The evening telegraph. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1864-1918, 1869-02-08

General Fry, IL was the general opinion that he
was not only defeated in the result, but severely
handled by Mr. Conkling in the discussion.
Mr.. Blaine has always been regarded as conser-
vative in his political views, and this suspicion
was more than confirmed, in the opinion of
the radicals, during the drst attempt to Impeach
Andrew johnson, He was the mau whom the
late Thaddeus Stevens accused of having uttered
the sentiment that "he would rather have
Andrew johnson President of the United States
than a scalawag like old Ben Wade" When the
great Pennsylvania made this statement to the
House, Mr.. Blaine endeavored to deny
It.; but the cold MANI proved IL upon
him to the satisfaction of the whole
House. During the last impeachment, Mr.
Blaine was the open apologst ol the recreant
Senator from Maine, Mr. Fessenden. Ever since
Mr.. Blaine's advent in Congress, IL has been
known that he was, to great extent, under the
influence of Mr.. Fessenden. This fact, together
with his course during the impeachment, has
served to make the radicals somewhat shy of
him. Aside from this, ii is not thought that
he possesses the qualities without which it is
almost impossible to be a successful presiding
officer. And yet he has his friends-men who,
like himself, are young aud impulsiye. They
speak of him as Young America az a good
jolly fellow, which, indeed, he is, and COM
mend him to the support of newspaper men,
because he was once the editor of provincial
journal. The more thoughtful and sedate OF
the party look upon Mr. Blaine as young
America" in the gristle. Probably they would
vote for him for Speaker ten years hence, when
his impetuoslty Will be more subdued, when his
ambition may be as aspiring but less apparent
than it is now.
The CIerlSship of the House.
Next to Speaker the most important Office
connected with the House is that OF Clerk. This
officer has charge of all the purchases tor the
House, and the disbursement of all its funds
except the pay of members and their mileage.
The candidates prominently named, thus far, for
Clerk of the Forty-frst Congress, are General
Ephram r. Eckley, of Ohio, and the Hon.
Edward Mcpherson, of Pennsylvania, the pre-
| sent incumbent.
General Ephraim II. EclxIey.
General Eckley was born in Jefferson county,
| Ohio, in 1912. He was admitted to the bar in
| 1887, and was subsequently elected to the Ohio
| Legislature, serving eight years in the Senate
| and two in the House. At the commencement
of the Rebellion he entered the service as
Colonel of the Twenty sixth Ohio Volunteers.
At the great battle of Corinth he commanded
brigade, and performed such valuable services
as to receive the warm concentrations of his
superior officers In 1862, while still in the SER
vice. he was elected a member of Congress
from the Seventeenth district OF Ohio. This
was Just after Van Dorns celebrated raid upon
Holly Springs, Mississippi; and owning to
communications being cutoff with our army,
General Eckley was a member Of Congress
nearly two months before he was aware of it.
His case is rare instance of the Office seeking
the man, instead of the man seeking the Office.
He resigned his position in the army in March,
| 1868, and took his seat in the House of Repre-
| sentatives. He was re elected TO the Thirty
ninth and Fortieth Congresses, and refused a
! nomination to the Forty first. General Eckley
! has not figured extensively in the debates of the
! House, because he is one OF those old-fashioned,
! practical men who believe in action rather than
| in words. But he has been an efficient membe Z
for all that, and has d!,cayS ooted rl9h He ha
the reputation of being ga man whom you can
! tIust".-a rare virtue in our public men of to
day. General Eckley will, of course, receive the
hearty support of the Ohio delegation the
Republicans going solid for him. 1t is said the
| Western delegations generally will vote for HIM
| for though a quiet man, he is personally
| popular; and the West seems to have made up
| its mind that if the East has the Speaker, the
I Doorkeeper and probably the Sergeant alarms,
the "Great Westn must have the Clerk and the
| Postmaster.
Hon. Edward Mcpherson.
Pennsylvania has had the Clerkship of the
House for ten successive years, with but one
interruption. Colonel J. W. Forney was elected
Clerk in 1857 and served until 1861, when Emer
son Etheridge of Tennessee, was the fortunate
| candidate. Mr.. Mcpherson succeeded him in
1863, and has held the position ever since-a
period Of six years. 1t is not, therefore, sur
prising that nearly everybody outside of the
Pennsylvania delegation is in favor of a "new
deal" But graver reasons than mere geographi
cal position are urged in favor of new Clerk.
1t 10 alleged that Mr.. MePherson's management
of the Clerks office has been rather
more extrayagant than comports with
the economical, retrenchment princIp pies
Of the Republican party. There are not want
ing facts aud figures to show that the expendi.
lures of the Clerks office have more than dou
bled under Mcpherson over what they were
under Forney, and even under the Democratic
| Etheridge. Nor are there lacking men of his
own party who are ready to bring these for.
ward. but anticipate what you Will probably
see in the public prints within a short time
| when say that the official records show thai
| where Forney employed some twenty-five clerk:
: | and messengers, at an annual outlay o.
S33, ,36l GO, Mcpherson has fifty eight clerk
| and messengers, costing the Government
\ 1888 34287 per annum. 1t is alleged that Mr.
1 Mcpherson has kept two of these clerks en-
ployed and paid by the Government busy q,
| work compiling his political Msnualn ant
4 other books OF which he Is the author, and tina
I the principal business OF one OF the messenger
OF the office Is 10 sell these DOCKS. give thSs