The New Orleans bulletin. [volume] (New Orleans [La.]) 1874-1876, 1875-06-06
A CANCELLED SYPHER,

Inc report closes with thanks Tor prOftere
favcrs.
A CANCELLED SYPHER,
1t was the 18th of January, 1875, in the Con
| gress Of the United States The proceeding
had opened with Storm. B. Storm Of Penn
sylvania It having been intimated that, at
time when the Pacific Mail Steamship Compan.
was distributing thousand dollar bills to Con
gressmen in q loose and reckless manner Mr.
Storm had deposited q one thousand dollar bill
with the Sergeant alarms, that gentleman rose
to question OF privilege and stated with great
earnestness of manner. not unmixed with indig.
one thousand dollar bill with the Sergeant-at-
Arms, or had one thousa nd dollar bill changed
by that functionary, but that he had never owned
one thousand dollar bill. Upon his honor as
man and Representative he said he never in his
life had thousand dollar bill; that. being poor
man, it was too much for him ever to have had
without being able to recollect it.
Following the hush that fell upon the House
upon Mr.. Storms pathetic statement that he had
never had thousand dollar bill and that he wa
not in the habit of raising the wind in that
way, Sypher rose. There have been good many
OF t. EN- in Congress first and last-this one was
from Louisiana. He had been Syphered into the
House on what was called a prima facie title-a
cast, and rested simply on the Syphering
capacity of the Returning Board. He had been
sitting there like any other Sypher ever since the
session began. There was kind Of pride of
ancestry and name in his port and presence that
II am Sypher." The name fitted him like
the paper on the wall. His autograph was his
autobiography. He sat in his seat like Sypher,
but he drew pay like a unit: His process of
enumeration was short, simple and be .utiful.
1t began with Sypher and ended with Number
une. He sat on his prinaa facie title till the
end Of the session and drew his pay with sea.
condolences and regularity most delightful to
contemplate, and few hours before the final ad-
journment, the House voted that he had no
right there and never had. So he took the re-
mainder OF his pay and went out, giving the man
who had actually been elected an opportunity to
hear Speaker Blaiues valedictory. Il was little
sad, but sypher had bsen paid for bis time and
Congress had enjoyed his society, and the gen
eral government felt about it very much as the
Western farmer did who drove his hogs ten
miles to the market town and sold them there
for less than he was offered for them at home. |
Well, said he, :" had the company of the -
hogs down here, anyhow"
But as we were remarkng-Sypher rose, The |
same thing had been intimated about Sypher as |
about Storm, that he had been having thousand |
dollar bill changed at the Office of the Sergeant
1t was whispered that the Pacific Mail |
lad bought Sypher with this thousand dollar
jill. It was false, of course. Besides being alb
urd. For that would be giving three ciphers for
me, and even the Pacific Mail managers were not
loing that kind Of business. But Sypher rose
md rose to priv legged question. And sypher
ng had thousand dollar bill changed at the
flee OF the Sergeant alarms. Then, said Sy-
her, with certain magnifcence Of manner in
,arked contrast with that Of the gentleman who
never had thousand dollar bill in his life" ma
" That is fact. have had several one thou /,
md dollar bills changed there, and 1 have re-
sived number of one Thousand dollar bills
'0m the Sergeant-at-Arms since I have been q |
lember of this House. IF my account for this !.
ongress is examined it will be found to amount
ben no Pacific Mail subsidy that have knowl- :
lge OF in this Congress- It has been my GUS
m to do my banking business through the Ser (
of the House; have drawn nv /
ats from homo through him, and have paid
ats drawn on mo through him. II you will Q
anime my account there, you will fnd that it 9
ms up to a considerable amount-even more | !,
an lobbyists, newspaper men or others are in =
Q habit of receiving for their influence upon t
Oby measures"
This was kind of waving of thousand dollar II
liz in the face Of an American Congress to
,ich that decorous and economically-inclined
dy was entirely unused. The legislation of
9 whole country turned as it were upon pivot II
q contemplated Sypher with awe. And every O
dy said, with q sort Of catching of the breath, as
len capitalist Of unusual resources burst upon
0 view, Look at Sypher Behold man who Of
only knows thousand dollar bill at sight,
t who has been familiar with them from his
rliest infancy; who played with them in the era d.
}, and in his early manhood in moments of con- II
iality has lighted his cigars with them. Look, -
X at Sypher the Thousand dollar bill ham le
n! And the whole American Congressman
,epting the man Of ample private fortune, Mr..
njamin F. Butler-turned in its chair and az
zed on Rypher. th
I grieves us to say that Sypher went into :.
1kruptcy the other day. Went into it as the ac
thinking horse rusheth into battlefront into
in fact, as he went into Congress-; ciphers be- on
ID him, ciphers in front OF him, ciphers at o.
ht Of him, ciphers at left of him, ciphers all to
und him, himself grand central Sypher for
contemplation of his creditors and the admit
ion Of the world. His partnership debts an
CUNT to $4,000, and the partnership assets ma
{ up less than SOS, 900. His personal debts p
cunt to $500, and his personal assets to e'
2. Beautiful, beautiful Sypher! How he
st upon Congress with his thousand dollar
g! How he dazzled everybody with the long
OF ciphers he attached to the dollar he We
ught he was worth! And how he dazzles
confuses long list Of creditors now with the
8 tail OF ciphers which, unhappily for his ne
ditors, go all alone, unaccompanied by Q soil
unit, IN the schedule Of his assets. Alas for
herl We shall miss him hereafter. When AL
her is called. some other statesman will Wi
Y. Tribune.
Sun reporter dropped in to see Vanderbilt
week about the Erie receivership. It hap AZ, no
ed to be the Commodore's birthday, and he PI.'
|: /" The Erie troubles will not prevent me !
q beginning my eighty-second year with me-
ng heart and clear conscience. The news hs
ers have said q good many hard things of GO GO
but am still alive" "And with the prospect 81 81
seeing . good many more birthday anniver- ~
esq" the reporter asked "That, my dear
: said the Commodore, sis one of those