Frostburg mining journal. [volume] (Frostburg, Md.) 1871-1913, 1875-01-30
MIN IN G. JOUR \ 4 L.
]. Il. ODER. Editor
FROSTBURG. JANUARY 80, 1876

A VAST amount Of holy horror is wasted
upon the 'wickcdnCss in high places said
TO be so alarmingly prevalent in our gov
ornamental economy. Credit Mobilier, san
born Contracts, and Pacific Mali Subsidy,
etc, have brought out ugly developments
duplicating not few shining lights. Much
of the glamour with which all prominent
names are more or less invested by the fond
and innocent partially Of personal and par
tisan adhcrcnts has been mcasurahly blurred,
blotched, rubbed out, Ivy the unsccmly
daubs of corruption elected by invcstiga-
tons and cast all over the fame and charac-
ter of prominent political apostles. 50
much So it has become more congrcssiona!
custom to "invcstigatc' than legialate-to
hunt MP the plundercd millions than to de
wise laws to prevent legal stcaling-and
to ferret out perjury than to enforce lcgis
lative morality.
In the last exhibition of this kind We
have the astounding revelation that the
votes of ffly-two Congressman have been
purchased for 81 900 each TO carry a scheme
which robbed the people of several humid
red thousands This would be quite in
credible were it not supported by charges
boldly and repeatedly made, and which til"
current investigation seems powcrless to
establish. Possibly this conclusion is him
dcred by the recent inculpation Of tw"
prominent members of the Committee Of
Investigation itself, who are thus thrown
into the farccal atttUd" Of prying into and
reporting upon their own alleged lcgi l0tivc
msdemcanors.
After all, it is not so much subject for
wonder-not so much indeed as that there
is no more of it, even when we assume that
probably every twentieth instance of public
plumber comes to the suriacc-whcn we re-
member that a fundamental am of politics
is to steal. Not hghway-likc, it is true, but
in the no less effective plan of selling official
opportunities so that constituencies alc
forced to support costly enterprises, yet so
worthless the country would sustain no dct
riment ifthcir garncrcd treasures ofjobbery
were empticd into the sea. This, we say, is
the trade of politics, confined to no party
specially, but the banc Of all 1t afliicts the
genial ColfaX, and tics a mill stone around
the neck of Fernando Woods chances for
the next SpeakcrShip. 1t involves Beck
and Dawes in SO far each will be fortunate
if his explanation satisfies his constituents.
For taking back pay" ostcnsibly odious
however, John Ritchie's party was COMPEL
ed to leave him out in the wet to take a
candidate untained with congressional
record and while the superficial iniquity of
the thing lasts lie may never get dry. If
these paroXysms Of popular virtue were less
capricious, more frequent and durable, and
shaped by something better than mere poll
Cy, there would he less to do to redeem pol
tics from standard too low for moulding
the conduct and destinics of people con-
fessedly greet and whose economy should
continually make them confcSscG.s free.
The special tendency Of our wicked and
dangerous systems of party management is
to exclude mental, moral and respectable
eligibility to office by degrading ii to the
vulgar capabilities and purchase Of wealth .
From this it ramities the total body polite
marking its developments and following its
life from the cradle to the grave. We have
in view the nomination for Office OF GEN ,
tlcnn!n for the expressed purpose Gt %sccr- |
tanning how he would "blccd." And gen |
orally .hey who "blccG well Go not yacatc
office "all bloolcss as the ntroddcn snow"
In their legislation administration they are !
quite apt to think there is blood "to take as |
well as give" and then the people who
elected them to serve and guard their inter |
ests may find out they have had to pay for
the purchased place Of a corrupt servant.
All really honest people would like to see
these irregularities corrccted-to see a bet !
ter moral tone assert its sway, removing, if
possible, all inducements to pervclt law, or
der, virtue, and always that the rascals be
brought to account and punishment, no
matter which theirparty or what their name
and standing, or what not except to be sure
they are guilty. While they 90 scot free
Boss Tweed has 10 business on Backwells |
Island
SPEAKING of the chronic misrcprcscnta- |
tons of affairs at some of the PENNSYLVANIA |
mines by the city press the Coal and Iron |
Record says:
A correct statement of one transaction
connected with the coal trade, either as re- ,
CARDS strikes operations at the mines, or /
general hllslpcSS Wnnl hn hf
git-edge frame, copper-tastcned and iron |
rIveted to be preserved until the mienni- |
UNI.
We are not so sure of copper fastcnngs"
and "iron rivets" for the purpose named |
but certain it is nothing more can hf |
expected from the gilt edged" Corrcspon-