Clearfield Republican. [volume] (Clearfield, Pa.) 1851-1937, 1881-05-18
A GREAT POLITICAL SRNSA
TION.

The Washington correspondent of
the Now York Herald has furnished
that journal with the most elaborate
schedule OF political jngglery ever
brought to the notice Of the public.
If half of what he rclatcs is true, Pres
idcnt Garfield is as badly compromised
in recent transactions Us be was in the
Credit Mobilier and DoGolycr jobs,
two of the most shameful eases ever
debated in Congress on personal nc.
count. We will publish the article in.
dicated next week, for tho purpose Of
giving our readers u iull insight into
the political rascaltes that are being
porpetrated by what are called "Chris.
tain Statesmen In alluding to the
Blaine Riddleberger. Malone -Gorham-
Garfield combination, the Herald edi.
torially remarks:
In the meantime, while the five
clerks are unhappy because their pla.
ces are not for more than four years,
there is one man with mind Of bis
own, and a will and clear, definite
purpose-.the reckless Secretary of
State. If we keep our eyes ,on Mr.
Blaine the situation becomes as clear
as Colorado landscape. Mr.. Blaine
has no illusions, no sentiments He is
a man without gratitude, without con.
victions, without friendships, without
shame-a dominant intellectual force,
who has risen to great authority and
consequence in the Republican party
not by accident, like Hayes; not by
the power of Treasury, like Sherman; /;
nor by successful intrigue in politics,
like Garfield; nor by lofty courage
and stately sloquence, like Conklng /;
nor by the prestige of an illustrious
name like Grant, but by impudent au.
dacity. lie has carried his position in
public life by storming masked batter.
les of Quaker guns. And now at the
head of a Government with chief
whose force has dissolved into powers
Of conversation and exposition, with
Cabinet which obeys him as the spin.
ming wheel obeys the maiden's nimble
foot, he drives on to his purpose. War
upon Conkling, war upon Grant, war
upon Malone, war upon the Republi.
can party in the South especially He
fights, not for the good of the country
not for the good of the Republican
party; not even for the good of Gar.
field, but only for the advantage of
Blaine and while this not very lofty
purpose is his motive, his methods are
such as turn the Presidency into a
mere huckster shop for the sale of
places. He sounds Democratic Sena.
tors only to know if they have a price
and what IL Is. He tries one with a
post office and another with some other
scrap of Executive temptation, and
supposes that of course they sympa.
thize with the President in his
wish to have denominations confirmed.
As we have hitherto said, the Demo
Gratis may be caught by these poor
bats, for they have in late years not
shown nice political perceptions, but
we are inclined TO doubt if upon the
whole the Democrats will for such
cheap reasons so easily help their op-
ponents out Of a scrape and be them.
selves bribed away from the principles
they pretend to support
Is the Republican party safest in
the hands of Mr.. Blaine? Does his
leadership commend itself to the high.
er sense Of the party Is there any
demagogery he has not preached and
would not preach and call it Republi.
canism i il lCouid carry a toWRShip in
Maine? Is the Republican party IN
the South to be abandoned and Ma.
hone in Virginia to be thrown over to
win Democratic Senators Does it
not brood i'll for the Democracy, this
dalliance of its leaders with the dis.
penser of Federal patronage No
statesman since the days Of the Pei
hams knows how much value lies in
patronage as our Secretary of State
If patronage can assure it the Repub.
licans will soon have party free from
the virus of Conklihgism and Grantism
"a party of practical men with no
leader but Blaine. As for our Presi
dent, his position is a secondary mat
ter Nobody appears to care very
much about him now. Indifference is
a reality that grows. Anger awakens
only a feeling OF pity and contempt
among Americans, Washington poll.
ticians who moaned and mourned over
the third term heresy, as they hear
this endless story of evasion, equivo-
cation, surprise and false pretence,
long for an hour Of the veracity Of
Grant. Mr.. Conkling and his friends
hold their place in public esteem in
spite of patronage, and will hold it.
Where Blaine's policy will lead it
would be bold speculation to hazard.
As for the President, he will be certain,
after March 4, 1885, of time and op.
portunity Tor series of lectures as
successful as those in which Mr.. Colfax
has been engaged since his withdrawal
from public life