The Portland daily press., 1871-08-14
Taking Their Revenge.


Tammany is making reprisals. Outraged
by the conduct of The Republican press in
making disclosures in regard TO the unparallel-
ed enormities committed by the New York
ring, the friends of that organization are look
ing about for some means of divertirg public
attention. Naturally they fall upon Secreta-
ry Boutwell,. Their process of reasoning is
very simple: IF we, who have the control of
tens of millions, steal our hundreds otlthous-
ands OF course Mr.. Boutwell,, who controls hun
dreds OF Millions steals his Millions" Or, in
other words, "as the revenues of New York
are to those OF the nation, so are our steal
1ngs to those of the Secretary of rrearury.'
We have already shown that there is not the
slightest foundation for the absurd story
about the deficit in Mr.. Boutwell's accounts
as Commissioner of Internal Revenue. There
never was really any thing TO found this ru-
NOR ont was transparent humoug to be
gin with. The most crcdulous even could
not be imposed upon by it, any more than
they could by "yarn" just printed by a
Treasury detective whom Boutwell, had snub
bed. ..t
Now it will be necessary for the Democracy
before they can divert attention from the &C.
knowedged frauds of Tammany, to invert
more plausible tales than these. The stories
concerning Boutwell,, like those told in the
Decameron, Canterbury Tales and Mr.. Nor
riss Earthly Paradise, are very good stories
indeed, but they impose on nobodys creduli-
ty, it being understood that they are invent
ious, like the statistics of the late Mr.Delmar
and some of those of Mr.. Wells. For fear
they should not have sufficient fertility OF in
venton for the emergency, we beg leave to
offer few suggestions. Something mast be
done to make people stop dwelling on these
Tammany frauds; and if fables like the fol-
lowing can but effect the desired purpose, no
objection should be offered on the score of
their extravaganza:
Suppose it should be limited that Gen. Grant
and Butler are really partners in the spoon
business, the former being silent member of
the concern, merely taking his dividend when
the active member has made good haul?
Let the story be quietly circulated that the
polygamous Bowen paid the President for his
pardon ten thousand dollars in gold-the
emphatic words having mysterious power
OF greatly expanding and giving almost a sa-
cred character to magnificent total. To say
that Tweedes got $4,000 for his horse is not to
say much; but to say that he was even offer
ed that sum IN gold is dramatic, and the i'm
mense abyss between the two statements is
not to any extent measured by The premium
on the specie. Therefore, let it Be carefully
stated that Grant got his pay in gold.
And it wouldn't be altogether useless to
throw out suggestion that Grant, Boutwell,
and Butler (let not the last be forgotten. if the
full effect OF this statement is to be realized)
are interested in all the leading couuterfeitine
enterprises in the country, sharing in the
gains by reason of the impunito they can Of
fer as a Consideration to those who engage
actively in the work.
To give PLEASE ant diversity to the recital
declare that old Gen. Spinner, who for years
slept at the Treasury with the head of his bed
pushed hard up to the door of the government
vault, was sent off to Europe for the purpose
OF giving Mrs. Grant free access to the public
iuhuo' Sldle clrcuulSldnClally ner manner OF
going stealthiy by night to the Treasury, fill
ing her apron full of gold, gliding back to the
White House and hiding the treasure under
Ulysses bed. Meanwhile the husband has
been mad with terror lest she should be dis
covered, and on her return she encourages
him like another Lady Macbeth. -
Let Attofney-General Alderman be repre-
sented as receiving brides of thousand dol
lars (and to show the low, mean-spirited and
contemplate nature of the man, let this sum
be sin currency'') for letting off rich SNUG
glers without prosecution.
Finally, to give the administration finish
ing blow, and at the same time cause the
Tammany robberes to be forgotten, represent
that on his last trip from Long Branch to
Washington the President stole a ride on the
cow-catcher of the engine for the sake of saw
ing his fare, and to aggravate the offense COM
PEELED trembling old father-n-law Dent to
TO take seat by his side; and to further il
lustrate the same trait, say that when. Daniel
Pratt, the Great American Traveller and sole |
inventor of the "hlgh-pressure whang-doode," |
visited Washington the present season Grant
seized the old man by the throat and grimly
demanded sixpense for warming himself in
the White House kitchen!