Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1868-1875, 1873-07-11
APATRIOTEC LETTER.

Col. Frederick A. CoDkiing, of New
York, long distinguished representative OF
the Republican party in Congress and else
where brother Of Senator Conkling, Of
New York, but very diferen! man-n9w
takes this view of public affairs, in letter
dated July 2:
"Absence from tbs country during the
last year precluded my taking part In the
Presidential canvass. But my sympathies
were unreservedly with the men who
sought to restore fraternsl harmony be-
tween tna two sections Of our common
country, and to arrest the tide Of couup-
ton which is enguldng the land.
"Unhappily we have reached crisis in
our pub lie affairs where any reference to
purify of Official administration is treated
by those in power with ribaldry and con-
tempt Public crimes Of the highest iufamy
have almost ceased to call forth censure, or
even to excite attention. Within twelve
month, we have witnessed the disclo-
sure of gigantic fraud by which the
people have been swindled out of
an immense domain ard an immense sum
of mopey. The leaders Of the dominant
party in Congress having been detected
in doing the work Of private corporation
So its bribed instruments, have not
scrupled TO cover themselves viii perjury
SIS with a garment; yet their returns
10 their homes was deemed fit occasion
for according TO more than one OF
them the honCrs Of a civic triumph. WsiV-
ing the appropriation of back pay by the
last Congress as 4 comparative tribe, and
tie frauds Of the Republican Whisky Ring
by which the public treasury has been
robbed of more than S50O,OOO,OOo, l be-
eve | baz ard nothing IL affirming
that of all the vast land grants to rail
roads and other monopOlies which have
been made by Congress during the last
twelve years, scarcely one can be named in
which members Of both the Senate and
House Of Representatives were not in some
way sharers of the proceeds. All this ven
ality hardly eXcites . remark, yet the very
foundations Of our government and Oh so
siety are honeyCombed ana undermined by
these enormities.
"But few months ago we witnessed thu
diseraeeful spectacle Of the ofticeholde-s AM
representatives of the national administTa
ton lobbying at Albany for the enact
ment of a charter for our devoted
CITY. concocted by them selves to defraut
the people Of the benefits expected
from the reform movement, and to con
centrale the functions of the municipa
Government in their own hands.
II is easy to impute this calamitous state @
affairs 10 tho Republican party on tn
ground that the President, Congressiona
and majority Of the State elections sine
1860 have been carried By that organ
cation. Nor would l extenuste its o.
fences. | ask for it ony what Cando
shoUld COncede. II came into exist
ance protesting against wrongs which ba
aroused the moral sense of a great porto
of oar citizens. The man who shape
its platforms and led in its Counseis q
ways acknowledged the Obligations {
public and official honesty and impa}
tial justice. In those days men LIZ
Salmon P. Chase and Charles S',-Lon 7,
man ' r-C.I.SuiI and Carl Schurz wei
the bonored representatives and counse
lors of the party. If such men are III
now the opponents OF its doctrines an
policy, what is the reason? Have the
changed and iOrsWOrn their first love
Let the question be answered by q s:mpl
reference to the successors Of these mel
Simon Cameron and jim Nye, ZsC
Chandler and s. q. FOmerOy,
asy nothing CT Caldwell, Clayton, the tN
Pattersons, and others too numerous
mention. | must, IN Difference to Il
truth Of history, declare that the polite
alliance led by these men Is nc longer Il
Republican party, but league Of the wor
elements OF society, operating for person
ends, and stealing any name and live,
which msy enable them 10 obtain an a
vantage"