New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1877-07-12
TIE TOO FREOUENT PITKIN.


The general public, we venture to inform him.
has got stomach full of him, and wants no
more. For several months now we have been
hearing mt intervals a great deal more about
Pitkin than anybody, except possibly Pitkin
himself, cared to know. Originally, Pltkln was
the mercst accident of a complicated political
situation. Neither he nor the Office he held
had the slightest significance except as he
tumbled up to the surface like wart
on the fin of porpoise. The Office
of United States Marshal, which he
briefly held, is Of no such consequence
as to give any of his proceedings Il
public interest outside the community upon
which he was the visitation of an angry Prov
idence, and there is no excuse in him or any
of his belongings for this constant thrusting
himself and his purposes before weary pub
lie. The pains he is at to communicate the
reasons for his fitting back and forth between
Washington and New-Oreans the precise
motives governing his acts and his real atti-
tude towards the Administration are wholly
gratuitOus and unnecessary. The general pub
lie, we take leave to say, does not care the
toss of copper whether Pitkin supports
the Administration or not or why Pltkin
wastes time which might be used to better
purpose, when he gives to the public, through
newspaper correspondents, detailed statements
of his views concerning the policy of the Ad-
minstration, and his own plans for supporting
or opposing them. The "sily season" has
fairly set in, 1t is true and it is not to be denied
that there is willingness on the part of the
public to be diverted with very small sensa-
TONS but the season is not so silly yet, nor the
public so desperately hard up for entertaining
themes that Pitkin's movements or purposes
can excite in anybody the most languid inter-
est.
But Pitkin, who, so far as is known, is nobody
whatever. seems to be labOring under the de-
fusion that he is somebody in particular, an |
that what he does, and why he does 1t, is mat
ter of some public concern. He, probably, got
this notion from being tangled up in the Louis-
ana business, and having somewhat to do with
proceedings which, at one time, the country did
take some interest in. Seeing his name i'll print
in connection with those large, and not always
reputable goings Oh, appears to have awakened
in himan unwholesome passion fOrnotoriety. He
has been struggling into print and the public
view since then, at every opportunity. His first
demonstration after the Louisiana matter had
and there seemed no longer any pretext for the
Kellogg Packard crowd to put themselves for
ward and engross public attention, was to
telegraph to Washington i'll the most abrupt
and unexpected manner for more troops"
The call was so much like an echo from a
past PERIOD and so ridiculOusy sudden, that
for moment Pitkin did succeed i'll calling at
tention to himself, for the whole country at
once broke into roar of derisive laughter.
The quiet which succeeded was but moment
ary. Still itching for notice he struck
upon the sure method of obtaining 1t by
opening a correspondence with General But
ler He succeeded in drawing out from
that eminent statesman "a characteristic let
ter beginning with "My Dear Pitkin," and
comparing Pitkin with Isaac led up by his
father Abraham to be sacrificed, and closing
with the advice to him not To squirm or kick
any more than Isaac did. This letter Pitliin
Immediately gave to the press, and Rugged him
self with salts faction at the additional notonety
it brought him. There is reason to believe that
this performance was much more satisfactory
to him than to Gen. Butler who got nothing
by it except vigorous cutting from Mr..
Wayne MacVe agh with which his ears Jingle yet.
The effect upon Pitkn was to increase his sense
of his own Importance, and make him still
/ hungrier for notice. So ever since then he has
been Fostering newspaper correspondents with
his views OF things, and trying to infest the
press with what he calls his purposes and mo-
| tives.
The late demonstration against the Return
ing Board at New-Orleans has given him a
new opportunity, which for the last two or
|
One day he has had it "rumored"-nothing so
! increases mans importance as to have some