The Cecil Whig., 1874-06-06
THE AIMS HOUSE RING.

Inc DeUOCTet udhCS d ploIcuSo VI uc-
Tending the above Ring, but the defense is
one of those back-handed efforts, more
damaging to friend than foe.
All the charges published by The Wing
and the only attempt at palliation is
diversion against The Wing.
Our knowledge of "rings" has been
confined to that of the Elkton Ring, whose
acts have been sufficiently shameful to
make any one blush for the depravity it has
manifested that human nature is capable of.
If all political rings are as dishonest in
every sense as the Elkton Ring, it is not to
be wondered at that the hot indignation of
the people is every where arrayed against
them. There is nothing too large for that
Ring to covet, or too small for it to steal.
"We presume" says The Democrat,
"that the members of the Aims House
Board may sell supplies to the Board, and
do it honestly" and so said Boss Tweed,
Slippery Dick Connolly & Co., and so said
the District of Columbia Ring, the New
Orleans Ring, and South Carolina Ring; all
these kindred associations said and did the
same thing, which The Democrat used
reams of paper in abusing, and justly so,
for all such business, which has become the
crowning evil of our times should be con-
demned in unmeasured terms. But when
the Ring which it is Identified with, pur-
sues the same path precisely which led to
the most stupendeus frauds in every case
above cited, our neighbor rises and exclaims
in indignant astenishment, does any one
dare suggest that the Aims House Board,
of Cecil county, would sell supplies to
itself and cash its own bills, and not keep
the interest of the tax payers always in
view, and their own individual interests out
of sight. We do not suggest what has
been done or what has not been done by
that Board. We only contend that such
system is the most pernicious and open to
the gravest objections that it is possible to
mako. 1t is precisely the system pursued
by the great Credit Mobilier. They let the
contract of building the Union Pacific rail-
road to themselves, they passed their own
bills (the Hon. Senator Brooks, Demo-
cratic leader in that body, being one of the
inspecting commissioners and drew the
money from the treasury. There is scarcely
a shadow of difference between the two,
except in magnitude. But The Democrat
cannot find language strong enough to con-
demn one, or mild enoughte excuse the
other. Is such course as this the fair one
for an organ professed to be champion Of
the peoples rights, to pursue? Is such a
course likely to better the corrupt tenden-
cies of our politics?
1t is all we'll enough possibly for The
Democrat to make jest of the beef story;
that is the wisest course to pursue under
the circumstances perhaps, and jest of
the paupers by calling them the devils
poor" and crediting The Whig with the
saying. 1t is our impression that we des-
ignated them "poor devils" Since the
beef stories and fish steries have been pub
lished they are clearly entitled to the SYM
pathies justly accorded to poor devils where
ever found. By the time they have packed
and stored those twenty one thousand her.
rings, We read of last week in The Democrat,
to say nothing of former and subsequent
arrivals of the same toothsome provender,
there will be no room for "hot beef" in
the store rooms of the Aims House, and a
prospective row in the hitherto harmonious
Beard among tho victualing members is
possible, when the long fish bills swoop
down on the treasury like flock of guls,
threatening to empty it before the vouch-
ers for "bob" outlets and stag roasts can
be presented.
One more word and then we are done.
GAS to the sanitary condition of the Aims
House," urges The Democrat, "we are
assured by the attending surgeon that
within his knowledge it was never better
than it is at this time"
This special pleading reminds US of an
anecdote of old slavery times. There was
in those good old days so dear to the
Democratic heart, rich slave holder resid-
ing in the northern part of Cecil county,
who had the reputation of providing sour
bread and herring, &C., for his laboring
men, who were all colored, part of them
slaves and part hired. They complained of
their grub, which was an offense not to be
tolerated, and determining to nip this in
surrection in the bud, the master presented
himself in the kitchen, and seizing a chunk
of the condemned bread, appealed sharply
to one of the rebels, thus: "John, isn't
this very good bread ?" John, like our
neighbor, was found equal to the emer-
gency; too conscientious to stultify himself
by endorsing the excellence of the bread,
and not daring to brave the ire of the
already aroused master, his prompt answer
was, 81 wish l may never eat any worse
bread than this" The ready wit of John
is fully matched by The Democrats assur-
ance on the authority of the attending
surgeon, that in his knowledge the sanitary
condition Of the Aims House aoas neper better.
The point of this declaration will appear
when it is understood that "his knowl-
edge" extends only to the present manage
ment of the institution.