National Republican., 1878-07-01
TIE SON OF A BISHOP.


That CLARKsoS N. POTTER, the son Of
bishop Of great rcnown In the religious
world, should have entered into political
Me Is not at all remarkable, and that he
should have engaged In the most reckless
AID disreputablc schemes in politics simply
proves the truth Of the old adage about
ministers SONS. But In this political CALI
ilg of his owa choosing Mr.. POTTER has
lnd the aid Of wealth. family connections,
ligh social standing, and education TO MAIN
tain his efforts to appear respectable and to
win rank among the exclusive and non
approachables Of Democratic politics-the
swallow-tails, as they are irreverently called
in the East And he has, until lately, sue
eeeded in maintaining that rank, albeit m
inbred tendency to the common things Of
life has served at times to drag him down,
while his jealous desire for party success
has degraded him to the level Of n
trickster and manipulator Of election re-
turns. II was this assumption Of respect
ability-this self-asserted exclusiveness--
that caused him to be selected to present
the resolution providing for the committee .
which is now associated with his name, and
which has associated him with the iilthiest
political muddle this country was ever
cursed with. He was not the friend of TIL
DEN, because TrLDES had been publicly
branded as disreputable person, as u
railroad wrecker aud as nm income-tax thief,
and further, because TILDES had warred
/ al, ~ within
the Democratic ranks. But these differ
enccs were proptiated and POTTER, the
secret trickster, became the champion Of
TILDEN, the public trickster With the
conceited JUNCTION of q man who assumed to
believe that his word was law, he began
this championship by pledging hi, honor
that the investigation should go no farther
than necessary to expose fraud" and then
begged, argued, and finally drove CARTER
HARRISON of the floor when that indefati-
gable wit attempted to circumscribc the in
quest to that limit. Subsequently when
the Judiciary Committee attempted the
same thing and POTTER knew the attempt
would be a success, he lodged q vote on the
issue by remaining in his committee room
closeted with General BEN BUTLER.
OF course he will claim great credit for
his success thus far, but close analysis Of
that success reveals the fact that 1t has
amounted to nothing more than bull-dozing
the House into the investigation, which has
amounted to nothing siuce IT began. Two.
thirds Of the Democratic members were op'
posed to the investigation, but thi:
elegant and aesthetic bull-dozer seized
the opportunity, with the aid of Speaker
RANDALL, and actually drove them into 0
measure which was then and still is abhor-
rent TO them. His next success will bt
q further resolution declaring the office O.
President vacant because Of the Florida
frauds. His pledged honor will not stant
in the way Of this new demonstration, fo
he will beg out Of 1t by saying that the
pledge was made before he knew tho mag
nitudc of the frauds. His assumption o
those frauds will be rs false as his assump
tion of virtue and respectability but, with
well-cultivated airs of high-toned indiiicr-
ence to public criticism, he will clothe him
self in the garments Of hypOcritical mar
tyr and cry aloud that events have forcet
him to recant that pledge. The son Of
bishop, with the brains and tendencies of {
cross between bar-room politician aud I
dancing master, will again faunt his self
manufactured respectability as cloak Il
further revolutionary proceedings, and the
Democratic organs will cry out: Lo! wha'
statesman and patriot have we here!