The Portland daily press., 1876-05-03
A Sample Lot.

The Bourbon and ex-Confederate ma
jority in the present House of Representa-
tives by its party organs, year before the
meeting of that body, told the country wha,
reforms it would inaugurate, what corrup
tions it would probe, and what an example
OF purity and economy it would afford the
nation. In brief, it was given out that this
House was, to use commercial illustration
| going to put such rare samples of the wares
| ofDemocratic production upon the market
that the country would emphaticaly decide
| to have no other after March 4, 1871
| So manifold and rare were the qualities of its
chosen samples to be that the whole nation
or to use Democratic term, the people Of
thirty-seven states-would rise up, and as
one man demand that every office in the
| country should be filled with just such gen.
tlemen as House with hundred Demo-
cratic majority selected as its servants.
Well, in the course of time the Democratic
House assembled, but before it had organized
thousands of individual samples of Democratic
oficeseekers gathered in Washington-in
fact, literally swarmed into the national capi-
tai. They were all hungry, all deserving and
of course every one lifelong Democrat.
From these thousands of samples, not one in
hundred could be displayed to the country
by the House. Consequently it is fair to
conclude that those having the mos conspicu.
GUS merits were chosen for the purpose Of
captivating the fancy of the American peo.
pie. Let as examine few of these samples
selected from thousands offered.
Hambleton, secession product, was selec
ted as clerk of the Ways and Means Commit
tee, but as soon as he was fairly installed,
some wretch charged him with naming a
child after the man who assassinated Presi'
dent Lincoln soon after that shocking deed
was committed. He attempted to lie out Of
it but failed.
Smith, a New Hampshire product, was
named to succeed the veteran Barclay, who a:
general clerk of the House has made a ma
tional reputation, having held the office a
quarter of a century. This sample of a Yam.
kee Democrat undertook to turn an homes
penny by copiously filling the mails with cir
culars offering his services as bounty claim
agent under bill pending in Congress.
Among the numerous samples furnished by
Democratic Kentucky is the CLERK of the
House, Mr.. Adams. Just now he is being
investigated on the charge of conspiring with
his appointees to defeat Mr.. Randalps bill re-
ducing their salaries.
Another conspicuous sample is Gen. Bough
ton, or Broughton. He was clerk to the
Military Committee. The General has re.
signed. 1t became known that he is under
indictment for a whiskey conspiracy to de-
fraud the revenue. He has not been inyesti-
gated because the witnesses live so far away
but principally because he is Democrat.
!. The House has a Democratic engineer.
There may be those who doubt it. Such,
however, is the fact. He attends to the heat.
ing and ventilation department. His name
is Ellison, and he is charged by his assistant
McGlensey Democrat with stealing govern
nent property, with Irregularities in the
Brooklyn navy yard, and with attempting to
poison physician in New York.
But the most conspicuous sample is one
from the late Confederate army named Fitz
hugh. He is doorkeeper of the House
FItzhugh has an aristocratic name, but the
correspondent of the Cincinnati Enquirer,
which is the Democratic paper of the country,
asserts that he was indicted in 1871 in Ken
lucky for setting fire to hotel, on which he
had obtained double insurance, that he
united with two negroes in stealing two bed
quilts for which he was indicted, that he was
indicted by the same court for perjury, that
with his wife he tried TO blackmail revenue
officers to prevent them from dscharging theil
duty, that his son was killed by man whom
the father was trying to beat, and who wa;
not arrested because it was considered case
of justifiable homicide, and that his letter:
show that he is man of unsouhd mind anG
bad morals. This masterpiece of Democratic
production is still on duty.
There is another sample clerk who insultet
we'll known Congressman by ordering hin
out of room in which the members com
mittee meets because he had made speecl
| rejecting upon the ex-rebel leaders in tn
House. Another ex- rebel sample has beer
assigned the duty of hosting the stars ant
stripes over the House. 1t is said that h
has such prejudice against the piece of DIR.
goods which the nation recognizes as its en-
sign that he employs cclored man to do hi
duty
| Such are few of the samples. They wer'
selected from thousands. What, it may b
asked, may be expected should thirty or fort.
thousand public offices be filled from tn
ranks of the hungry ofice-seeking Democ
| racy?