The state rights democrat. [volume] (Albany, Linn County, Oregon) 1865-1900, 1866-09-15
sOUR-vERY SOUR GRAPES.


One Of our Abolition contemporaries
contains an article entitled: "FetlerG
Patronage National Curse" in which
he attempts to show that the "power o
dispensing official favors, lodged in The
hands of the President. is dangerous t.
the perpetuity of our republican edifice.
We do not design controverting this poin
at this time it may, or it may not be cor
rect OF that we leave each to judge fol
himself. Indeed, we are inclined to con
cede that tho power, in the hands o.
President johnson, of appointing persons
to office, IS dangerous to the existence oi
the Radical party, alias republican edi
fce." For, instead of giving its leader:
Offices, he is beheading them and putting
IN competent and honest men in their
places and as public plundcr has hereto,
fore been the chief bond of union in the
Radical party, it follows as an inevitable
sequence, that if that is severed the Rad
ical edi6ce will tumble down.
But that to which we wish to call par.
ticular attention is the newborn zeal Oi
these Radical leaders relative to the detri.
mental aud demoralizing effects of Fed.
ersl patronage. While the war was pro.
crossing it was the perfection of patriot.
ism in Lincoln'to appoint his satraps and
satellites to lucrative Offices. Then there
was nO.hins said about federal patronage
being national curse-except, perhaps
by some "eOpperhead," or ''traitor," and
he deserved to be hung, so it was averred
for his audacity and villainy. What right
had anybody to Office except the simon-pure
"Union" man! 1t was considered trea-
son In Democrat to even think of an
Office. The Offices all belonged to those
who had been 'true to the Union" And
when they were quietly enjoying these
Offices it was considered very traitorous
for Democrats to hint at any malfeaSance
that occurred. a great majority of the
federal ofice-holders under Lincoln were
corrupt; and the result was they robbed
the public treasury of millions of dollars
The world never saw more corruption in
public funetioraries. The very air was
tainted with corruption. Peculation was
the rule-hOnesty the exception. Gen.
erals stole cotton, and pianos, aud silver.
ware, and gold watches, and fine furniture
of every description. Men like Simon
Cameron aud even "honest old Ale" him,
self had fat contracts and pockctcd the
profits. Beast Butler robbed widows cs
tates and State banks alike hence it wa:
that he who entered the army as a penni
less adventurer returned with plethoriC
purse-nay, millionaire. Lincoln's Of
fce-holders, all over the land-numerou:
as an army of locusts-sucked the very
Me-blood out of the people, and while
they did so professed to be the exclusive
friends of the ':Union" and of liberty
Yet there was no warning voice then raised
By any member of he Radical party. There
was no fear then, On their part, that fed
eral patronage would prove a nationa
curse. Oh no. Then the boot was OF
'tother leg. Then everything went hap
PLY as marriage bell-particularly the
stealiugs. Shoddy contractors and tongue
doughty heroes gorged themselves unit
their very eyes stood out with fatness.-
But now the scene changes. They are
beingsdecapitated and honest men are in
stalled in their places and hence theil
newborn zeal about the deleterious effects
of federal patronage.
We trust President johnson will pro
ceed in the good work of decapitatior
which he has so recently inaugurated.-
Oil every hinge in the guillotine, and le
their heads roll into the basket, and FL
their places with good and true men, and
the people will be satisfied. The Demo
cratic party do not claim the ofices-they
do not want them-but they do want hon
est, competent men in Office, and are re
joiced that the President is gratifying
their desires in this particular.
"THE LOST CAUSE" This is the Ii