The daily Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1873-1877, 1875-03-16
The villany of Johnny Logan's BOUNTY
From the N. Y. Tribune,
= an the -disreputable schemes in

Among all the disreputable schemes In
vented By demagogues during the past
two wears TO deplete the treasury and
make marty capital for use upon the
stumn. This was the lowest and worst, 1t
MAS he invention Of Mr.. John A. Logan.
II was neither called for nor expected. It
had no cause for being not the most
shadowy pretext for existence. 1t would
have accomplished nothing of its ostensi-
bic purpose was neither an act of Justice
nor charity; was nothing, indeed, but
wild and senseless finging out Of from
twenty to three hundred million dollars
for scramble Of claim agents and bounty
brokers. And yet Mr.. Logan succeeded
in getting it passed by both house and
senate, and fairly bullied Vice President
Wilson into signing it as passed, when he
knew and everybody knew that instead OF
having been passed it lay on the senate
table under the report of committee OF
conference.
The progress of the bill from first to
last illustrated the perfection of demagog-
ism, timidity, and insincerity on the part
of the politicians of both parties, And it
illustrated as well their blindness and
their ignorance Of popular sentiment.
When Mr.. Logan flung It into the legisla
tive hopper, it was not because there was
any distress to be relieved, any injustice
to be remedied, or any generosity demand
cd on the part of those for whose benefit
it seemed to be devised. In pay and
bounties and pensions already provided
for, the soldiers of the late war have beer
literally rewarded. The whole people
know it; the world has wondered at ant
admired the generous treatment they have
received, and the soldiers themselves, with
the exception perhaps of here and there .
lazy hummer, have been amply satisfied
But Mr.. Logan looked upon them as 4
class of men having votes, and class, too
that was wearying Of the continuance o.
the party in power. This was to be a sol
to them in plain English and at hard
pan, bride. IL had no other meaning
was open to no other construction A few
Republicans like Gen. Hawley, of Connect
cut, who was himself soldier from Sumte
to Appomattox, and could speak 70
soldiers accordingly, were honest enougl
and brave enough to denounce the mea
sure as it deserved, and with them wer
some Democrats. But the mass of bot
parties rushed helter-skelter into the SUP
port o. the demagogues trick. The Re
publicans wanted to conciliate the soldiers
and the Democrats feared to give them o.
Tense, and so furnish capital against them
selves. So in they went, all Of them in
hurly-burly to buy votes at an expense Z
millions.
The wickedness of it was only equale
by its weakness. The demagogues mil
judged the effect of it. The passage {
defeat of it would not have changed
thousand votes in the country, excel
perhaps as it might have deepened tt
disgust of the people for party so reel
less as to resort to such measures, and /.
hurt instead Of helping Mr., Logan ar
his party. But here was the amazir
spectacle-if anything done by politician
could be amazing-of a congress repr
senting people whose business interes
are PROSTATE, legislating for a count
overwhelmed in debt, whose notes are pr
tested and its currency irredeemable; E;
ter o session devoted largely to devisi
measures to bring the nations expen,
lures within its income, deliberately yoti
away from twenty to three hundred m
lions of money to class of persons W
had not asked for and did not expect
and in the end would not get it. And t
the vlce-president allowed it to be CARR
by his casting vote and himself to be b
lied into signing it as a law when he kn
it lacked the requisite formalities to ma
it such. This country has heretofore o
sented to the world some singular spec
cles, but never one SO utterly unaccoun