The Wheeling daily register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1864-1878, 1869-10-07
Letter from Washington City,
WASHINGTON. d. c., Oct. A, 1869.

WASHINGTON, d. c., Oct 4, 1869.
Editors of the Register:
Surprising it possible that You would
like to hear occasionally from the great
centre of political power, not to say cor
ruption, l have determined to drop you
line once in a while, with u view of
keeping you and your readers advised,
as well as | can, of what i, transpiring
here that may be of interest to them
and the public. Ishould like, if | could,
to give you view of the inside work
ings of that great machine known as
the Government of the United States.
Its outside operations are patent to all.
These, to one who has lived as long as |
have, and who remembers, as do, how
the great power was for years welded
only for the good of the whole people,
are terribly shocking. Oar second
Washington-.God forgive me for
thus Decorating so hallowed a uame-
seems never to have known anything of
the character and actions of the Father
of his Country, much less to have
studied them with any purpose OF imi-
tation. In his day We had one Presl-
dent with heads of departments or chief
clerks, whose opinions on impoSant
questions were sometimes asked IN wri-
ring, and followed or not as the ChI
Executive deemed advisable. TINS
system continued for many years, III
deed, as long as here were men at the
head of the q ,vernment whose charac-
ter and qualifications fitted them Tor
such high and responsible positions.
These men realized and fully apprecla-
ted the responsibilities they assumed
when entering upon the duties of their
offices, and never sought TO share those
responsibilities with others. Especially
did they not seek to share them with
men selected by themselves for the po-
sitions they occupied, and who we're
amt nable 10 them alonei
| What have We nowf Instead of a
President, We have eight Presidents
And, strange to say, of these eight, there
is but one for whom the people voted,
and who is responsible to the people 7
Yet, each one of the eight, when around,
what in these modern times is called
the Council Board, has a voice as po-
teutial for good or for evil, as that OF
the President for whom the people
voted, and to whom they look, or used
to look. for the faithful and proper ad-
ministratlon of the great trust reposed
in him. While the President dares not
assume the control of governmental
affairs, in a single particular, each one
of his chief clerks do assume and prac-
tice the utmost tyranny in and over
their several departments. The tinkling
of Mr.. Stewards little bell was no more
potent, in its day, in depriving innocent
men of their liberties, if not their lives,
than are the autographs of these little
petty tyrants in depriving faithful and
honest men, who have spent the best
norton of their lives in the public ser
vice, and whose present poverty is am
pie proof of their honesty, of the means
of living, Scores of such men-whose
presence in office was a guarantee to the
country that It's duties would be faith
fully aud properly performed-have
been hurled out, in their old age,
without dollar upon earth,
and driven forth to beg or starve, sim
ply to gratify the malicious purposes of
those whose characters are not only
blackened by this, but other crimes,
that will no doubt. at some future day,
darken and disgrace the pages OF Amerl-
can history. ,;e
These tyrants, petty and insignificant
az they are, have in some casescreated
and set up others still more insi ignihcant
and and Contemplate, to whom it is impos-
sible to refer, but in terms unsulted for or
public inspectlOu, pea,Ure has sAnv marked so dis.
@ tinctIv that it would seem to be impos-
s;hIs not to recognize in hima charac-
tar tar to be Stunned and detested by
all all honorable men, mean the
creature Tullock, who, who is p.rdNUs now
the Collector of the Internal Ne'euus JUG
for the District, an office worth SO ne
eight or ten thousand dollars. Who is
he, and what is he He halls from New
IHappshire-Yas q low, mousing, cum