The national Republican., 1869-01-02

Mr., wsshburne, OF IlNpots and the
treasury -The Piuu-
der.Mongers tu Dread Sf Him--The
IpteIiigenccr Nervous About the
Teuare-ocOMee Law - the Ogee-
chse, lGeorHis. Riots - Remer'ber
the Fslsity or the risst Reports Of
ths New orleans, Memrhis, ana
Csmiils Msssseres.
yASrARy I, 1909.
To rHR REPUBLICAN,: There exists nervous
fear among the plunder mongers here ana ei'e'
where that General grant may call the Non
| Ellihu d. Washburne OF Illinois, to the ifeaA-
ury Department This dread 10 Increasing
| daiiv. az NAV De drawn from many publiea-
| tIon, bs,nV made 10 the effect that Mr.. Wash.
burpe,, health will not permit him to accept
tho p,sItIop, that urant wont offer him the
| r,,a.ury portfolioi that he eW offer him the
lissiou to France; that he Il best qualified
| for that mission, because he speaks French
nusntiy, &C.
Uuon the point Of Mr.. wattburne's health,
| I may truthfully inform your readers that he
| Ia vet worth a whole hecatomb OF deador dying
men. He 10 able, quite able, to perform the
physical and mental lsbors OF the chairman
ship OF the House Appropriation Committee;
by far the most lsborious position under the
organisation Of that branch OF Congress, and
quite as laborious ss the functions OF Secrc-
tsry OF the Treasury.
while satisfied that General Grant has not
yet concluded who to call to the head Of thr
Treasury Department, the writer OF these let
ters regards It as being highly probable that
Mr. Wsshburne will be ihe man drawing the
conclusion from General GRANTS well. .known
determination to break up corruption In gov.
| ernmental Affairs, sndl vi. W wAshburne's equsl-
| ly well.known hostility 20 II, his vigorous
| contest for years against n, his thorough
knowledge Of the chronic corruptiouists indi
| viduslly, and his remarkable eHectiveness ~
| an economist OF the governmopt's hnspcisl
| resources. He 10 at this moment tie most en-
| cient man In public life In the matte! n pro
| tecting the national Treasury against M
schemes Of the plunder-mongers, one and AT
No other public man OF the times is more
deeply impressed (if so deeply impressed) with
the fact that the only sure way out Of oui
national pecuniary difficulties, is risidly tt
| collect every dollar Of revenue, the collection
Of which the laws direct, and to spend not
| dollar, except Its expenditure be absolutel,
| required by the exigencies OF the public service
The plunder.mongers would send him to Franc
or Jerioho-indeed to very q much warme
place than either, n they could, to keep hin
out OF the Treasury Department. Mr.. wash
burne or some man Of his particular impres
slous relative to the proper management OF tn
Governments hnanoial affairs will surely b.
Secretary of the Treasury. No man who doe
does not know the thieves and their scheme
and pretexts, and who will not surely say y,
when NO should be said, will get there unde
General Grant.
| The InieLigeneer is unduly exercised over thl
probability Of the repeal Of the tenure ffic
act. see no reason for Its extreme nervous
ness In that connection. Nobody proposes I,
| keep II upon the statute.books a tent afte
General Grant may tnd It likely to embsrras
| the success of the reforms he proposes to N AXE
II was enacted because Congress were satishe
that men charged with most responsible dutie
| in the matter OF collection and disbursement
| of the revenues, and with, II possible, NOR
responsible duties In the matter Of carrying
out the. reconstruction laws, were being re
moved and appointed wholly with reference Il
their allegiance to the Presidents "poliey" o
reinstating the most obnoxious rebels In con
| troll of the affairs OF all the Southern states.
| Congress was satisfied that carte blanche was
| virtually being given to the new sppointeest 10
steal to the "top of their bent" provided they
maintained allegiance to the Presidents
"policy." Whether this was so or not, Con.
| gress came to that conclusion. They there
fore passed the tenure. Of Office law, to prevent
the removal of those they deemed honest and
| efficient, and, upon the reconstruction point
| trustworthy in the matter OF sustaining the
! statute. to the letter.
| The reports OF the state OF affairs In and
| about OgPeohee, Georgia, excite great interest
IN this city. So far as they have re ached here,
| tHey are all from sources III close sympathy
with the rebellion. | AN irclineI to think
| that they will turn out like the first reports
| II the New Orleans, Memphis, aud Camilla
| mAssacres, wherein the negroes were held up
| as the sggressors. All will recollect how soon
| and how completely the first reports concern.
| ing those terrible rebel outrages were dis
proved and exploded. Twenty to one, It will
turn out that rebels were the sggressors In
| this Ogeechee, Georgia, affair. It's utterly i'm
| possible that the negroes Of whole county
would arm, picket the roads and drive off tn,
| white population In order to enable perhaps
| dozen of their own color to steal few doIei
stacks Of rice that being substantially tn
story told by the first (rebeD reports Of tn
| affair. II looks to me very much as thoug
| the negroes In that quarter, anticipating trea
. ment after the Camilla fashion, have orgaI
ized In their own protection; knowing we
, from their Camilla experience what prote
. tiou they would be likely to receive from th
= whites surrounding them.
Special Notices.
.