The Evansville journal. [volume] (Evansville, Ind.) 1866-1870, 1867-01-24
FROM the CAPITAL.
INDIANAPOLIS, Jan. %, 1867

LoCH was the subject of protracted
and acrimonious debate in the House
yesterday morning, and that unfortu-
nate Minister of Finance came in fo1
an exceedingly liberal allowance Of
vituperation and abuse from many OF
the Republican members. E
1t might have been expected that
he would find his ablest and most
jealous defenders among the Demo
cratic members; but, with the excep-
ton of semf-idiotic splurge from
KIzER-who is always ready to ''gush"
on the slightest provocation, and
who the openly displayed derision and
contempt Of his own party friends fails
to restrain within the limits of COM
mon decency-and few feeble efforts
from one or two others among the
less conspicuous lights on the altar of
my Policy" there was no effort on
the part of the Democracy to take the
field in defense of the illuminated
Secretary.
Few arguments were adduced
against a policy that was denounced
as ruinous," and the assertion that
the present course of MCCULLocH
would plunge the country into ire
trievable ruin" and destroy" the
dominant party before the beginning
of another year, was put forth as
self-evident proposition.
Possibly, the question of National
finance is beyond the calibre of many
gentlemen who figured in this debate.
1t would be no discredit to the ablest
man on that floor to acknowledge his
inability to grasp problem of such
magnitude. But it might be deemed
the part of wisdom and prudence to
exercise ones oratorical powers on
subjects within the range of ones
comprehension, nor venture into the
arena of debate with no other weapons.
than denunciation and abusive epi-
thets. al 9-'.,''si.4
;. The course of the Financial Secre-
tary may be in the direction of ma
tional bankruptcy, nor will the wri-
ter undertake to saysthat the hand of
HUGH MoCULLoCH is not already
feeling for the rope with which to
ring the death knell of the Republi-
can party.
But an array of hard names, how
ever formidable, is not the sort of
logic that will bring conviction to any
candid mind, and the gentleman who
led on and followed up in this attack
unfortunately lack that exalted style
of rhetoric which is requisite to give
to mere assertion the appearance of
a rgument.
Eloquence is a rare and often dan
gerous power, but if the display of
that quality made by the assailants of
the greenback functionary in yester-
days discussion may be taken as
criterion by which to judge of future
probabilities, the interests of the
State and Nation will neither be jeop-
ardized by their rhetoric, nor immeas-
urably advanced by their logic.
There was one Republican who had
the moral courage to defend, if not
the policy, at least the character, of
the Secretary against the noisy but
harmless discharge of blank car
tridges. Judge HUGHES, in that
calm and dignifed manner which
never fails to command the respect
full attention of even his most viru-
lent opponents, suggested to his Re
publican friends that our Senator's
and Representatives in Congress
might be supposed to understand
our national finances better than the
of this House, and that it
might not be the part Of wisdom or
prudence to hamper them with
If Mr.. MCCULLocH
had been the victim of bribery
and corruption" if he had been
engaged in " stock -jobbing" and
: gold gambling" as had been
charged, the Congressional COM
nittees of investigation who had
been following him up and scrutiniz-
ing all his official acts, would have
been able to bring some charges
against him. That they had not done
80 was sufficient evidence that the
Secretary was the same honorable,
ligh-minded man as when he so sue
q, I Il I,