New-York tribune., 1879-10-15
HTShS IND EAST WIND.n

"HUSKS AND EAST UIND."
Mr.. John Quincy Adams skips somewhat
cayly to the sacrifice. So accustomed has he
become to the role of martyr that he really
exhibits something like hilarity when notified
that he is again cast for the part. There
must be, undoubtedly there is, i'll this busi-
ness, as in almost everything else, u great
deal in use. Eels are said to get so used to
being skinned as actually to enjoy 1t. Mr..
John Quincy Adams is a gentleman who for
a great many years. comparatively speaking.
has been running for things there was
10 earthly possibility of his getting. Not
only that, but for things which he knew were
impossible, and knew that everybody else
knew that he knew were impossible. And he
has always done it in such cheerful, chirpy
sort of way that he has quite extOrted the
admiration of the general run Of spectators
who not having any wagers laid on him cOnd
view his efforts with perfect dislnterestedRess
and an amused cOmplacency. In the recent
great Go-as-you-please tournament there
was, perhaps, no feature which Sc en-
tertained the entire multitude, without dis
tinctiun of party, sex, color, nationality or
previous condition of servitude, as the per-
sstent but hopeless struggle of the Great
American Pie-Eater. Nothing was more evil
dent from the outset of that OiymDan game
than that the Pie-Eatcr had no chance. Yet
The lank athlete kept on the track. and with
ont exciting the least animosity did succeed
IN pquing public curiosity as to what he did
it for. 1t is now believed that his object was
simply to stay in the Garden, and, like Daniel
in the lions den, "sec the whole show for
l., - ,,t f,,,nn
Quincy Adams may have similar motive in
running for things in Massachusetts. Or he
may be like the sailor who, dropping into a
church just as the minister soemnly in
quired "Who will be the goats Z" interrupted
the succeeding pause by the remark that he
was willing to be one of them rather than
have the show stopped.
Whatever his motive, he is always ready TO
run. And he never runs, nor is asked TO, except
when there is 10 chance whatever and no
one else can be prevailed upon to accept. The
Massachusetts Democracy never calls on him
till it is full as grOggy as the convivial person
who, In answer to his wife's inquiry, "Why
do YOU come home ut this time of night ~
answered with hiccup. "Cause all the other
"places r shut up" ihsy never call on John
quincy AudlllS tlll every DOuJ clSc mas ItluStu
But it's all one to him. He likes it. We are
not sure but that he likes being defeated bet
ter than he would an election. This time he
accepts the nomination OF the Faneuil Hall
DcmOcrats-a faction Of minority far enouph h
removed from the possibility of electing an
body to satisfy the most determined seeker
for martyrdom-in letter of such spOrtive
and merry o vein that il seems almost to make
light of the sacrtical faggots. He recognizes,
he says, ." the embarrassment which we suffer
" at present from the falling away of large
"number of our former associates to follow
"aiter another man-the same being General
Butler. This Is sarcasm. For in the first
place they have not "fallen away" 1t
Is the Faneuil Hall people who have
fallen away" And in tho second place.
neither the Massachusetts Democracy nor
Mr. Adams suffers embarrassment " from
anybOdy's falling away. They are only
embarrassed by contact with crowd. The
more exclusive they are the better they enjoy
themselves If the whole human race should
fall away" and leave the Adams family
sole survivors, the latter would suffer no en-
barrassment, but rather experience % feeling
of relief.
But MT. hutlnS TtdcHtS lHt tOD VI llS Dluy-
fulness when he says Of those deserters {:
every soon we may expect them struggling
"back, weary, wayworn, and hungry, filed. like
"the prodigal Of the parable. only with husks
"and east wind" This is picturesque. One
can almost see the procession of hungry
Massachusetts Democrats " struggling back 1"
filled with "husks and east wind" And then
the question naturally arises, What on earth do
they "straggle back" fort They had nothing
before they fell away but east wind; il they are
getting husks with their east wind where they
are. they have by so much improved their con-
dition, they gain nothing by going back to
east wind plain. More than this; we suspect
that under this figure Of the parable MIR.
Adams conceals a drive at Leverett Salton-
stall, the statesman who presided over the
Faneuil Hall Convention, and to whom the
letter Is addressed. For If these prodigals
come back full of "husks and east wind" de-
manding-as Is the fashion with Democratic
prodigals-that the fatted calf be killed. we
Boo no way In which their demand can be sat