The evening telegraph. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1864-1918, 1869-08-30
AN "AGONIzLNG" ONSLAUGHT


Hon. James M. Scovel, of Camden, compelled
us to devote a share of our valuable space to
his vagaries. And when we last did so, we
left our elastic friend in very unsatisfactory
| condition He was then neither dead nor
alive-politically speaking, of course-with
the odds inclining towards deadness. Time,
we are glad to see, has not operated to his
disadvantage. He has been in repose for an
indefinite period, and emerges from it more
sprightly, and, doubtless, more elastic than
ever. If his political avatar were attended by
no unusual phenomena, we might view it with
entire and hearty satisfaction. But he bursts
upon us from two points of the compass
simultaneously and confusion at the outset
is the natural and inevitable result The care
lessness Of a newspaper reporter in emitting
initials leads to the suspicion that the Scovel
who bursts upon us from one quarter may
not, after all, be tile Seovel but another
Scovel 1t is a mere suspicion. Nothing is
more Characteristic of the elasticity of the
original Scovel than double apparition and
for this reason we are inclined to the belief
that the ''NIr. Scovel, of New jersey who
has been figuring at the Womans Suffrage
Convention at Newport, is the Hon James NJ.
Scovel, of Camden
AS a female sufragist, Scovel begins life
i'll a small, modest and on the whole very
proper way. He brings up the rear of the
business committee, following in the wake of
such bright lights as Mrs Pauline Davis,
Miss Susan b. Anthony, Miss Theodore Til
ton, and Mrs. Hooker-old stagers, all of
them, of whose company Scovel, young
man in the business, ought to be proud, and
| doubtless is proud Indeed, we think he has
made a very good beginning. He has won
the confidence of Susan and the other female
agitators, and when q man-and a new man
at that-succeeds in winning the confidence
of these suspicious old ladies, he is doing
marvelously well. The task of fixing up the
! business programme of female suffrage con-
vention is a very important one, re-
| quiring the clearest sort of head
and the widest range of virtues and
requirements All of Scovels CO.
laborers on the business committee are
inveterate takers, and will assuredly be too
busy with their tongues to devote any time to
committee matters. This will throw the bur
den of the whole thing on Scoyels shoulders,
| which would receive it with satisfaction were
! it not for the fact that Scovel like all great
reformers, likes to put in word now and
then. But he can certainly afford to hold his
peace for a little while in return for the great
honor thrust upon nina perfect equality
! with Susan y. and all the other old ladies
who are running the woman suffrage conven-
ton at Newport. He is doing remarkably
well for beginning, and at the next gather
ing of the female sutfragists may do better,
may even be permitted to open his mouth
and quote the choicest sayings of Demos
themes, Montesquieu Andy Johnson, and all
the other leading authorities on the woman
question of ancient and modern times
The fact that an organization to be known
as 'The Republican Invincibles' was recently
! gotten up in Camden did not escape our no.
tce. The Hon. James NJ. Scoyel figured pro-
minently at the first meeting, and, if we are
not mistaken, presided over its deliberations
wrote the resolutions made the principal
speech, and was honored with the bulk of the
cheering. This invincible phalanx have Just
issued a formal manifesto. 1t bears the names
of five committeeman, among which that of
! Scovel does not appear. But his mark is so
indelibly impressed upon the document-a
sort Of supplemental Declaration of Indepen-
! dence-that we experience no difficulty what
ever in tracing it to its source, the ''Diction-
airy Of Choice and Popular Quotations" which
is the best thumbed book in Scovel's extern
sive law library. This Supplemental Declara-
ton is fully up to the original in its entirety,
and in some of its details leaves Jeffersons
famous instrument a mile and half in the
background.
A mere outline must suffice for our readers.
! The Camden Invincibles-or the Hon. James
NJ. Scovel, if you please-''go forward, con-
scious that right makes might, calling upon
the Almi ghty to defend ''the right merely.
fully and properly persuaded that ''the might
will take care of itself. Such is the peroration.
The exordium starts out with quotation from
Jefferson, which is made applicable to the
lamentable state of affairs existing across the
river, where somebody has given ''the last
stab to agonizing affection" and walked
rough-shod over the Republican party of that
section; or, as the Supplemental Declaration
has it, 'ruled us with rod of iron, which.
we take it, is much the same thing. diffe-
rently expressed. 1t is easily seen that the
gentlemen who WELD the ''rod of iron" in
this reckless fashion, and drive ''agonizing
affection" to the wall so mercilessly, have
put their foot into very sorry piece of busi-
ness. They have even gone so far as to '.re-
gard the masses of the people as Asses. ready
saddled and bridled, whose willing backs
bend in order that any demagopue NAV ride