The New Orleans bulletin. [volume] (New Orleans [La.]) 1874-1876, 1876-03-25
SPENCER.

Sf6NU66s
Norton's Senate Committee on Privileges
and Elections is making show of invest
eating the charges brought against Senate
J Spenser by the Alabama Legislature. o
course everybody knows, and nobody knows
better than Morton and his confederated Re
publicans in the Senate, that Spencer was quite
willing to buy, bride or swindle his way
into the Senate, or any other place Offering
prospects of pay, profit or plumber.
And if Morton has read the proceedings Of
the joint committee of the Alabama Legisla.
ture in Spencer's case; he must know that
Kansas Pomeroy's financial strategy, whereby
he reelected himself to the Senate, was
mild and venial sort of fraud compared with
the reckless and indecent violations of law
and morals perpetrated by ex-sutler
Spencer, when he secured his pre-
tended election at the hands Of the
bogus Legislature, contrived by himself
and bis friend Williams expressly to send
him to Washington. But all that goes for
nothing with Morton and his confederated
partisans of the committee. After reporting
in favor of the preposterous claim of Pinch
back. nothing that Spencer did would have
fe,ther's weight with them in opposition to
the validity of the title by which he holds his
seat. The course pursued by the majority of
the committee shows that they do not intend
to have fair inquiry, if they can help it.
They seize every pretext to rule out evidence
affecting Spencer, and evidently devote their
energies, not to the discovery of the truth,
but to the suppression Of the facts.
One remarkable incident in the inquiry was
that of the witness Moulton. This person
had been Postmaster at Mobile, aud in that
capacity, furnished Spencer with good deal
of money-about $40. OOO-for the purpose of
carrying on his Senatorial campaign. We say
"in that capacity" because the prudent md
thrifty Moulton devoted the receipts
of his Office to this service, and not
his own perauisites and emoluments
But Spencer appears to have illus.
trated office-holding nature very much
in the way of the anonymous Roman Consul.
Of whom Gen. Harrison said, in his inaugural
address, that he made the profound and
philosophic remark, no less true now than
then, "that men in Office often forgot the
promises they had made when they were can
didates." So with Spencer. When he be-
came Senator he forgot his promise to pay
Moulton, which forgetfulness was the cause of
much embarrassment to that official So much
embarrassment, indeed, that he was unable
to settle his accounts with the government,
Wherefore government agent swooped
down upon the trembling Moulton, examined
his attenuated till, and discovered the deficit
His protestations that the money had gone into
Spencer's pockets to be thence transferred to
the hands of Spencers servitors was regarded
as fimsy in the extreme; and even Spencer
himself cast upon his former friend look of
censure and an eye of scorn. Which ingrati-
tude ranked in the soul of the ex-post-
master, for he lost not only the money,
but the ofice-to that extent that it made |
PEELED by the noble sentiments thus aroused |
in him, clamoring for justice, and thirs.ing to
q limited degree for vengeance, he went be.
fore the Alabama Legislature and told his
story-told it all-told not only how Spencer
had cajoled him out of the governments
money, but how that ungrateful Senator had
afterwards declined to help him out Of his
difficulties by refunding the money.
It was strong point, and the Joint Com
mittee made the most Of il. So, in prosecu-
ing the case before Morton's Senate Commit
lee on Privileges and Elections, Moulton was
recalled and asked to repeat his story. But
t seems either that virtue, being an annual
md not perennial plant in Moulton's
breast, had been cut down by the winters
'rosts. or that memory had completely de-
serted him. He was Cannings needy knife
grinder over again. 'Ssory God bless you; he
had none to tell; sir"
He remembered nothing of the testimony
le had given in Montgomery. In fact, he
bought he had never given it. The whole
hing must have been base conspiracy
'gainst him and his good friend Spencer, on
he part of the Confederate Brigadiers of the
Alabama Legislature and the rebel short
land reporters. And so Moulton went on
lis way rejoicing, and Spencer was congratu.
ated that he had come out unscathed from
he supposed fiery furnace of the ex-Post-
aasters testimony.
And then it was found that Spencer was not
be ungrateful person that Moulton had sup.
osed him to be; or, if ungrateful, he had re-
ented him Of his ingratitude, and had
ecured for his old and once faithful
tiend lucrative appointment as collector Of
,ternal revenue Whereupon the old friend
ecame faithful again and proved his fidelity
y repudiating his virtue and losing his {
lemory at the same time.
All this may seem to Morton and his asso-
lates to be very advantageous to Spencer. !
erhaps it is, in the way of Kidding him of
[oulton's damaging testimony in the pending
,quiry. But the whole business reminds