The Valley Virginian. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1865-1895, 1878-11-14
Hunt After Frands

champion investigators last winter, and both
have come to grief in settling with their
constituents. Mr.. Glover particularly is
subject for commsseration. He had scared
so high and dropped so low that really he
excltes pity. His ponpous and imperioas let
ter to the President, informing him that he
was on q hunt after frauds, and rather COM
manded his assistance, was evidence that
Glover would be satisfied with nothing less
than a regular bonanza liz that line. He
sought by this letter to make the country be-
lieve that there were frauds so thicF in the
various departments Of the Government,
that such man as Glover would startle the
country by the calcium exposure he pro-
posed. He indicated to the President that
it was not worth his while to refuse any de-
mand that he Glover might make-tIlat he
Glover had a mission 70 fulfil, and that was
to purify government, expose Republican
frauds, and that if President Hayes did not
give quick and ample assurance OF his CO.
operation there would be the deuce to play.
1t was an exceedingly impudent letter, and
could only have found justification in the en-
thusiasm kindled by positive knowledge of
the existence Of great frauds, which the
administration had purposely kept concealed,
and which Glover was to expose; or in dis
eased Imagination and nervous system re-
sulting from eating excessively OF red pep
per, mixed with St. Louis crooked whiskey
The President, however, understood better
the ways of the average wild western re-
former than we did, and gave Mr.. Glover
the object he proclaimed, and of all the aid
| it was possible for him to render. Next Mr..
| Glover approached Mr.. Shurz, of the Int
| rior Department, with similar demand. and
| with like assurance Of aid from him in this
hunt after frauds. Glover was very busy
for while, doing nothing. He would fly
into print occasionally, and once went so
far as to notify the President that he had
spotted his game. He demanded that two
clerks in the engraving bureau should be
suspended, as there was strong evidence
that they were guilty of frauds. The Pres
ident, accordingly, ordered their suspen-
| sion. but unfortunately for Glover sitting
| investigation showed that they were the
most faultless employees Of the department,
and that the only fraud in the whole matter
was Gloverhimself. Glover danced around
for several months brandishing his war club
and scalping knife. and giving the big sin
jun whoop," to scare Republicans, and alarm
| the country, but the only trophies he brought
| into camp were the scalps of three or four
Democrats, under the control and employ
ment of the Democratic House of Represen-
| tatives. So Glover's constituents did not
| fancy this kind of pretence. and voted Glo-
yer himself to be the biggest kind of a fraud,
| and not the proper piece of humanity to rep
resent them in Congress.
Mr.. Clarksop N. Potters case is more
solemn one. There was something festive
about Glover and amusingly impudent,
which gave kind of harlequin cast to his
performance that was refreshing and exhil-
Grating. But Potter was weighty-he tread
the boards as if in heavy tragedy, and with
sombre looks and pregnant mods. he gave the
world to understand that the next scene in
the drama would be terrible for the Repub-
lican party. Potter kept up this imposing
mannerism fol- some time. He sent his COM
mittees to Florida, Louisiana, and round
about Washington, and at the seashore, en-
couragng the belief that there were fragrant
frauds and robberies, that he would come up
with, and finally oyerwhelm the Republican
party and the administration in a common
ruin. He succeeded, however, only in Sc
curing the testimony Of several confessedly
perjured witnesses, whose stories were con-
fronted by incontestib.e proof Of thier falsi-
ty and finally denied by the main party to
| the conspiracy himself, Mr.. Potter devel-
oped further that an attempt had been made
to purchase by the Democrats an electoral
vote in Florida, which fact is fully corrobor-
ated by the recent disclosures Of the cipher
kilograms. To sum up briefly, the only
frauds Mr.. Potter discovered were in his own
party, and the biggest Of them was the Com
mittee itself. For all Of this labor of love,
Nj. Potter found as a return that his con-
stituents were out of humor with him, and
that prudence suggested he had better de-
cline nomination which had been rendered
him, and right well did ne calculate, for his
district was carried by the Republican can
didate by an overwhelming majority.
These two smelling committees, headed
by Messrs. Glover and Potter, which the De-
mocracy congratulated Itself were to I'M
earth innumerable and huge Republican
frauds, have both fizzled out to the disgust
Of the country, without developing single
well-founded suspicion against the party de-
signed to be damaged, and only exposing
Democratic shortcomings to the chagrin and
modification of the instigators of the in
vestisat 'ons.
The conflicting statements Of Auditor
Taylor and DR.. Ruffner, Superintendent Of
the Public Schools, reveal the fact that there
is large amount of funds which have been
diverted from the Public Schools, whether
we take the estimates Of the one or the 9TH
er. We are satisfied DR.. Ruffner is right,
stuu tUdL tH6 dIllOuuL SU uIpeftCu over
a million of dollars, considerably. One fact
the partizans of each of these high officials
must recognize, and that is the Schools are
in languishing condition the teachers re-
main unpaid; and that if some more ade-
quate provision is not made for their support
we may seriously contemplate the utter col
lapse of the system. We do not propose, at
this time, to discuss the relative merits of
the presentations of these two gentlemen,
but simply indicate that there will be stern
demand upon the next legislature in the in
terest of the Public Schools. There must be
some arrangement determined upon by
which the support contemplated by the Con-
stitution, and provided by the people, is Sc
cured to the Schools. The precise method
of reaching this end, we will not pretend
here to point out. The people are not only
restlessly in earnest in this matter, but they |
are becoming impatient as to the farcical ap- |
proaches to a settlement Of the public debt |