The evening telegraph. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1864-1918, 1871-06-21
SPIRIT OF THE PRESS.
EDITORIAL OPINIONS OF THE LEADING JOURNALS
UPON, CURRENT ToPIos-ooMPrLED EVERY
DAY FOR THE EVENING TELEGRAPH.
A FLOCK OF BUZzARDS.

From the N. Y. Tribune.
Mr.. Paul Pry never formed a resolution
more filed with practical good sense and
knowledge of the world than that by which
he bound himself never to do another good
natured action as long as he lived. The bale
full effects of an act of kindness will follow
q man further than the curse of injured in
nocence. person you have once befriended
thinks he has in that way established a claim
like that of the old Roman client upon his
patron, with no resultant obligations. How
often we saw men in the army who had been
raised by dint of persistent worrying from
private to brigadier turn against the ad-
ministration with deep resentment be-
cause the double stars were withheld.
Every public man is surrounded by
cohort Of shameless beggars whose demands
continually increase with their qualification,
whose greed grows by every extorted conces-
sion. The most precious hours of public
men are monopolized and wasted by these
pests, and so exasperating is the infiction
that conscientious members are driven into
such frantic attempts at escape as we saw in
MIR. Trumbull's bill, which proposed to make
it q penal offense for a Congressman to ask
an Office for any one. Washington long since
became place where, as Tennyson said of
the world, leach man walks with his head in
a cloud of poisonous flies"
If these nuisances restricted themselves to
not so long that one would wish to have half
the year turned into purgatory even for two
or three Congresses. But still it might be
endured just as fashionable people, with no
ear, go to the opera, and Colonel Fisk, Jr.,
goes to his prayers-not because they enjoy
it. but because it is due to Miss McFlimsey's
position and Mr.. Flsk's uniform. SO a Con-
gressman might make up his mind to accept
the ofice-seekers as a set-off to the glories of
law.makinp Rut thesa oormorantS
when they dare, follow their
victims over valley and mountain
to the innermost retirement of their homes.
There is no defense against them, except bru-
tality, and that is not within the resources of
your average politician. If the unfortunate
patron falls under his annoyances, they watch
him with the eye of O bird of prey. His health
is canvassed with the anxiety of love or hate
They study his symptoms with the eagerness
of an undertaken, and if his condition becomes
serious they redouble their opportunities
They would feel themselves bitterly defrauded
if he slipped away to heaven and left them
unprovided for.
With all that we know of the habits of this
species of creature, it did not seem credible
that they should already have been besieging
the bedside of the Vice-President. His frank
and touching letter, published in the Tribune
left no doubt as to the real cause of his re-
cent severe attack. He was used up, utterly
worn out by the obesson of this horde of
ravenous cormorants. He was struck down as
rude but kindly warning of nature that he
could not longer abuse his powers with i'm
punity. AS soon as he could travel, he went
home to seek an opportunityfor convalescence
in the society of his family. The merest rudi-
ments, not of good breeding, but of common
humanity, demanded that his retreat should
be respected. His weakness should have rem
dered him sacred, if his former kindness had
kindled no spark of gratitude in his torment
ors. But the South Bend Register is COM
PEELED to say:-"Although the fact as to his
illness has been 80 widely published, it has
not materially diminished the applications
that pour in on him constantly, as in the
past-made personally, too, as we'll as in
writing-application for offices, dona-
tions, for letters of Endorsement, recon-
mendation or introduction, to attend to De-
partment business, to answer inquiries of all
kinds. Persons have come hither from
Chicago and other points during the past
week with such unreasonable solicitations
What can be done with men SO utterly lost
to all sense of decency? We think Mr.. Col.
fax owes it to the public service to furnish to
the respective departments list of the per.
SONS who attack him for offices in South
Bend. man capable of the meanness OF
filching from the Vice-President even one
moment of his hours of convalescence, one
particle of his slowly accumulating strength
to use it for his own selfish purposes, is not 6
person to trust in any position of response
bility or confidence.