The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1876-11-02

Davis has introduced u bill covering
81, 900. Mr.. Faulkner has introduced
fourteen bills, covering an aggregate oil
s54,7O0. Col. Ben Wilson has intro
duced three bills that cover an aggregate
Of S9Ol,OOO Frank Hereford has intro.
duccd bills that cover an aggregate ol
$4,000.
These bills are Of course mutually sup
ported by these gentlemen. Col. Ben
must needs support tile bills Of Messrs.
Faulkner, Davis and Hereford, in order to
get their support for his own. The whole
thing is a chain that numbers It's linksb by
the thousands. Col. Ben is trying to get
damages for the Weston and FairmOnt
pike, and for the staunton and Parkers-
burg pike and for other roads and bridges.
He has already become the patron Of
1904, GOO worth Of claims. The Weston
Democrat says that he hopes to get them
through the next Congress, and on that
ground thinks be should receive the sup
port Of the public in Lewis, Harrison,
Gilmer and other counties interested.
We have shown that in order 10 gel
his claims through Congress Col. Wilson
must vote for other similar claims. This
is exactly the wSy that the State OF Vir.
ginia accumulated her immense debt.
The log.rolling system (you help me and
l will help you) Ia the means relied on
to put all such bills through. This is
the way by which a large amount OF
money is annually appropriated by Con-
gress. For instance, Frank Hereford, at
the late session, got three or four hundred
thousand dollars in this way for the Ka.
nawha and the Elk rivers. The whole
operation is u regular bargain. The
average Congressman will vote for any.
thing necessary to make political capital
among his constituents. As a rule he
stops at nothing whatever. He will vote
millions Of public money away in order
to get few thousands for his own Dis.
trict or State.
And herein lies the danger OF this
claim business. There il so mach polit-
ical capital in 1t for every man who
represents District in the South-(fOr
nearly every Congressional District in
the South was invaded) that the tempta.
tion is tremendous and unprecedented.
The needy claimants have votes and
Congressman fear the votes Of their con-
stituents far more than they do either the
dictates Of conscience or the warnings Of
judgment. When we think OF the unex'
pected and often derided events OF fifteen
years ago, in Congress and out, and the
calamities that came upon us in conse.
quence, we can not help thinking OF those
monitory lines Of RasselaS, "Ye who
listen with crcdulity to the whispers OF
fancy and pursue with eagerness the
phantoms of hope: who think that to-
morrow will renew the happiness Of to-
day, and The deeds Of the future perform he
promises Of the preSent, harken to the story
Of Rassclas, Prince of Abysinnia."
And SO we may say, in the spirit OF this
warning, to all those who are again in
clined, as in 1860, to listen to the whis-
pers OF fancy and TO disregard the many
portents OF the canvass, do not assume'
as you did then, that "the deeds Of the
future will perform the promises Of the
present" but take a bond of fate, by put
ting men in power whose antecedents
will be your assurance Of safety.