New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1872-02-19
LIGHTLY WHITEWIsHED.


self on his easy getting-off from the invcsti-
eating Committee Of the Senate. The body
of which he was Clerk made slow progress
with the charges against him, neither APPROX
ing nor investigating them, until public
opinion forced an examination into the dis
graceful affair over which there was so much
hesitation. The general induration of
the Senatorial conscience was illustrated
by the willingness 20 hush up the thing.
Forced, at last. b. what Mr. TerwilliGer sar-
donically calls ian excessive scnsitiveness OF
public opinion" to inquire ia'o the grave
and specific charges against their Clerk, the
Senate have finally received report in his
case. We may consider even this report,
mildly temporizins as it Is, concession to
the outraged sense of public virtue. The
RESIGNATION of Tcrwiliger, before it was handed
into the Senate, was considered by some Sen
ators as ample combination OF all the pecca-
dil.ocs Of which he had been convicted, and
they were anxious that the report should be
Suppressed, and that the Clerk, who is rech-
oned ga good fellow" should be left to ill
out the remainder of his term under the thin
euphemism of temporary clerkship. But
even the reluctant resignation of the convicted
verdict which common Gcccncy has cXactcd of
the Committee which sat on his case. The
able gentlemen who have investigated the
facts brought to bear on the special connection
of MIR. Torwilliger with the public printing
have the courage TO say that his Conduct is
"perniciousw This is certainly very thin
coat of whitewash; but it might have been
heavier.
John Thomas, writing in The Times, says
that Lect's conduct was improper and indcl
"icate,n which was strong language for John
but the Investigating Senators have not the
heart to say that Tcrwilliger's dOings were
ANYTHING worse than "perncious." Let us
see what these mildly criticised proceedings
were Terwiligcr's Offcnse consisted in levy
ing, or, at least, receiving, twenty per cent on
the public printing which passed through his
hands. He confcsscs the whole case, but
pleads that he only followed precedent The
easy-going committee admit tho plea,
and, while cOndemniEg the practice of
receiving percentage, they think it
really very hard case that Mr.. Terwilli-
ger should be made the victim of time
honored precedent How long ago was the
precedent established will ask some curious
person. Well, Mr.. Parsons, who was partceps
crin,inis with Terwiliger, thinks that this per-
centage business has been established since
these ten years past. And Mr. TerHillger was
Senate Clerk for the ten consecutive years
ending with 1870 so the evil practice of taking
brides of the public printer was established by
Mr.. Terwlliger himself; and this unhappy
young man has been the victim of his own
devices Unfortunate Terwilliger of 1872,
made the scapegoat of Terwilligcr Of
1860! And, lest there should be some con-
fusion about this, Mr.. s. p. Allen, the pre-
decessor in Office of Mr. Terwilliger swears
that up to the end of his (Allen's) term no
gratuity, percentage, or commission was re-
ceived by the Clerk of the Senate from tho
public printer, or anybody else. The misfor-
tunes of Mr.. Terwilliger are all his own.
Much capital will of course be attempted to
be made from the failure to prove that the
Clerk "raised" the bills of Weed, Parsons g.
Co. after they were made out. II is adlDitte$.