whom he fescsd, and Of these bis
account Of Contingent Expenses for tie last
year Of his stewardship contains some pleasing
hints. We learn, for instance, that the ohief
newspapers sud periodicals which the Govern
ment supplied to him were The Richmond En-
quirer, The Washington Constitution, and De
Bolu's Reviesc--a discovery which sheds light
on the obliqne and stupid course of this re-
spectacle person We fnd that his literary stu-
dies were principally confined to lexicoas of
the Greek and Latin languages, copies Of these
valuable though not exciting works being
charged in the account; from the fowery icids
Of literature, thus represented, he seems TO
have strayed into the realms of art, for we see
that be bought statuctte of Gen. Jeekson and
az engraving called sThe First Blow for Free
don," though il is not easy to conceive Why he
could want bust of Old Hickory, unless to
wreak bis spite on it after the manner of Qup,
who thrust gimlets into the wooden effigy he
imagined to resemble his enemy. Kit Nubbles
may not fancy the Ex Secretary chipping
tie classic nose of the plaster General, or goug~
lag bis eye, at the same time taunting him with
| the war-cTy of Secession!
The modest sum OF $255 so was expended
for penknises during the year-and this only
for the chief man himself Caleb Gushing, for
professional services received $500 Is is
possible that the brilliant Mexican Generals
peculiar abilities were called forth in the pre-
psration Of the wonderful Treasury reports
which annually mystlied the eountry2 Or was
this amount intended to remunerste him for bis
assistance in breaking up the Democrats party
at Charlestonl
A horse fgures largely 10 the account under
consideration. We have first The absolute cost
Of the horse, 5000; then other items, as fol-
lows: Livery of horse, $l66 20; hire fhorse,
SIG 81; doetoring of horse, $50; shoefug of
horse, SIPS 62 harness of horse, $50 Al !;
pasturing Of horse, so rs; fly net for horse,
50 10; making the :otal disbursement for the
| quadruped, sos Co. This experience of Mr..
Cobb uIaY account for the small display of cay.
airy in the Southern army, for no treasury,
even aided by an export dusy on cotton, nne
Of Howeli'S most luminous ideas could sustain
the draught of many such horses
/ In the midst Of SO much exsravageuoe it is
refreshing to cons upon a bit of ecoaoray,
though in this case il was not iudicoas; we
learn that the charge for tchitewashing was
only i've dollars! Surely this Was not wise;
surely it would have been better to have bought
fewer penkniyes aud to have used more white
wash, il certainly vas needed. Two hundred
snd 6fty dollars for peo knives, seven hundred
dollars for sugle horse, and ouly FIVE dollars
for whitcwash! The case is worse than that Of
| Jack Falstuff's sack and bread.
Bnt the most astonishing item Of all is this,
which the reader will look 81, then rub bis eyes,
aud lock again;
asVafnishing Mr. BashAnan SO, 90.
Vanishing Mr.. Buchanan! Consider the
work. Three dollars and fifty cents Consid-
er the pay As We reyelve this bewildering
and fruitful topic in our tortured Mind what
picture rises before US! The Old Public Func-
tionary presents himself III the Treasury De-
parIment for his coat of VarEish--it may be his
secoud coat: peTchanoe bis third. The feeble
hands Of the Sage of Wbsatlaud wander aim.
lessIy about in search of something to grasp,
while the puffy Georgian applies the brush;
perhaps they fail on the ponderous lexicons
charged among the contingencies, perhaps they
steady themselves by the Constitution aud the
lsws-bou 10 sheep With preous accents
implorcs his friend not to 'say it on so thick !"
Tue job done, the Secretary picks his teeth
with one CT bis penkuiyes. while the President
cuts "chew" from bis favorrte weed with an.
other, and then goes out to dry. The apparent
imbecllity of Mr.. Buchanan when be should
have acted is now explained; he was was not
allowed to move the varnlsh was harden
ingl
What was the purpose of the varnishing!-
Was 1t TO preserve the great man! Was it to
keep him from crackingl Was is TO restore his
colors aud bring back tho blush Of youthq WHY
was the nation asked 10 pay ohly So so for
this important works After having saved so
much in Whitewash, even though the peukuiyes
had bled Us, aud that horse had been ridden
rough-shod over US, could we not have afford
ed more than this POOR fraction for such iobl
1t must be that the ex-SecEetary made his toll
labor of love and only charged for the mate
rial!
The publication of this accouut will do mu oh
for the character Of Mr. Cobb. He reduced
the counlry almost 20 bankruptcy; he snarlcd
end twisted ell the threads in which his clumsy
hands became enttDgled; be turned traitor
himself, and sided others to do likewise but
this last deed shall be tod to pnsterity as the
one bright spot in his dull life, aud the epitaph
engraven on his monument by grateful coun-
try should be: lie vanished Mr.. Buchanan
David Wimot, the successor of Simon Cam
eron in the United Stlies Senate, was born at
Bethany, Wayne county, Pa, on the 2Jth of
January, 1874. He was educated at Bethany
Academy, and at Aurora, Cayuga county, New
York; read law and was admitted to the bar in
1884. lie was member of Congress from
lS45 TO 1851, and has since been president
Judge of the thrteensh Judicial District of
Pennsylvania, aud resides at Towanda, Brad
ford county, Pa. lie was prominent member
of the recent Peace Conference, and has long
enjoyed national reputation, but is chief :
distinguished as the author Of the celebrated
anti-slavary Lropiso introduced while member
OF Congress, aud which bears bis nnIna Ha