Public ledger. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1865-1893, 1870-02-25
A Queer Fancy.
From the New Orleans Picayune. ]

| From the New Orleans Picayune.l
The people of ST. Louis are certainly
in earnest on the question of the removal
of the Federal seat of government from
Washington to the Mississippi Valley,
and evidently think that their fair and
busting city is the only proper one to Sc.
lect as the location of the new capital.
St. Louis is now looked upon as q very
respectable community, and why it
should be ambitious to have the eongre-
gated rsscality- political, financial and
aocial-of the so-cslled republic of the
United States of America transferred to
its limits is difficult to understand. 1t
now enjoys daily growing trade, calcu-
lated to enrich its residents in all the
walks of business life, without demoral-
izing and debssing them to the melan-
choly condition of the masses at WASH
ington II has natural resources which
place 1t beyond rivalry among the lnte-
ror towns of the continent. Its popua-
tiou is noted for enterprise, energy, in-
dustry and general success in CONNER
csl, industrial and professional pursuits.
Why, then, should the people there make
efforts to secure the presence of q gov.
ernment which has ceased to command
that universal respect towards its leading
officials, which, until within half gene
ration past, was accorded to that of
Washington. when great representative
men filled the highest offices of q republic
in truth as well as in name2 Why do
the manly, proud residents of St. Louis
seek the creation in their midst of class
so cringipg and ignoble as the Office
holding people at Washington have
shown themselves for fifty years past
where soma followed fathers in discredit
able ada!ation of low, vulgar and often
times corrupt Cougrsssmeu, for the pur-
pose of keeping some wretched auditor
ship or clerkship in one of the depart
ments, and where wives and daughters,
in order to aid in such unmsnly aud un-
worthy efforts to gain livelihood by
Office e-holding, instead of earning it by
honest labor somewhere else, have been
forced to fayn upon the same class of
people Of all the pitiable and con.
temptible people on this continent, none
who are not Of the lowest class of the
criminal and vicious have sunk so far
out Of sight of self.respect as the hered-
itsry office-holders at Washington. Why,
finally, do the ST. Louis people desire TO
have annually 10 their city such mo-
safe Of h.mau weaknesses and deformi-
ties of character as for years past has
constituted the Congress of the United
States, accompanied BY the presence Of
Spectators on the treasury without con-
soience, and men and women lobbyists
without shame or decency2
We cannot comprehend their policy in
this matter, and think it would be far
better In them TO leave the seat of the
United States Government where it now
ls. or at least to let it be removed, if re-
moval is to become fixed fact to some
less fortunate and less respectable
,lace than their beautiful and
hrising sity. IS Q consequence
Of It's rapid growth aud general pros
perity, ST. Louis already has es much
unscrnpulousness, as much corruption,
as much immortality in men aud women,
and other disadvantages which are sp-
parantly inseparable from human life in
great cities, ss It esn fsiEly sfoEd, ald it
really seems like folly on the part Of her
citizens to strive 10 add to her unavoids-
bic porlion Of sHoh andesiFshls elements
those which now make up the Govern
mept Of the United States in it's different
branches, for it will, without any doubt,
tring with it a moral plague. For their
future vsll-peirg eng glory let them put
aside all temptation 10 psfsssers ia tss
effort to get the location OF the Federal
Government at tbst place.
u.I.. h.s inanrnrated nnifnrn nnad-