The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1867-02-01
,washinrton Plumber.

- Washington Plumber
II This Commonwealth is not to % res -,
larry represented IN the Fedora, Les'''A
ture, wo apprehend thst sne WIN nevr .r
.an..n, - s.,. blisl, . lobby at its doors; will
$3.50 ak honest and respected citizens to
Ut 80. ~ washington and sit down, like
Mo,nroAL cat the Kings gate" II we
are to be governed by that Congress, we
claim the right to send representatives who
shall enter by the front door, with their
heads high and cannot relish the idea Of
their lurking about the back stairs in the
hope Of catching by the button, for few
moments private talk, some member OF
that high and mighty body as he passes in
to vote new taxes out of our pockets, or
passes out to go and plumber the treasury.
It is certainly hard, seeing we must be
taxed and mulcted by those people, not to
be represented in their councils, and to be
incapable Of exercising any control over
the enormous public establishments We
have to pay for. There seems to De very
great need Of some such control. In all
departments, amazing frauds now and then
come to light; but the delinquents are
I" loyal men," and it is necessary to white
wash them. A grave fact, as the newspa-
pers call it, has become known in the trea-
sury-" seven-thirty" bonds, with dupli-
cate numbers, have been printed and
issued. We are not told how many,
nor whether these duplicate securities
amount to millions, or only to hundreds OF
thousands. However, Mr.. CLARK, OF
that Department, gives to Congress the
satisfactory explanation "that the num-
"bering machine got out of order, and
repeated.n A very extraordinary machine
that. There is to be an investigation, we
are told, but cannot affirm that We have
implicit confidence in it. Certainly it
would be more satisfactory if We had some
representative on that committee who, not
having need of being whitewashed him.
self, would not feel bound to whitewash
others. Virginia has a deep concern in
that national debt, although she had no
hand in contracting it; and knowing well
that she will be called on to pay her full
share Of its principal and interest, would
like to look a little into the operations OF
these wholesale manufacturers of securi-
ties, lest something should 60 wrong-lest
the numbering machine should repeat, or
the like.
We do not underrate the serious disad-
vantage under which these southern COM
munities labor in being altogether unrepre-
sented in the assemblies that make our
laws and impose our taxes and spend
them. Things are done in Congress which
could scarcely pass so very smoothly if
there were few honest gentlemen there
to speak out at the right time. For exam
ple-but take the description given of the
actions of that Congress by the Tribune,
great Radical organ:
"Such an example Of helter-skelter
grab for extra pay as was made by the
members last session, such skirking OF
personal responsibility for dirty act,
such lodging of yeas and nays on the
vote, such attempts to retreat into the
dark to avoid censure for an act that
would not bear the light, were burning
disgrace"
This is in reference to the Congress
voting itself nearly double pay; in other
words, the body in question being elected
to serve given time at certain rate of
pay, helped itself to more out of the pub
lie treasury. Two or three days ago a
member made a faint attempt to suggest a
review of that action; but, says the 1ri-
bune, "the subject was turned into joke,
/" the point of which was, that if it is pro-
opposed to refund the extra pay, don't you
"wish you may get it." Congress is
disposed to treat many questions with a
cheerful popularity; but nothing can ap-
pear in their eyes more droll than the idea
that they may not put their hands into an
open safe and help themselves; or that,
having helped themselves, they are likely
to disgorge. This last notion rises to the
highest comic honorable gentlemen place
forefnger on the side of the nose, and say
" Don't you wish you may get it!" So the
Tribune concludes
owe may some day have Congress
elected that may conclude to take fifty
thousand dollars year apiece out Of the
treasury, instead Of five thousand. On
principle, the one act would be just as de-
feasible as the other"
And we shall have to pay for all that.
Nor is that all. This very Radical paper
is quite in favor of another kind of plum
der, which it advocates every day-namely,
heavily increased taxation for the sole
profit Of its clients, the northern manufac-
turers. The doctrine it puts forth is that
Increased duties cheaper prices" In
plain terms, the manufacturers of New
England demand very oppressive taxes for
protection, in order that they may let us
have their wares at cheaper rate; and
it appears they have been able, "by their
united PRESSURE" aided by logical reasons,
to get tariff bill put upon its passage
which will enable them, at our expense, to
furnish us the cheapest kind of articles.
Here is another form Of plumber, and we
have no check over it, cannot expose the
fraud in the right place, nor utter one
authoritative word about it.
To say nothing Of great measures of en-
lighted public policy, and confine ourselves
for the present to the mere matter of pc
cuniary plumber, it cannot be denied that
this Commonwealth suffers, and will suffer,