The Louisiana Democrat. [volume] (Alexandria, La.) 1845-1918, 1874-07-15
CreSWell.


Mr.. Creswell retired from the Cabi-
net almost a week ago. Astounding
as the fact must have appeared to his
old acquaintances, the correspondence
shows thar the step was voluntary, and
altogether he makes civil bow and a
decent exit. Chorpenning had moth
ing to do with it of course, and he is
not to renew his partnership with
Earle. What is it, then? The mystic
ry must be unravelled. Too many are
wondering over it to let it pass with
ont solution. When Creswell leaves
an office with no visible boot in the
rear, his motive is worth knowing.
And It is not far to find.
Creswell is rat, with an abnormal
Development of that rodents ! rover
bal instinct. He loves sound ship,
we'll rcovisioned, and when he has
fnnnd one to his mind in these essen
tial particulars, he creeps aboard with
a tread SO stealthy that she is frequent
ly aAoat long time without notice of
the sleek passenger in the hold. But
with the least gurgle of water, the
slightest creak Of the tifnbeis, this
wise creature spspends his feast, and
upon the first opportunity deserts.
Since his entrance into politics Mr..
CresweIl has been on both sides of ev-
cry important Issue, and whenever
there was third side he managed to
take that also in his way around. He
was a Wing until 1852, when Pierce
swept the country. He was at Cincin-
natl for Buchanan, and Maryland being
strong Democratic State, lie actually
continued for the whole space OF four
years an ardent pro slavery man, wind
ing up his service in that capacity by
a vote for Breckenridge. There in
1861 he was a Chairman of q commit
tee which reported a series of ultra
secession resolutions to public meet
ing at Elkton, and he became captain
of a militia company which he never
led into action, simply because he con-
s;dered it expedient to join the. enemy
before the action began. He opposed
and denounced Winter Davis with in
decent acrimony, and spent the rest
of his days in urging an importunate
claim for credit as the friend and coad-
jutor of Davis. He slipped into Con-
gress by fraud, force and personal
treachery, over political associate for
whom he had implored the people to
vote at that very election. He stigma
tized negro suffrage as the crime of the
age, and supported it in sycophantic
and disgusting speech, protesting that
from bis earliest youth lie had enter
tanned no higher ambition than to get
"a chance" of voting "alongside of the
negro" He was war and anti-war,
Davis and anti-Davis, emancipation
and auti-emancipation, negro suffrage
and anti-negro suffrage, negro equali-
ty and anti-negro equality anything in
short that promised reasonable returns.
1t is very remarkable, and crcditable
to the instinct by which lie is guided,
that in all this long and checkered ca
reer he has never made a mistake, and
never left rising party to join fall
ing one. His numerous. passages be.
tween them were never i'll timed, and
always bountifully rewarded. Pos.
sessed of none but the most ordinary
abilities, a politician of very low
grade, known to be constitutional
renegade, and thoroughly unscrupn.
lous, he has managed to plumber every
camp in turn, and comforted himself
with the spoil. Never in at the battle
he was invariably high at the feast
and when the table was cleared he took
himself off to another.
The Grant ship is sinking. pCreswell
thinks it is time to get "a character
from the master and leave. He has nc
taste for wrecks and no stomach 70,
storms. The old thing is doomed, and
Creswell would not be Cresswell if he
failed to slip over Che side in time
I'm. Y. Sun.