New-York tribune., 1874-05-29

"ipsnuendOeS" concerning statesmen or prOml-
nence and promise. There were references
then to shoe-latchets on the part of the
friends Of the much maligned, and the difficulty
of finding suitable persons to unloose them
was dwelt upon at much length and with great
earnestness. A few months later calm and
cOmplacent procession of leading statesmen
walked down the Capitol steps at Washington
and went away with their little accumulations
of stationery. They went away like the
tender grace of day that is dead and never
came back. They were mostly persons who
wore the extraordinary shOe-latchets. They
shook the dust from their feet as they departed,
and il is understood they are now engaged IN
an Intellectual search in various parts OF the
country for worthy persons to unloose their
latchets. There was New Hampshire Senator
among them who-his successor having been
appointed-said with emphasis that he would
not remain in public life because it was so
difficult to find anybody to unlOOse his shoe
latchets. There was the Senator from Kansas,
the excellent man so widely known as "Sub-
&" sidy Pom - he also was pursued by barking
mack. which, after a careful examination, he
decided contained no one worthy to unlOOse
his latchets
Then there was Mr.. Harlan of Iowa. good
man, who began political life in the pulpit,
slid by easy stages into the Cabinet, flowed
over into the Senate, promoted himself to
position on newspaper, and when last heard
from was discOuntng tax bills in payment for
advertising, and pursuing with the flaming
sword of his Indignation venal and SANDER
Ous press. He looked in vain among the pack
who were complimenting the thrift with which
he discharged the functions of Secretary, and
the devotion with which he applied MIR. Du-
rants checks to the Iowa Legislature, for
anybody who could by any stretch OF
charity be judged worthy to unloose
either his latchets or Mr.. POmeroy's. 1t is
fresh in the memory of everybody how not
long since that intimate friend of the Admin
istration, Mr. Butler of Massachusetts, dis
posed of the forty -jackass mud-thrOwing
power. Just as swarthy MarmiOn shook his
gauntlet at the Douglass towers after remark
ing to that nobleman IN the briefest possible
terms that he lied the Butler, sweeping the
reporters gallery with his eagle glance, shook
in that direction not perhaps his gauntlet,
but his shoe -latchcts, in defiance. Subse-
auently he waved the shOe-latchets of the
"poor boy" Simmons in the face of Mr.. John
NJ. Forbes and respectable Massachusetts with
the most striking success. SO that 1t Is now
understood that both Mr.. Butler and Mr. Sim
mons sleep in their shoes for the most part,
on account of the difficulty of finding proper
people to unlOOse the latchets.
The latest flOurisher of shoe-latchets is Mr..
Assistant Secretary Sawyer That gentleman
having been connected with the SanbOrn con-
tracts by series of accidents, beginning with
an unusual interest manifested in the passage
of the laws authorizing them while he was in
the Senate, continuing through his signing the
contracts, and ending with his certifying that
SanbOrn was entitled to fifty per cent OF taxes
which he had no hand in collecting, ozark
ling pack among whom may now be in
cluded the Committee of Ways and Means
and a majority of the House of Representa-
tives-indulged in insinuendOes' affecting his
ability and not entirely free from reflections
upon his integrity. Mr.. Sawyer has been to
the front three times by way of explanation.
On his last appearance he took occasion to
refer in terms of appreciation not only to his
own but to the hOelatchets of the entire
Administration, and to express his deliberate
conviction that if they or any of them should
be obliged to wait for somebody to be found
in the barking pack worthy to unOOse their
latchets, they would all die as they do some
times in new countries during an epidemic of
vigilance committees, "with their shoes on"
The statement is strong one, but doubtless
Mr.. Sawyer is sincere in 1t. There have been
so many of these cases of extraordinary shoe
latchets of late that we shall not be surprised
at anything.
1t is a singular circumstance, however, that
the people, whenever they get an opportunity,
invariably withdraw from public life the gen.
tlemen who have such hard luck with their
oelatchets. Somebody ought to unlOOse
them to give them a chance to wash their feet