Perrysburg journal. (Perrysburg, Wood Co., O. [Ohio]) 186?-1965, 1878-02-15
Democratic Investigators.


first cases for investigation which comes
up in the general inquest by the House
is that of one of its own officers. Once
before, the Democrats started grand
inquiry, and George II. Pendleton was
the earliest victim. The investigation
was intended to destroy Republican
statesmen. Pendleton would have been
\ destroyed if he had not been Demo-
crat But, as soon as his political
friends touched the line which con-
nected him with the Kentucky Central
Railroad job, they dropped the whole
matter and were discreetly reticent as
to what they had found. Mr.. Pendle-
ton is now the Democratic Senator-elect
from Ohio, and is, of course, very
honest man. COL Polk, the present
Doorkeeper of the House of Represent
atives, is also a very honest man, if his
Democratic friends in the House are to
| be believed. But other Democratic
| friends, who are not in the House, have
contrary opinion, and their affidavits
constitute quite damaging evidence to
fortify their opinions. In these affida-
Wits it is charged that Polk has EN-
| ployed siXty-three men beyond the limit
| allowed by law, trusting to the good
nature and ignorance of the House to
get an extra appropriation to pay them.
A great amount of chicanery and finess-
Ing is shown to exist in the Doorkeep-
er's department, employees being cred
tied with services which they have not
performed, and others being changed
about from one class of services to an
other, their wages divided, and the
whole force being demoralized by in
trigue and petty plotting. 1t is also
charged that Polk is interested in the
passage of bills through the House, and
that in certain instances he has offered
to give TO men who had claims upon
him share in his lobby contracts in
lieu of employment in his department.
Polk is charged with having agreed to
put false names on the payroll, so that
persons whose names remained con-
cealed could draw pay. And this in
geniouS gentleman is reported as say
ing: "lhave corner on Congress in the
shape of appointments, and they must
succumb to my wants" We notice that
the reading of these damaging affida-
Wits ''was interrupted several times by
laughter" according to the report in
the Congressional Record.
AS the whole business was finally re-
ferred to the Committee on Civil-Service
Reform with singular fitness) it is pos
sible that fair investigation of Door
keeper Folks doings will be had. But
the significant part of the affair is the
persistent and determined attempts on
the part of the Democrats to suppress
the evidence in the case and to belittle
the charges against Polk. No coarser
exhibition of partisan feeling has ever
been made in Congress than that of the
Democratic members who have been
most conspicuous in the debate on the
charges against Polk This man is not
a conspicuous public character. The
DoOrkeeper of the House is not usually
esteemed as ahigh functionary, although
he has much patronage to dispense.
Folks predecessor, the notorious Fitz-
hugh, was so ignorant that his pub
lshed letters were a laughing-stock for
the country, and his boast that he was
"a bigger man than old Grant has
given him a lifelong fame. But the
Democrats in the House, after taking
pains to throw mud at some Of the most
conspicuous officers of the Government,
who happen to be Republicans, mani
fest great anxiety to draw the mantle
of secrecy over petty officer of the
House who is openly charged with the
most fragrant offenses. They fought
for hours to have the affidavits and
charges excluded from the COMPRESSION
al Record. And ON the same day when
a majority of the House voted to give
Glover's Spying Committee full power
TO divide itself up into as many sub
committees as there are Democratic
members, with leave to rummage every
corner of the Republic, an attempt was
once more made to whitewash Polk.
And on that day one of his Democratic
hackers procured the insertion in the
Congressional Record of general denial
of everything, although no investiga-
ton had even been begun.
1t does not entertain the Democratic
members of the House to find one of
their own partyput ON the rack, however
diverting they may find the spectacle of
Republicans in the same position. |
Where Republican officials were con-
cerned the Democrats not only made il |
a point to get their baseless charges |
into the official and senli-ofiicial reports |
of Congress, but that vicious blather-
skite, Mr. Whitthorne, Systematically |
scraps of garbled and er pdrte |
evidence, to be peddled out from his
for partisan purposes during
a campaign. If any accused official put
in plea of "not guilty. he was denied
the privilege Of having that fact made
public. But here is an intriguing and
Doorkeeper, accused of grave
allowed TO make answer
promptly through the columns of the
official record of Congress and on the
floor of the House Mfr. Ellsworth, who
himself by his efforts 10
shield Polk, had the bad taste 10 rise in
his seat, and, in what he called "the
interest of fair play, fair dealing and
kindly feeling,n read a letter from the