National Republican. (Washington City (D.C.)) 1872-1888, 1880-02-14

records so that his little Dul Should cohe
up out of its order and at once for action.
lie failed to seduce the clerk from his line
Of duty, but did enough to warrant pro-
ceodngs for his expulsion. lie now hangs
on to his seat by his eyebrows.
oRTHoGRAPuY IN OFFICE.
An incident occurred a few years ago
connected with an appointment to Office
which is called TO mind by the recent raid
Of General COUPON on the Rev. Mr.. SIM
MONS, who has been nominated for Super
intendcnt Of Census in his state. lie OBJ
iccts to SIMMONS because Of his faulty
spelling of words. The case we have in
mind is one where candidate WIS pressed
for appointment against the earnasi v,9iv-'
of large number of antagonists who had
resorted to q multitude Of oxpedients to
bring defeat, and yet the appointment
seemed inevitable. One of the opposition,
however, after much cogitation, hit upon
an expedient which lie thought must prove
successful, and that was to attnck the can
didates photography. AS n lastresort, after
communicating his plan to his coodjutors,
he was delegated to carry it into execution.
lie called upon the appointing power
and opened the subject of this appoint
ment, by entering his protest most solemnly
against it. This did not seem to
effect anything-the appointment had
been decided upon and would be made.
Then the protestant rallied for his coup de
tyyfs, Nd al ipti N
in this wise "Well, sir, appoint him if you
want to- Appoint him if you dare! But
Il tell you, sir, that he can't spell! No,
sir, he can't spell! l tell you he can't
spell, sir; aud that ought to settle it,
sir"
GoRDoN's objection to SIMMONS seems to
have this eXtent--no more, perhaps" he
cant spell.' Unfortunately, SIMMONS had
been detected in little too much economy
in the use of the alphabet in addressing the
President of the United States as His Ex-
celency"-tlus cheating the word ont Of
an "F that the most popular photographers
award to it. In GoRDoN's opinion this of
tense smelt rank to heaven, and, in his sage
| Judgment, no man who would cheat the
word Excellency out of single letter could
be trusted to ennmerate any portion Of the
population of the State Of Georgia. Hi.
task would be bunglingly performed
aud the result would be faulty. For thi:
reason SIMMONS should be rejected and the
cause of photography be protected from
official assault. 1t is bad enough TO ma
its symmetry in private life, but in Office i
ought not to be tolerated for one moment
No, never or scarcely ever"
Out of this SIMMONS matter contro
versy sprung up in the committee-roon
between General GORDON and the Hon
ALEXANDER II. STEPHENS, which was fol
lowed by hard and unliind words, ant
finally became a matter of correspondence
between them. This correspondence ap
peared in THE NATIONAL REPUBLICAN
yesterday morning and is reproduced agar
this morning, for the simple reason tina
our prOoi-reader took the liberty of cor
c recting General GoRDoE's orthography
G which should have been published pre-
= csely as written in his letter to Mr.. SRI
PHENs. The proof-reader is great sickle
for the pTOprieties of orthography, and whe
he found Senator GORDON violating III
. authority of WEBSTER by spellin
y the words controversy controversey"-
and "Marshalln-th crOwdin
u into controversy superluous e." and add
ing to Marshal the 81" that SIMMONS Ina
dropped from His Excellency"-he took I'll
: liberty of putting the Senator right befol
= the public eye, thus subiecting this Office
the necessity of reproducing the correspon
~ cnce faithfully, because he had departt
, from the rule Of following copy literally.
In this, it looks as if General GORDON hi
IT forgotten to consult the injunction, J.
ID him who is without fault cast the fiji
At "stone." He discovered the mote in Ii
Is brothers eye, forgetting the beam that rest
ie in his own, and in his avidity to show to t
e. Senate and the world that SIMMONS 'cal
rs spell, =" he has fallen into the pit that he HI
i dug for the unfortunate Parson. No
r. what shall be done? Both the Sen
4 tor and the Parson have assaults
d, photography in gross and unpo
" donable manner, and if SIMMONS
Ig TO be continued in private life on tn
G. account let Senator GORDON be relegat
ut there likewise, and then let these two
ell colluded with the "biger man than o
"GRANT," and then let this photographic
trinity be engaged to 60 through the count
IN holding spelling-schools for the delectati
n, aud improvement of the American YOU
ne All three can be spared for such purpo
OF and the cause Of education may gain son
u thing by contrast, for the same reason I'll
as inebriates are sometimes introduced il
ne the work of temperance reform, by way
ne example, to enforce argument.
WHY WAS 1T DONE?
- ~, We took occasion the other day to ma
~ the inquiry why the Virginia Republic
= State Convention had been called at Star
ton, point several hundred miles aw
y from the geographical centre of the Sta
y, n' aud supplemented it with the remark,
:" grhetopce that this distance of travel V