Spirit of Jefferson. [volume] (Charles Town, Va. [W. Va.]) 1844-1948, 1871-02-07
gairit nllf Jefferson. n
-oharlest0Wn, Va, February 2, 1871.
WASHINGTON CORRESPONDENCE.
.ffeih tIf wAsnrNdrox. D. G.. !
-r--. .-r .-. q Feb. lst. 1871

, SSoNAoA "hS0n - uOS SlaS HlsGstS
nor perhaps the meanest Of his party. He is
fair type of the class, not infrequent in his
latitude, who are ever ready TO thank heaven
for their superiority to other men "a class
whO debaueh their religion with politics with
out purifying their politics with religion. As
is usual with such persons, he assumes to be \
teacher Of his fellow men, aud not willing to
hide hislight under the senatorial busheI, or to
waste his wisdom the desert air Of woman's
suffrage conventions, he writes gOOdish articles
for the LadePendeHt aud political essays for
the AtIdMt;c MOHthly. For one of the latter,
devoted to the glorifcatiOn Of the late Secre-
tary Stanton, in which with his usual COM
Placeucy he tradueed both the living and the
dead, he is just now Writhing in helpless and
deserved agony upOn the dreadful lance of
Judge Jeremiah Black. But Mr.. Wilson as
an active party leader, just reelected for the
fourth term to the United States Senate, is
very good authority as to the designs and
policy Of his party-so far a. il is possible 70
attribute TO the party any designs beyond the
retention Of pOWer-and these he sums mp in
his latest essay in two words, Education and
UnifcatiOu. CheerfuIly acquittipg the entire
party, and none more readily than Mr. Wilson
himself, Of all design or ability to educate us,
it cannot be denied that their efforts at uni.
ticatiUn' have been we'll directed and dis
astrously successful. To soy nothing of the
fatal blows at the independence and dignity
of the states in the successive amendments to
Nhn At
ference in State elections and the right con-
stantly asserted and exercised hy Congress, Of
controlling the legislative and investigating
the political affairs of the several states, show
the extreme to which this dangerous policy
has been carried. And we may expect more
frequent and more daring interference as the
exigeucies of the coming Presidential CAM
Paign shall require. Already every thing is
taking shape with reference to that campaign,
aud it is interesting 10 observe the measures
now before Congress, designed to maintain tie
ascendancy of the party 10 power, aud to pre-.
serve its hold upon the people.
The FIRST in which the President and his
Immediate RdhereDts are movers, is 10 raise
tie old aud vulgar cry Of outrages in the South,
the expedient hitherto so successful iu
rOUSing sectional hate, and which may now
serve the double purpose Of indamiug tho
passions Of the North and of excusing new
tampering with the, governments Ol the
Southern States. That, the, cry of outrage
should cOtne up loud and deep from the hories,
let loose to prey upon the helpless, South as
they are gradually driven from the spoils, Is
natural enough, but that il, should be ierccly
echoed in both horses OF Congress and com.
miItee set to the task OF Investigation, betrays
the desperate straiIs of the Radicals and their
determination TO hold to power at all hazards.
What can be easier on the strength of such
Pretexts, which can always be coDtrived, than
for the President to send troops to a doubtful
State, and cOptrul its election, or for Congress
10 unseat its representatives, remand il to a
territorial status aud refuse its electoral vote.
a second exPedient, advocated by Senator
Trumbull and the more honorable men of the
party, is reform of the civil service This
proposes to take from members of Congress
the powers so shamefully prostituted, of dis
Pensing the government patronage. There
are in the gift ofthe President over fFty thou.
sand Offices, but every republican member of
Congress claims and dispenscs the patronage
of his particular district besides clamoring for
share of the other Offices of the Government,
In this way not only are the departments here,
but the Civil Service throughout the country
saddlsd with officials unnecessary, iucompe.
tent aud corrupt, kept in position by the
faVOritism or the necessities of fparticular Sen.
ators, aud particular representatives. Any
Cabinet officer who attempts a reform is con-
frOnted by such an opposition - forces him
from his PositiOn-as has recently occurred in
the case OF Gen. Cox, Secretary Of the Inte-
riOr. The daily squabbIipg for spOils by op,
posing delegations 10 the very presence of the
President, the revelations made by the disap,
pointed and the disgusted, aud the very
thorough exposure of the eorruptions of the
whole system made by Gen. Cox in the last
number of tho North AReriedR Rerielc have
directed attention to this abuse and induced
such men as Judge TTumbuIl, honestly but
hoPelessiy, to strike at the root Of the evil -
This is the more Necessary from the character
and composition Of the present CoEgress.-
Any legislative assembly in which such men
as Cameron, Chandler aud Butler were ac-
cepted leaders, wOlud be presumably corrupt,
but when We remember that there are now in
Congress many more of like character, and be.
sides these, three negroes, perhaps fifty carpet
baggers, many of whom sink to Ubscurity with
the end OF the present term and further, that
this very week two members of Congress are
on trial in the Criminal Court Of this City
the one on an indictment for bigamy, the other
for forgery. We may ven conclude that the
worst suspieions Of the country are hss than
thu trnth Rnk e III nh....s.. &C I,.------