Middletown transcript., 1877-09-08
Washington Letter.


WASHINGTON, D. c., Sept. 5th, 1877.
Rumor assigns to Judge Hunt, of
Louisiana, or ex-Secretary Bristow, OF
Kentucky, the vacant place on the Su-
preme Court Bench, and this appoint
ment, it is thought, viii be made this
month. There is something to be said
in favor Of the letter gentleman for al
most any position, but few believe he
has all the necessary qualifications for
the highly honorable and responsible
position spoken of Ifappointed it will
not be because he is the equal in knowl-
edge Of the law OF half a hundred other
men. He was never a Judge. He
never had very high standing at The
bar. He was not siglally efficient in
his subordinate office in the Depart
ment of Justice. The most noted case
he ever managed, outside of his office
position, was the mule case, and, while
it seems certain he was not guilty Of
all he was charged with in tnat case,
we all know he took large fee for se-
curing from the government money
which, if he had been government
officer, he would not have allowed to
be paid Ia fee, too, that nothing but
the fact that he had been government
officer, and was therefore intimately
acquainted with government officers,
enabled him to demand and secure.
There may be nothing very wrong in
this, though it is all true, but more
competent men han Bristow can be
found against whom no suspicion rests.
The Supreme Bench has not been sur
passingfy honored in some Of its later
| appointments. Let not Mr.. Hayes
further insult it by leaving a suspi-
cion on the public mind that his own
situation is such that he dares not ap-
point he best man he can find.
Secretary Sherman, by stroke Of
his pen, has stopped the payment Of
bounties to soldiers and their heirs.
There are seven or eight laws under
which these bount.es have been paid,
and the Fourteenth Amendment to the
constitution denies even to Congress
the power now exercised by Sherman,
OF interfering with payments under
them. 1t is by this clearly illegal and
unconstitutional act of the Secretary,
and by others equally arbitrary, illegal
and unjust, that he is enabled 10 report
fa.tering, but fictitious reduction of
the public debt" from month to month.
Every dollar of these bounties and other
legal but tunreporsed debts ofthe govern
ment must be paid, but to pay them as
the law says they shall be pGid-which
is when they are presen5ed-the Secre-
tary could not show monthly reduc-
ton Of what he delusively calls the
"public debt" but which in fact is only
that portion of the public debt which
has been definitely ascer aimed by issu-
ing bonds and greenbacks. In The
single small mater of bounGies The
Secretary withholds from creditors of
the government every day some $10,-
900, which amount, if he obeyed the
law, would be distributed IN small sums
to poor people all over the country. In
other classes of debts the amount is
vastly greater.
Mr.. Hayes and members of his Cab
met 90 10 Ohio this week. They leave
here on the 9th and anticipate a grand
reception throughout the S.ate. The
voters of Ohio, who will soon pass upon
the merits of the Administration, will
doubtless express an opinion upon the
propriety of these eieetioneering trips,
which, without all the unpleasant ac-
compartments of Andy Johnson's noted
swinging around the circle, have an
unhappy resemblance to it in many re-
spects. The anxiety of Mr.. Hayes as
to the vote of OAiois said to be intense.
All the Washington correspondents
who try 70 tell the truth and to expose
shame, owe an apology to Assistant
Secretary Mccormick, of the Treasury
department. They have been laugh
ing at his silly desire for newspaper
notoriety, and denying that he meant
to resign as he oiioen said he did. Cut
they were mistaken. He will resign,
if he can get a frst-class Foreign Mis-
sion, or if he can be made Secretary of
the Interior; Schurz taking the For
eign Mission. This story comes, it is
needless tosay, from Assistant Secretary
Mccormick of the Treasury depart
/ I fIent- fI1ent.
What a state OF things they have
found in South Carolina. United States
Senators, Governors, other State off
GERS, and a whole Legislature, seem to
have been engaged in a wild struggle
for plunder. Hardly a Northern State
| but had its highwayman at .he throat
Of the helpless commonwealth hardly
an educated man IN her government
but was a carpet-bagger and a robber.
If these astonishing exposures do not
teach with vigor never to be forgot
ten the Democratic doctrine o. home
rule" it is hardly to be expected that
we can ever learn it. SoLoN.
On Friday morning Lock Haven
was thrown into an excitement over
the mysterious disappearance Of E. L.
Packer, a young law student. The of
fee occupied by the missing man was
found in greae disorder; and, as every
thing pointed to severe struggle and
consequent murder, the good citizens
Of Lock Haven dragged the river and
. searched high and low for Packers
body. On Saturday morning this gen.
tleman appeared in the flesh in viii
Transport, and narrated how he came