Washington standard. [volume] (Olympia, Wash. Territory) 1860-1921, 1873-03-29
RAISING AN IRRELEVANT ISSUE.

from the true issue, by contriving to
get themselves abused by the newspa-
pers for having puchased stock in o
company for or against whose interests
they might be called upon to legislate,
which gave them an opportunity to
show, as they easily could, that it would
be absurd and unjust to place legisla-
tor under any such restrictions; and
while the fight on that irrelevant issue
went on, in which they, of course, got
the best Of it, the public forgot the es-
sence of their crime, which was not the
buying of stock in a legitimate company,
but the being connected with a compa-
ny conceived in sin, born in inquity and
conducted for fraudulent purposes. Not
one of these men was the unsuspecting
innocent he would have the public be-
lieve. They all knew, without being
told, that an honestly conducted COM
pany, organized for honest purposes,
would not have let them had stock far
below the market rate, and handed
them over, shortly after, immense divi-
dends-in some cases, actually before
the stock was paid for.
We would not be understood, on any
consideration, to be attacking these
men because they are Republicans.
No one who has watched the evidence
in the Investigations can have failed to
see that Brooks is as deep in the mud
as the others are in the mire, and that
he deserved to be punished just as much
as they did. Certainly it is not our
fault that, with single exception,
these fellows are all Administration
men, and that many of them have been
reelected to Congress by their beef
headed constituents. That's what's the
matter-the reelection of so many of
them. If we could look forward to
being able to say to them on tomorrow,
giving each of them parting kick as a
reminder, EGO; your term of Office
has expired, and thank Heaven the
country will no longer be cursed by
your malign influence" it might not be
worth while to devote so much time and
space to their misdeeds. But, unfortu-
nately, the contrary is the case; for is
not Garfield, the ci-dera,a, Reverend"
Garfield, if we mistake not-the Gar
field who wept bitter tears when his
connc ction with the huge swindle was
first discovered-no tears of repent
ance at his misieeds, but of fear for the
consequences of their discovery-is not
this Garfield, who abjectly and piteous-
ly begged AmeS to "let up on him"
pleading with desperate eloquence his
poverty, the strong temptation, his ex-
treme youth and inexperience-is not
this Garfeld-he Garfield now Chair
man of the House Committee, which
decides how and to what extent the
peoples money shall be expended-is
not this Garfield, we ask, a member
elect of the Forty-third Congress, and
likely, by the grace of Blaine, which
passeth all understanding, to he con-
tinued two years more in the important
chairmanship he now holds?
Is not the insincere, and fourth. rate
man, and mouthing demaSosue Dawes,
whom Massachusetts has already in
ficted upon the country for sixteen
years, and who, also, by the grace of
Blaine, is now Chairman of the Com
mittee of Ways and Means-is he not
also saddled upon us for two years
more.
Has not that perfection of mediocrity,
Kelley, of Pennsylvania, also by the
grace aforesaid, Chairman of the Com
mittee on the reorganization of the Civil
Service-has not he also been re-elect-
ed by the pig-iron men of Pennsylvania
their attorney on the floor of the
House?
Has not Hooper, of Massachusetts,,
another of Blaine's chairman of coin
mittee, and Blaine, himself, both mixed
up in this Credit Mobilier business, and
both intimates of the Massachusetts
philanthopist, Ames-have not both of
these been reelected to legislate for us
Is not that professor of all the Chris
tian virtues, the eminently pious and
temperate Henry Wilson, our Vice.
President and possible President, one
of the most favored proteges of the
bountiful Ames? Are there not doz-
en- other sweet-scented patriots of the
Credit Mobilier persuasion, in both
Houses, most of them connected with
leading committees, whose lease of
power extends during another session.
Hence proceed these tears.
The carpet-baggers in Congress
stand each three inches higher in his
stocking feet since this expose. They
had been regarded and treated as no
account men, and snubbed officially and
socially, especially by the New England
Republicans. But mutatis mutundis.
The most obscure carpetbagger now
mods patronizingly at Dawes, curls his
lip at Garfield, and looks disdainfully
at Kelley.-S. f. Examiner.
s< It is the opinion of the Cincin-
natl Gazette that the Senate Committee
swallowed q camel and strained at a
| c.nak when IL recnnamandad tho exnul