National Republican. (Washington City (D.C.)) 1872-1888, 1881-05-25
"T0WPATH IDIOCY."
SOMETHING ABOUT THAT LETTER.
The National Toupath Club in the Late Campaign
Hereab0uts-The President Writes Letter
What Mad Tonpather Has to
Say About 1t.

! are anu
/ and curses loud and deep among the members Of
| the celebrated National Towpath Club which did
so much for the election of Garfield in this section
/ of the country. The formation of this club, il
will be remembered, led TO the organization OF
similar clubs throughout the country and the fact
that the candidate of the Great Republican party
had twisted mules tail when lad On the tow
path showed what eminenee free son of America
with brains could reach in the race for preferment
in his native land.
TWAS patriotic sentiment that brought the Tow
patherStogether to labor for James A Garfield. Some
of the best workers in the Republican party in the
District were enlisted i'll its ranks. Money was
was raised to send voters to their homes in Indiana
and elsewhere. It's members hOwled from the
stump in Virginia and Maryland, and did excel
lent campaign work. Uniforms were purchased,
torches, banners, and music procured, and every
thing went along swimmingly on the raging
canawl. The reports of each weekly cruise were
published in the daily papers in the vernacular
of the towpath and the presidential candidate
had been known to write a letter favoring the OBJ
jects of the club. This was before election. 1t
was during the exciting times when it was ex-
pected that the Indiana Republican craft would be
wrecked OIL the canal, and when the typical Tow
pather was writing urgent epistles for My Dear
Hubbell" to strike bIoated bOndholder for some
telephone stock or asking 50 How are the Depart
ments doing generality
The boys were fighting manfully. Captain Barber
was more than enthusiastic; First Mate Richards
kept smiling all over his face; Second Mate Hop
kinS was a Stalwart among the Stalwarts poor
HaInill, now dead and gone kept the finances well
in hand Viii A. Short steered the craft free Of the
wild breakers along the shore: McNabb always
plOed the mules safely into their quarters in the
forecastle; Barton spun yarns to the crew, which
I--I 49,
Clements mustered thu shics company with Chi
nese lanterns, beng".a lights, and red capes along
the asphalt towpaths of the city when occasion
required; Trucsdell, Whitaker, and McNabb
sailed on the tOwpath to indianapolis to watch
the wreck of Englishs barrel, and sent cheering
bulletins 10 their shipmatcs at home, telling them
of the stirring at the capital of Hoosierdom.
"Towpathers. to quaTterS!" was passed through
the ship from the depths of the hold to the main
truck after the November contest was over
Fame with her wings spread and with a
canal boat trumpet hOYered over the tow
path boy, and the club proceeded to make
arrangements TO help inaugurate him. 1t was
known that the President elect intended to
visit Washington at an early day, and the ships
company was mustered for duty. An invitation
was forwarded 10 Garfield TO accept the club as an
escort, but he declined, his visit to the city
purely on business matters, and when he arrived
in Washington Bob Ingersoll and Colonel Rock
well, with few members of the Towpath Club
inc9q met him al the depot After this visit il
noticed that the interest heretofore taken in the
club by certain of its officers began 10 flag. Why
this was so is best explained by an officer of the
organization whom u REPUBLICAN reporter over
hauled on the Avenue yesterday.
a hear that you Towpath fellows are bowling
mad said our man.
Not too mad" replied the Towpather; but
just mad enough at the ingratitude of Garfield
what did he DO" asked our inquirer.
well, in brief. he sent letter to Colonel Rock
WELL one of the Chum Cabinet now, that he wished
the Towpath idiocy would cease. that his canal
boat experience was only an incident in his life
and that people might as well organize school
master clubs Or college president clubs"
How came he to write that to Rockville"
" 1t was in answer to one from Colonel Rockwell
regarding his proposed visit and the desire Of the
Towpath boys to give him good send-off.''
Where is that letter now?'
Il presume Colonel Rockwell has it. It was
shown TO one of the officers Of the club, and the
above is the substance of it.
Wasn't the club apprised offs contents"
No but it was whispered around quietly
among some of the leading members OF the club,
and gradually they failed TO attend the meetings
and the club fell to pieces without turning out in
q DOdy at the lfau9uratlOn ceremonies. In fact,
the club was wound up by big banquet at the
Riggs House, with Bob Ingersoll and others as
guests"
Were there any Towpath Clubs elsewhere in
the country
PLENTY of them. 1t was the laboring element
of the country that elected Garfield. 1t was the
fact that he had tramped On the towpath when
poor, ragged Urchin that endeared him to the CON-
mon people. 'Schoolmaster clubs or college
presidents clubs would not have helped him in
the campaign
well, what areyo going to do about the Tow
path idiOcy?" asked our interested reporter.
What are we going TO do about it? Why, we
going TO try to get the club together again. de-
nounce the base ingratitude of Garfield, and reor-
ganize under another name for Conkling and Stall
wartism. That's what we are going to do
"You appear to be little mad about Garfield"
" Mad is name for it," said the Towpather
" We worked like the devil to elect him. and while
our effective work was one of the minor incidents
of the compaign, at least thought he would ap-
prcciatc our labors and not dub US as idiots after
The flecfiCu"