The Manitowoc tribune. [volume] (Manitowoc, Wis.) 1866-1878, 1868-10-08
Republican PIunder.

Democratic editors and writer's, unable
to discover any just cause of complaint
against the Republican Congressmen,
have turned resurrectionists, and are
endeavoring to disinter items from fu
neral accounts showing the improper
expenditure of the public money. On
these items they charge that the Republic
an Congressman furnish themselves at
the expense of the government with kid
gloves All the foundations for circula
ting such charges are simply these and
and nothing more:
For example when the late Senator
Foot died at Washington his funeral was
conducted with the usual ceremony, and
in accordance with the custom, each
Senator. officer of the Senate ard rela-
tive of the deceased was supplied with a
pair of mourning gloves. This is the
ground d-work of the charge that Senat-
ors are supplied with their kid gloves at
the public expense.
The programme followed at the funer-
al of a Congressman who dies during a
secession is as old as our Federal Govern
! ment, and the customs of the times of
Washington are adhered to, except that
refreshments are no longer provided. In
an old account book in which that worthy
Massachusetts official, S. A. Otis, recor-
ded his disbursements as Secretary of
the Senate, at the funeral of Hon. Mr..
Malbone Il Senator from Rhode Island,
payment was made for gallons best
Madeira wine. s2S, gallons Cogniac
brandy, So II pounds almonds, S4,S0 ;:
10 pounds raisins, So: + pounds. plum
cake, s6: % pounds crackers, 81, 80: and
III pounds cheese, s., 81. This practice
of furnishing refreshments at the funeral
of a Senator has been abandoned.
In those Spartan days. as now, the
cIergymen and pail hearers wore black
sill! sashcs. and thcc,mmittcc of arrange
mcnts wore white silk sashes. while u
pair of mourning gloves were furnished
for each Senator and to each officer of
the Senate. There were then sixteen
States and consequently there couli not
have been over thirty-one Senators pres
ent, yet there were ninety three pairs of
gloves purchased.
No one ever charged Timothy Picker
ing or Stephen r. Bradley, or John
Gaillard, or any other Senator who at
tended that funeral and wore the bad &c
of mourning thus furnished, that they
were supplied with their gloves at the
public expense.
The custom of supplying gloves has
always been kept up. When John c.
Calhoun died in lS5O,a Democratic mem
Der of a Democratic Senate, his remains
were honored with the most expensive
funeral honors on record Did the Dem
ocratic writers and speakers Of that epoch
donounce Senators jeff Davis, Or Benton
or Mason or any of their colleagues, foI
accepting or wearing pair OF mourning
gloves at the funeral?
The only gloves furnished Senator,
since the commencement OF the Republl
can administration in 1861 was one pair
each at the funerals of President Lincoln
and Senator Foot of mourning gloves
which we're not suitable for general wear
| Eootf. f,r,r,l tho
badge of mourning was furnished to the
officers of the Senate and to other officials
who attended This, is the foundation
for the absurd story that Republican
Senators and Congressman are furnished
with their gloves at the public expense
and it illustrates the desperate condition
of the democracy for argument against
the Republican party.
MrTCHELL's Recommendations
Green Bay .4dcocate (Democratic) notices
the nomination of Alex. Mitchell fo,
Member of Congress in the first Distric
of this State to run against that noble
sold er H. E. Paine and heralds his fit
ness as follows:
''He is one of the most successful rail
road men of the State, and is now Presl
dent of the Mil. and st. Paul Railway
and is suppose to have the largest roper
sy interest of any man in the State.
: How consistent the democratic paper
are The only fault they find with Mr.
Sawyer in this District is that he ha
wealth