New-York tribune., 1870-08-23
TILE M1RTYRED MENRER.


Mr. p. z. Whittemore, Member of the late
House of Representatives from the l5t Congress
sional District Of South Carolina was found
guilty upon rrefragable evidence Of official cor
ruption, l. G., of sellinga cadctshp at West Point
lie said that he sold his appointing power and
official authority that he might give the money
to his needy constituents. A more eXtraordi-
nary plea never came from representative
it was, in fact. the confession Of new crime
Finding himself in tight place, WhittemoIe
saved himself from expulsion by resigning;
be went back to his constituents, and they
grateful doubtless, for his pecuniary consola-
ton. sent him back to the same Congress; the
House. not caring to stultify itself, and being
by the provisions of the Constitution, sole
Judge of the qualifications Of its own mem-
hers. returned him his credentials. His grate-
ful constituents showed signs of sending
him still to the next Congress; but
Mr.. =. +. W., in a letter exhibiting the virtu-
ous exaltation of Mr.. Pcchsnifi, and thinking
il doubtful whether the next House would
prove more placable than the last, has declined
in a letter of mingled dignity, wrath, and
sorrow. lie rccites his many services to the
body polite; he declares mOdestly that for
GIVE years and more he has been identified
"with South Cardinals destiny y" have tried"
he says, "to do my duty wherever duty called;' y
81 have received" he declares, "gener-
"ous maiOritics;' "my acts" he urges,
"have been mselfsh; my motives for
"the general veal :" and here | am,
he might have said, as good as twice kicked
out of Congress, and with every prospect,
should be reelected, of being kicked out a
third time! And all through the action Of
Logan the willful doceiyer" | am the vie
tim OF an Unprecedented and unconstitu-
"tiOnal actn "The sacred rights of electors
"have been subvertcd Magma Charta has
"been dcspised!! Law, reason, justice pre-
"cedents, have been disregarded!!! We, the
governed, have no longer the prerOgatiye to
"say who shall govern us.!!w And all this
through the assumptions of Logan, the will
"ful deceiyerw Verify, Mr.. Logan has a
great deal TO answer for. And so on, through
quantities of what we must he excused for
calling the very purest flapdoodle!
Hold hard, Mr.. B. +. WhittemOre! Stop
moaning and groaning and signing and turn
ing up the whites of your eyes for moment!
Don't you see that the main question is
whether or not you took the money! You
were either knayish or foolish, and, in either
case, you have proved yourself to be unfit for
a seat in the House of Representatives !!
Whether you be an ass or something morally
worse, does not make the least difference, eX-
cent TO your own conscience man who, in
perfect innocence, commits a penitentiary
olcnsc isnt the person to assist in making
the laws of the Republic. He may be a
model of mature piety, the most patriotic
creature breathing, a very incarnation of
beneyolence, but the place of honor and safety
for him is the private station.
Yet we should not fail to express our adj
miration of Mr. WhittemOre's course i'll refus-
ing TO be again n candidate. Whatever credit
he is entitled to, let him, in the name OF COM
mon humanity, receive. He keeps off the
course he tells u.s. lest by permitting himself
to he reelected he might CONFUSE his best
"and truest friends" His " friends" will be
grateful, or at least they should he. We as
sure him that there are very few Republicans
i'm the country who viii not be profoundly
thankful 70 him for the sclf-sacricing spirit
which he has exhibited. He reminds lis, in
some sort, of those gentlemen who, after a
compulsory emigration to penal settlement,
declared that they cleft their country for
"ther country's good" Go, Mr.. Whitiemore,
if such are your feelings-go, wherever you
please Crowded the officers don nab You for
the penitentiary) and may you be happy AS
the prelate said to Gil Bias, ave wish you
call manner OF prosperity and a little more
" sensem Your misfortune is that you have
been found out. Undoubtedly there were
many Members of the Last. rs there win be