The Portland daily press., 1869-07-10
A Rig Wash.

The Saehems of Tammany had a pow WOW
in New York on the 9th inst, at which Mayor
Hall made speech, in the course of which
he said that "the Democratic party was in bed
yesterday, but it is out, washed, dressed and
hurraing to-day. The Democracy may be in
bed during August, September and October,
but in November, led by the gallant Hancock,
1t will be out again.
Everybody will be glad to learn that the
Democratic party is washed 1t must have
been dreadful dirty job What induced it to
wash or to get washed, the Mayor doesn't
tell. Perhaps it had heard of the Irishman
who, after scrubbing himself for an hour or
so, found good flannel shirt which he had
lost several years before, and hoped to be re-
Warded in similar manner. Certainly moth
ing but the expectation of finding something
would have induced it to undertake such an
unpleasant task We wish the worthy Mayor
had volunteered few details regarding the
transaction. 1t would have interested the en-
tire country the publication of the Demo
cratic party, either by water or fire, is not an
event of such frequent occurrence that it can
properly be passed over with bare statement
of the fact. Simply stating that it is "washed !,
only provokes inquiry and excites curiosity.-
What the people want to know is how and
when and where the job was done. They new
er dreamed the country possessed water
power immense enough to wash the entire
democratic party and make it clean. How
very provoking to be told that it is "washed"
without being furnished with bill of particu-
lars. Why couldn't he state who washed it.
md HON Uho 4ooI oxFk Al 10,
Who removed the layers of dirt that accumu-
lated during the administration Of James Bu-
chanan? Who attended to the Poor Pierce"
strata? Were any geological discoveries made,
and how did the operation affect the price of
soap9 Was the 'wash" confined to the State
of New York, or did it include the hitherto
unwashed in all the States and Territories?
And, furthermore, how thoroughly was the
work done? Were the party's ears dug out, SO
that it can hear the cries of the down-trodden
and oppressed, and the appeals of common
sense? Was tie dirt washed out of its eyes,
SO that an African looks like man. or does it
still continue to view him as greasy, thick
tipped and lopg-heeled "nigger''? In short
was the wash regular regeneration, or only
superficial slop?
All these are pertinent inquiries which the
people are anxious to find out about, but which
the reticence of the speaker leaves wholly to
conjecture. We understand, of course, that
the war record must have been peeled off. This
was baked on SO hard, and was withal SO very
black, that the waters Of a second food would
not have soashed it off; and we know also, that
after the peelng process was completed, there
must have been of necessity an immense
amount of scraping, scrubbing and rinsng.-
Did the party visit Niagara?-but the ques-
tions multiply, and we must stop. If the main
proposition is correct, and the party is really
washed, it is of small consequence by what in
stromentalities it was effected. We are fear
full that the Mayor didn't know whereof he af-
trmed, but waiting for further developments
shall hope for the best.