The Daily state journal. [volume] (Alexandria, Va.) 1868-1874, 1871-01-14
Owning stats goa1rnal.
SATURDAY EVENING. JAN. IA, 1871.
SPIRIT OF THE MORNING PRESS.

SPIRIT OF THE MORNING PRESS
The Dispatch is quite Sweet" on MI
Porter this morGing. A very remsrkabl
change seems to have come " DER the splrl
of its dream" lie is no longer a 4" knavsl
carpet dagger and adventurer !" but Mr.
Porter, the incorruptible representative
from the Richmond District How th,
times. change, and how we change will
them In speaking of alleged corruption'
in the collection of the internal revenue ir
this city, which Mr.. Porter hes resolved
shall be investigated, our contemporary
compliments that gentleman in the follow
ing language, which is very long stride
in advance of what it was wont TO say
about him but few weeks ago:
Mr.. Porter is the mover of the investigation
In the House of Representatives, and he is
known to be very persevering man. AS far
as we know he has never been directly i'm
plicated in jobs. He has been guilty of hold
ing an Office in Norfolk while representing the
colored people of the Chesterfield district in
the convention and the Richmond district in
Congress. We remember no accusation of
culpability in the corruptions for money-mak-
ing gotten up among officials and party rings.
He processes to make war on rings of that
kind, and of course we should wish him
cess. If he is sincere, it is gratifying to know
that he is a man of great energy and persist
ence in his objects, and that there is some
chance for his doing some good in the right
line by way of compensation to some degree for
the evil he has inflicted by excessive zeal in
the wrong direction.
We hail this change in the tone and
temper of the Democratic press as good
sign. In future, when Mr.. Porter visits
Richmond, he will not be in danger of
life or limb, for the Dispatch has thrown
its protecting shield over HINT has
acknowledged his power and Influence
and now the whole Conservative party
will fall down and worship him. We
thought it would be so. Mr.. Porter will
be in Congress until the fourth of March,
1878, and in these two years what further
changes, favorable to him, may not take
place in the public mind? He is, we
honestly believe, not only the coming man
for Richmond, but for Virginia. Success,
as the Dispatch says, has crowned all his
undertakings thus far,--and who so silly
as to oppose successful men,-at least
so long as fortune smiles upon him.
We are glad to learn that the internal
revenue affairs of this city are to be rgidly
investigated, and if corruption be found in
any branch of the service, let there be no
attempt made to shield the guilty from
just punishment We must have honesty |
in the administration of every department |
of the government. That is what the |
President desires, and works for, and we
shall always be found aiding him in the
good work We do not believe, however,
that the country has a more honest,
worthy, or conscientious set of officers in
Its employ than the gentlemen who now
have charge of the interests of the govern
ment at Richmond. There was a time
when an investigation of this kind might
have disclosed most depraved and cor
rupt condition of things in this city among
Federal appontees and their auxiiaries;
but honesty Is now considered the
best policy by all government employees
in this part of the world. But by all
means let us have the inspection" pro-
posed by Mr.. Porter. We will, however,
tell the Dispatch, and other Democratic
papers, which are seeking through this
means to breed discord and stir up dissen-
sions in the Republican party, that their
labor will be in vain. The Republican
party of Virginia is hot to be defeated in
that way. We may have our family
squabbles; but we don't intend to play
into the hands of the Democracy, nor allow
that party to carry off the spoils while we
are quarreing over their distribution.
In speaking of the rumored change in
the office of Supervisor of Internal Revenue,
the Dispatch says
We have it from reliable authority that
there has been no application made at the
Federal Treasury Department for the removal
of Supervisor Presbrey, of this district, an
nouncements to the contrary notwithstanding.
The Republican Central Executive Committee,
and most of the party committees ofthe Con-
gressonal districts, have recommended Col.
K. w. Hughes for the office but the subject
has not yet been brought before the depart
ment, as we are informed. We further learn
that Col. Hughes had no desire to obtain this
office, and only yielded to the solicitation of
the committees and the legislative Republican
caucus in consenting to take it if the appoint
ment were conferred upon him.
The Dispatch has very sensible article
urging the small farm system as the only
means Of relief for farmers from their
present distressful embarrassments, and
we regret that we lack the space to review
it at length. 1t contains some most excel
lent suggestions.
Under the heading of zone line, one
company, one management" the Whig has
a lengthy leader, which is a sort-of song
of triumph over the final contamination
of the Southside consolidation plans. We
can only give the opening paragraph,
which is very good index to the contents
of the whole article:
Now that the fond object Of their desire. for
which they commended through years of pa
tient toll, has been accomplished, let US do
honor to the men who originated the project
of railroad from Norfolk through all the
breadth of Southside Virginia to Louisville
and to Memphis on the natural line for the
continental trade.
The object of the article is to demon
strate that the Legislature, in passing the
law to consolidate the Norfolk and
Southside railroads with the Virginia and
Tennessee, was to constitute an uninter-
rupted and unbroken line to Norfolk, and
not to create independent roads. In a
word, that it was not intended that the
Virginia and Tennessee road should be cut
off at Lynchburg, there to be trunk line
for the equal benefit Of Baltimore and the