New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1878-03-14
MR.. COX'S "HONEST FERTOR."


Cox remind us of poor Artemus Not so much
of the genial sho"man himself perhaps, but OF
that one of the animals in his unique collec-
ton which the Snowman made immortal by his
quaint description: "This, ladies and gentle
"men is the Kangaroo. He is an amoozln
"little cuss' Never takes Mr.. Cox the floor
in Congress never bursts he into the arena OF
debate with high craftsmanship, like pack
mule into n council of general officers never
ambles he down the aisle with prepared pleas
antrcs. like goat tied TO stake in coDsiliu-
ent's door-yard never crates he or intcrpo-
latrs. or gyrates or ohjurgates, that the people
looking on do not windy recall the kangaroo,
and say with poor Artcmus, "Well, he's IN
"omoozin little cuss." He last addressed the
House and the country on Tuesday, the pnr-
pose of his speech being to answer Mr.. Hewitt,
who had said the Presidents title was ire
fragable. and to arraign and denounce the
Civil Service policy of the Administration.
Mr. Cox does not aCquIcsce III Mr.. Hewitt
view OF TIE question of tiuo. lilo intim"tod 40
much a few days ago. when he said of the
Presidents message vctoing the Silver Bill,
that it was "a charge of fraud by fraud
On Tuesday he dilated somewhat more at
length upon the subject Holding his col
league, Mr.. Hewitt, responsible for the
Electoral Commission, he said it was not
unnatural that he desired to have the re-
suit certified as good. But ono washing" he
said, "would rinse out the damned spot with
ats STAIN" So far it is not difficult to follow
the orator We presume his meaning Is that
Mr. Hewitt il trying TO rinse out some KIND
of damned spot on the Presidents title, and
that as the representative OF constituency
largely engaged in Observation-Disclosures as
something of a cOnnoisseur himself in rinsng.
he assures Mr.. Hewitt that he can't do it.
Precisely what he means by saying that :" the
multitudlnous seas would continue to be in
"carnadined till the present Executive retired
"for a better man." we do not make out. We
were not aware that the multitudinous seas
had been incarnadined-though we confess to
having heard vague rIlmor that the Gulf
Stream VS. getting a little unsteady III It's
course-nOr are we able to see how the retire
ment of the present Executive can, so to
speak, un-ncarnadine them. 1t was reported
lately that one branch of Congress was multi
tudinously haf-seas over. but the Executive
had nothing to do with that, and the incarna-
dination of it was rinsed off the next day with
soda-water. 1t is possible that Mr.. Cox did
not mean anything by it that having plunged
into Macbeth in the impetuosity of his dis
course, he could not stop at the damned
spot but dashed on into the multitudinOus
" seas - of Macbeth's remOrse. lie would bet
ter have stopped. The rest of it is too wet
and too sanguinary.
His view of the Presidential title seems to
hat nnp-elnctpd m hold
"the high Office of the Presidency through
"the crime of convicted forger." "The
"other day." he said, she had somewhat
"informally, and in the honest fervor OF the
"moment, characterized the President as Il
"fraud," but "the moral to which he would
"pOint his colleague was that when one takes
Gan Office to which he is not elected, and
"takes it through corrupt means, it is better
"not to trust anything he does" 1t did
seem somewhat informal, but no more
so than the remark made by Squire
Pomeroy, of StoningtOn, who, referring
to some observation of personal char
acter by Squire Hull, in the trial of case,
said: personal abuse will avail you nothing
"yOu BANKED weather beaten, withered-up,
blear-eyed, scOundrelly old son of sea
"cook - and then, turning to the Court, "This
"remark is somewhat informal, but the moral
"of 1t is that this old scamp is blackguard
land q liar" We get from MIR. Cox's some
what informal remarks reasonably clear and
distinct impression that he does not believe
Mr. Hayes was honestly elected and SO long
rs we are able to discover that, we should be
willing to pardon much to the honest fervor
"of the moment" Mr.. Cox is extremely
liable to do unaccOuntable things " in the
honest fervOr of the moment" No
statesman of modern times has ever had
so many and such sudden and violent attacks
of "honest fervOr of the moment" They are
dangerous however, to no one but Mr.. Cox
himself, and usually pass off with but one
paroxysm Of violence, to which. as in the