The Columbian. [volume] (Bloomsburg, Pa.) 1866-1910, 1870-11-11
BIAN AND DEMOCRAT BLOOMsBURG COLUMBIA COUNTY PA
The Radical Ring. &c.


To The Editor Of The Columbian In
continuation of my former article, I
am now TO describe not an imaginary,
but real Ring, made up of Federal
ofiice-holders and their allies in Blooms
burg, with few members outside The
regular Ring organ-the Republican
newspaper-afI;ects great horror of
Rings, but none of the Office e.hunters or
oiiice.holders 1t represents are at all de.
ceived. They smile at the pretense, for
they understand it exactly, and know
it to be only, (what Artemas Ward
would calD ga good goak."
The Ring includes in the first place,
number of Radical office.holders "a
Postmaster, Revenue Assessor, United
States Commissioner, Notary Public,
and besides these, an Editor of the Es-
culapan species. There would be more
of them If there were more offices of
appointment here under Geary and
Grant.
These Radical officials have all been
selected and appointed in the interest
of Mercur, IN. c." and they serve him
zealously. AS dispenser of patronage
(Which is the very breath of life to a
Ring,) he is in their eyes, an admirable
chief, and has all their devotion. The
Ring policy of Bradford county, i'm
ported here, they approve and applaud:
indeed. they think it rery good thing;
because they monopolize and enjoy the
fruits.
Including the Radical editor in this
list is not mistake, for he runs the
Ring newspaper and has run the Radi-
cal County Committee as Chairman.
And, by the way, the post of Radical
Chairman is not to be despised, when
good things are to be looked after. The
Radical party spen Is money freely up
on elections, for it always has plenty,
and has no scruples about using IL. And
the amount it Spenus upon elections
comes back to it an hundred fold in va
rious forms of plunder taken from the
people. The control of party funds at
elections is therefore an interesting
question in Radical circles, as was well
pointed out by Judge MONROE in his
pronunciament against the Ring, made
in the Court House year or two since.
He said some of the election money
was wanted at Catawissa; his side of
the river got none it was all absorbed
here, and kept away from the patriots
of the party outside of the Ring. This
testimony more than hints at the Coun-
ty Craftsmanship as post of profit, es-
pecially at the big elections, when con-
tributions are sent here from abroad
No doubt, as the Judge asserts, the
grist is heavily toled as it passes
through the mill of the Ring, and the
head miller probably gets most of the
toll, and all the leakage besides
But unfortunately, the Radicals of
the Ring are weak with the people and
cannot get elected to office. They are
confined to appointments, and until a
Radical Congressshall make some more.
the supply of these will be insufficient
They are therefore ambitious to play Il
larger part in the game of politics, and
to make strength for their party in the
future. Hence their alliance with the
sore heads the opening of their organ
newspaper to the utterance of sore
head complaints and ISLANDERS, and the
complete concert Of action established
between them and their near allies in
recent elections. In fact, the alliance
here spoken of was so far consolidated
at the late election, that it manifested
itself distinctly in the Congressional
vote at Bloomsbury and at Berwick
and if it did not give to MERcUR the
whole of his little majority in the Dis
trict, certainly contributed the greater
part of it. To discuss this treachery,
and the objects of the combined Ring,
will be the subject matter ofa succeeding
communication. A.