The evening telegraph. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1864-1918, 1867-06-07

are mighty power and should control the
affairs ofthe country as wen as the opinions
and personal conduct Of men. But they are
not the only ynarrow-nninded boolheads. by a
long way. The term may be applied to
Greeley himself for his vagaries about specie
payments, the currency, high tariff social
istic theories, and misplaced philanthropy.
Looking at the management Of our public
affairs, this expression unfortunately, is ap-
plicabe to most of those in Official positions.
How ftly this term--narrow- minded block
heads-mhy be applied, for example, to the
Judiciary Committee Of Congress This Com
mittee was appointed ostensibly to investigate
serious charges against the President and
grave matters affecting the administration of
the Government The people were led to be-
lieve that there was evidence enough before
Congress and in the hands of those who pro-
posed the Committee to justify investigation.
/ The. Committee, has virtually concluded its
laboTs and voted upon report. What is the
resultH What, after many months of searching
inquiry and after the expenditure of alarge sum
of money, has ii discoveredY A mare's nest.
nothing more. a majority of the mem
bers have agreed to censuTe the Presi-
dent, finding no ground for impeaeh-
\ ment. OF course they must do something
to ,endeayor to save themselves " Congress-
and the Republican, party from ridioule; and
they could do nothing less than make up case
for ceIsure. And what was the nature of the
investigations of this Committee of narrow
minded blockheads2 Great questions of pub
lie policyY No; they were chiefly confined to
matters of private nature--of miserable
gossip and hearsay .twaddle of Tom, Dick, and
Harry. These sapient committeeman were
anxious to know what the President drank
and how much he drank whether he drank
Bourbon whisky or winer how muoh water he
mixed with it; if he used sugar. and how
many times day he took his toddy. They
wanted to know who went in the front door
and who in the back door of the White House,
with a great deal more of such contemplate
and impertinent stuff. Such has been the
work in-which they were engaged for months,
and such is the result
But the greater part by far of the members
of Congress have shown themselves to be in
other respects narrow minded blockheads.
Look, for example, at their policy in keeping
the wounds of the war open so long for mere
partisan purposes, when the country needs
peace, restoration, and harmony, in order to
stimulate the productions of the South, to
relieve us of the immense expenses of large
military establishment and the Freedmen's
Bureau, and to enable us to meet the enor-
nous demands of the Treasury Department
Look at the acts passed for bounties, for Jobs
of every description, and to protect certain
local interests by burdening and restraining
the industry of the country generally. The
most rigid economy is needed, if the country
Is to be saved from an addition to the debt or
If either the interest or principal of the
present stupendous debt is to be paid
The utmost freedom should have been
given to industry and trade, and production
should have been stimulated by removing as
far as possible the burdens upon it. But in
stead of that the most lavish and reckless
expenditures have been made and industry
has been burdened and paralyzed to the ut
I
pidity of Congress in giving to the national
banks, a monstrous and dangerous institution,
the profits of a national circulation worth over
twenty millions a year; currency of three
hundred millions, the profits of which rightly
belong to the Government and the people, and
which should be saved and applied to the ex-
tinguishment of the debt. Look too, at the
insane attempts to contract the currency, and
thereby to reduce the means and increase the
burdens at a. time when money should be
abundant, in order to increase production and
to bear the weight of debt and taxation. Never
were there such blockheads composing great
legislative body. Never was a country so
much in need of statesmen.
What shall we say of the Secretary OF the
Treasury 4? Mr.. McCulloch, through his recon-
mendations to Congress and through his imbe-
cile management OF his department, has been
greatly instrumental in bringing us to condi
ton verging upon bankruptcy. We say verg
ing upon bankruptcy because the Treasury is
being emptied faster than it is supplied. The
expenditures are greater than the income, and
the national debt, instead Of being reduced,
hereafter is likely to- be increased. He, OF
/ course is a national bank man, for he cannot
see beyond bank interests. Banking was his
vocation, and though he may be capable OF
managing small country bank, he has no con-
ception of national finances. He recommended
contraction of the currency, and proceeded
to contract it as far as Congress stupidity gave
the power, until he found danger staring him III
the face. Instead of letting the volume OF cur
rency remain as it was, particularly as the
! country was prospecting and the debt being
paid until large portion of the whole of the
debt could be. liqudated in the same depre-
/ preciated money in which it was taken, he
wanted to force specie payments, and thus
compel the people to pay, with less means,
| thirty to forty per cent more than they ever
received or ought to pay. The term mar
! row minded blockhead, - which Horace Gree
ley used to the Loyal League Club may be
very fitly applied to him. He should leave
| the Treasury Department to aber hands, and
20 back to his small brokerage business in the
country. We want no other currency than
what we have, except that greenbacks should
! be substituted for the national bank cireula-
tion. We want the debt to be paid in this
currency, and the country to grow up gradu-
ally and naturally to specie payments.
The consequence will be that if the country
and the Treasury Department continue to be
| governed by narrow minded blockheads, the
| people will soon get uneasy under the weight
of debt and taxation. They will not be will
ing to pay for the misgovernment and extrava-
! gance of partisans and imbeciles. We shall