New-York tribune., 1876-05-18
TIE AUCTION AT HARTFORD.
HOW BARNUM WAS ELECTED SENATOR

HOILOwNEsS or POLITICIANS PROMISES Exr,f.
pIIPIID-MR ENGLISH BETRAYED-$20, 900 Pos
AN OFFICE.
irnoa A STAFF CORRESPONDENT or THE rRTBuxsl
HARTFORD, May 17.-There be BarDums and Bar.
NUNS, circuses and circuses, and how like bcauti.
full vision the procession moves and the circuscs
succeed each other. The canvass of one Barnum /,
hardly closed before the others is unfoldod All
Last week Nj. VIM. II. Darnum and his agcnts
wero getting their circus together. Thers
were statesmen from all parts of the
monwealth-gymnasts. acrobats bareback
riders vaulters and turner's aud seight-of.
hand performers unrvaled equcstrians in two-horse
acts performers on the trapeze, girafes elephants
Rng1naster Waller several clowns, trick horses and
educated mules. This collection cost in round num-
bers S35 OOO and undertake to say therewas never
such outlay for such material. Thirty-fve dollars
for the lot would have bcen q high price. Mr. VIM
H. Barnum's circus opened yesterday with two
shows: one in the Senate, the other In the House.
Both were entertaining. edifying, and instruc.
tive The advocate of reform and purity
in elections who helped elect this Assem-
bly could not nave looked upon them
without experiencing the emotion so powerfully de-
scrbed in the last words of eminent specuator as
resembling "green-apple belly-ache." To-day the
two shows were brought together and the
whole thing dono over again under one canvas
IL should have been photographed. But do not
learn that il was. Stepping close behind Dir. Wm
II. Barnum's circus comes the Great Moral Circus Of
p T.. his cousin. 1t opened here to-day. so the
two Barnums lap each other. and the Great Moral
succeeds without o pause the other circus
which was not the Great Moral. No one
who has read Mr. T.. T. Barnum's biog-
raphy would attach very much Importance to
the statements made in the advertisements and
on the circus wagons concerning the enormous cost
of the Moral Circus, but do believe that 1t actually
cost more than the other one. And am not con-
scious of any prejudice in the matter when | say
that I honestly think it is a better show In one
respect tho Moral has worry marked advantage over
the other. l observed that the elephanS ana
camels and such in the Moral were well dressed.
aud their clothes seemed to ht' 1 reihenioei
hearing q man close up an air line OF
nrofanitv Of great fuency and about 40
minutes duration, in which he cursed an unpleasant
person from Halifax to Hakodadi with, And On
con vour clothes don't fit either an suspicious
that tbe people of this State, looking upon Mr.
William X Barnum's circns, would indulge IN just
such forty minutes flow if they could only wreak
their Thought upon expression. l am sure they
could with great truthfulness and emphasis quote
and apply the closing remark These persons are
mostly in new clothes to which they are painfully
and laboriously accustoming themselves. MI
W,Il;,,p n Barnum was in attendance in the neigh
borhood personally during the performance Tor
which he had paid, but believe left town as soon
"a il was over Perhaps to go to Washington. where
be now holds a seat in each House, both bought
and paid for. 2. T. Barnum. ! think, likewise ac-
companies his own circus, the Great Moral, and en-
liyens the entertainment with remarks. which
William III. does not. :,
IL is coincidence that VIM. II. and r. L. sNouh
happen to come together here at this time each WIN
Circus, one being Moral. Nine years ago last VIM
ter WIN. H. entered political life as candidate for
Congress, and p. T. was the candidate against him.
The IVth District had been carried by the Repubh-
cams at the previous Congressional election by 80
overwhelming a vote that it was counted on az sure
for that party whoever the candidate T. l. Bar
num having been two or three times elected TO the
State Legislature, aud so had taste OF poh'ica
bonors had conceived the idea of running Tor
Congress. He was nominated by the hepuo-
licans after an animated contest IN me
Convention, and against very earnest oppo-
sition The Democrats being somewhat enconraged
by signs Of dsatfcction among tie kepubhcanS' the
latter gave them distinctly to understand that they
would be disappointed if they expected to gam any
thing on that score; that Z. L. was ready 10 spend
money like water in ths District, and that nothing
could prevent his election Then the oiher loiAs
said: "If t!ats your little game. well just Try
whack at it ourselves SO they put Mr.. william
n. Barnum in nomination against p. T.-they are
cousins OF second cousins or something, believe
and the racket began. There had been money used
IN elections before but never had two money bags
heen so openly set in the field 10 DUCK
AGAINST each other. The two Barnums SHE'D ther
nu-ses into the ring Whisky was free as water Id
Iitcb6eld aud Fairfield Counties, town committees
were flush of money and the leading statesmen In
avery school district right up in AIR over Tue
momentous question Under which BarnumT L.
T. spent his money freely, and the energetic COM
msteemen who disbursed it for him had nice uns
of it. But he was in the MoraP snow pusho''
even then, and did not buy votes in open Market U.
count out his purchase money under the hoScso'
the election officers. William ii. was hot III tne
-. ..Morap business at all. His agents went through
the district with 10 noisy demonstrations as you
aver hear in tho Brokers' Board, shouting their oers
for votes within the shadow of the ballot poA 'ne'
opened their cattle markets and paid cash Oh de'"'
cry of the stock 1t was wholesale bribery ana cor
ruption but 1t had at least the merit OF Dchg ope"
and unconcealed. The Republicans found the otner
side playing at their own game, not under
canvas or behind the door. but IN tao
open field before all mankind "heh
the votes were counted p. T. found himself role
gated to the original show business and WHi' H.
woke up with an elephant on hand in the form ora
seat in Congress for which no had no use whatever
And thon the Republicans like tho fellow W no I'D"
an ace played when he had four up bis Sleeve
broke out with, There's been cheating round III"
boar,lp They investigated VIM. H. with great visor
But it was q very confusing case. The Fellows VINO
got tho money couldn't always tell whoh narhui,
il came from. nor sometimes which one they Votea
Co... ord svorvtbinc seemed so mudtlcd that nothing