New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1878-04-23
orr LTCKY FISHERMAN.

|
ure was enough of sorrow; our cup is filed to
OVERLOOKING by the intelligence that IHE
/ TRIBUNE's occasional references to that states
mans great enterprises have sOured the dis
positions of several Democrats of more or
less prominence There seems TO be grow
ing impression among these that too much
space has been given to Glover OF late; that
tine Importance Of his work has been over
estimated and that so fan as the Democratic
readers of THE TRIBUNE are concerned, they
can get along comfortably without hearing
anything more about Glover for the present.
We arc in receipt Of a somewhat sulphur
ous unsigned postal card on this sub
| icct, which, no doubt, expresses the sentiments
of the average Democrat, urging us IN iren-
zcd way to drop the subject Glover, himself,
| h1s once or twice Intimatcd that had he been
much more ambitious ihan he really is, he
would by this time have been fairly glutted with
fame; and the other day he stated quite
broadly in the House that The TRIBUNE had
misreprcsented and sandcred him. And all
these things give us pain. When, little
while ago, Glover wrote correction OF the
statement which was commented on III these
columns, to the effect that his fishing had been
so far successful that he had landed two OF
hl, experts, we gave 1t Immediately to the pub
/ ~. He said they were not experts. And, sure
| enough, they were not. They were under pay,
| to bc sure but as witnesses, not as experts
! Glover is Il man who draws nice distinctions.
So, in fact, do all the leaders in this Congress.
Il mans name is on the payroll as a
crippled soldier, they insist on calling him so,
though he never smclt powder; il rs "A wit
] a., all trvitp oD1
not nm expert, though he does the work of an
expert. Again, Glover corrected our Washing
ton correspondent as to something which our
correspondent did not say. We fastened to
make public the correction, because we are al
ways clad TO hear from Glover; and then, to
SET both him and the public right, we cor
roctcd the correction. And still he is not
happy. Nor are his party friends in Congress;
nor the bounding Banning; nor the witnesses
who are not experts; nor the Doorkccpcrs; nor
Speaker Rainfall; nor anybody III fact,
except the folks hc Is fishing for. These last
are rrprchcnsibly hilarious and oXasperdtingly
gay. They ought TO be ashamed Of themselves.
But we are asked to drop Glover Demo-
Gratis tel us that the subject has ceased to be
interesting. We are even charged with treat
ing the matter in frivolous and unbccoming
manner, which Heaven forbid. We new say
that we cannot drop Glover. For reasons not
necessary now to be dWcIt upon, but which are
| ONLY too Obvious 20 those who hay0 watched
his fishing and noted what he has caught, his
poliiral friends ask IA to forbear further
reference to MN. But the public would not
be- satisfied, nor would The history Of
/ this CongI.., be complete, were we to
comply From the time this statesman
burst upon the country early in the
present session with proposition to break
Congress up into slQrmiShing partes-arming
them with subpunas and mittimuses and pro-
ccs,rs for contempt, and power to send for
persons and pIpcrs, and quo warrantos and
miuuctious and all manner of oathS, to go
hunting the country through for traud-he
has had 4 strange fascination for the general
public. He Ia, been since then the most con-
,picuous feature of Congress. He and the
Doo.',c.peI, have divided public attention.
His is the infinite variety that age cannot
stale nor custom wither. 1t has been our
simple endcavor to chronicle him as he
went on. We knew him to be in earnest
bv the Wv he called for additional
powers at the outset; and we have kept
watch Of him accordingly. We had
grave DOUBTS OF us success NACI llt bt-slh
fishing with IL mud machiuc and when the
first fit of it covered his own friends with
dirty water, We pointed out to him in the most
kindly way that If lac kept up that sort of
thing ne would be likely to create dlssatlsfac-
/ ton When a little later he began swinging
/ his hook and line round in an cxced manner,
catching his own witnesses and experts, and
finally Jerking the Bounding Banning overheard,
| TIE TaIBUEE, as our readers will bear wit
ness, concentrated him in the warmcSt terms
upon his yigor aud enthusiasm, but at the
same time took occasion To remark that
his own friends were contemplating his eX-
crtions with something ike dismay. We have
| considered this statesman's fishing for fraud
a truly national spectacle. and have so treated
| il. We can only say we are sorry if he has
had too much of fame. We appreciate his
modcsty. lie has made mistakes to be sure
mistakes merely III catching the wrong persons.
But consider how much worse he might have
done; he might have fished all day and caught
nothing.
There were heroes before Agamemnon and
fishermen before Glover. OF one of the latter
| il was written:
His pole was made OF the sturdy oak
And hls line was a cable that never broke.
| He batcd his hook with tigers tails,
And Sat on rock and bobDed for whales
And of another:
| His pole made or peacock feather,
And his line was a thread Of the finest tether
| He bated his hook with mites OF cheese,