The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1874-09-12
CoI. BEN Ril,on on the stump.

A------
morning, must have noticed his remark
about thieves In the Democratic and Re
publican parties. The Colonel intimated
that the Democracy punished their thieves
whilst the Republicans promoted theirs
AS an instance in point he referred tc
"Boss" TWEED in New York and "BoSs'
SHEPHERD, in Washington City, the for
mer Of whom had been sent to peniten-
tIary and the latter Of whom had beer
named by President GRANT as one oI
the Commissioners for the District
Of Columbia. We consider this very
unfortunate reference for tho Colonel
and II the texture Of his speeches
generally is as llmsy as this reference
they hang together by,very brittle threads
indeed. 1.-THE Colonel was posted in re-
gard to tho history oI Boss TwERD's de-
lection and conviction, he would have
been ohary about referring to 1t. He
would know that 1t was the New York
Times, Republican paper, that exposed
TwRED's thelLs and that occupied whole
columns Of it's space, day alter day and
week alter week, in showing up his Stu.
pendous vilIainies. twas not the Demo.
cratic organ in New York that either
brought about or materially assisted In
the expose. And so far from being true
IS 1t that the Democratic party procured
TwEkD's punishment, the facts arc that
the party, Immediately following the
expose, took him up and elected
him to the New York Legislature
TWEED was afraid to take his seat in
the Legislature after his election, and II
weremember correctly never once put in
an appearance.
In regard to his punishment, we beg
to remind the Colonel that it was Re.
publican Prosecuting Attorney (PHRLPs)
and Republican Judge moan DAvlO
who convicted and punished TWEED. 1t
took an attorney and q Judge Of superior
ealibre. mental and moral, to cope with
the powerful influences that the "Boss"
had put in operation to defeat the law.
But the officials named were equal to the
trying demands upon them.
In regard 10 "Boss" SuEruERD, we re-
gret to say II is true that Gen. GRANT,
a Republican President, did send in his
name to the United States Senate as one
Of the Commissioners for the District OF
Columbia, but we also remind Col. BEN
that a Republican Senate rebuked the
nomination and refused to confirm it. We
remind him also that Gen. GRANT caught
what he deserved for that nomination, a
severe rebuke not only from the Senate
but likewise from the Republican press OF
the country. He was made 10 realize
that although President he was not the
Republican party, and that, as in the San
Domingo business, he could not carry the
party with him. ~---
II we had time in this connection we
might enlarge little upon another feature
ol Col. BEN's speech at New Martinsville.
We refer to his jeremiad over the condi-
tion OF the country. One can almost see
the tears roll down the Coloners Granger
checks as he speaks Of thepresent unhap.
py condition Of the people. 1t takes a
lawyer TO make client realize how badly
he has been wronged. And it takes a
lawyer transformed into q candidate for
Office to awaken proper sense Of oppres.
sion in the breasts oI the people. Some
people never know how unhappy they
ought to have been for years past until
they fall into the hands Of candidate tor
Congress. Col, Ben. Wilson Is now
performing the Christian duty of
making the people feel bad. he
is informing them as to how much
they are suffering from Radical rule
in the country. He doesn't, how.
ever, deal much in actual figures, 80 far
as we have seen. Like Prof. TYNDAI, he
is aware that facts are one thing and the
emotions another He does not there
fore compare "good old Democratic
times" with present times by the light Of
statistics. For instance, he doesn't refer
to the fact that the real and personal
wealth OF this country, Notwithstanding a
four years' Democratic rebellion, nearly
doubled from 1860 TO 1870; that the man,
uiacturing establishments increased from
14O 438 to 252, ,14S in the same time; that
the number OF people employed increased
from 1,8ll,24O to 2,O5S996; that the
amount Of wages paid increased from
$S7S, ,S7s,06G to $775,5S4, ,S4S, and the val
ue of products from $l,sS5,s6l, $40 to
$4.23l ,395,44s.
In addition TO these useful and interest.
ing figures, the Colonel, II he had time,
might go back and gather Up come
statistics relating to the price of flour,
meat, calico, &c, In good old Democratic
times, and compare them with the
prices now paid, and also with
wages then and now paid. With
out going into details we may aSk
him TO explain how 1t comes that the
average price Of a barrel OF flour on the
first day Of January each year from 1870
up to 1874 was only IS 90, while in good
old Democratic times" say from 1855
to 1859. 1t was $73s. And yet
wages from 1870 up to 1874 we're