The weekly clarion. [volume] (Jackson, Miss.) 1863-1882, 1881-06-02
Scandals in Official Life at Washing
ton.
Gath in Cincinnati Enquirer. I

Gath in Cincinnati Enquirer.
No man has yet uncovered the full scan
dals under our government arising from the
power of Representatives and Senators to
make appointments in the name of the
United States. Here we have a Senator six
years in his seat and who has attained a ma
tiOnal distinction on account or his party
services, who is this moment accused of a
wholesale system of swindling, extending
through a large number of States, and done
with a bodness and want of common pru-
dence frightful to see. Letters are written
or telegraphed and men employed to in
crease a mail service already too munificent,
and the said letters are made the basis of ex-
travagant appropriations, which the Senator
in his place supports. Meantime bonds in
blank are signed by one Of his postmasters
and satellites and brought To Washington
by the pound, the same being perfectly
worthless. Why should this man have had
postmasters or mail agents, or a large hand
in the post-office department at Washington,
except in accordance with this vicious sys.
tenn, which, instead of making him states
man, induced him, perhaps to become a
rogue?
Another instance of senatorial patronage
came out not many years ago at a hotel hop
in Washington, where some of the young
men experts put their heads toyether and
the hop was off color The hotel detective
followed the damsel up and and discovered
that she was the mistress of a Senator, one
of the sly and moral sort, who always sup
ports the most stalwart side of his party be-
lieving that the more unreasonable his pas
tisanship the greater patriot he is. A pOlti-
cal opponent of this man had sent to Wash
ington this damsel in question, with in
PRODUCTION to the Senator, asking him to get
her an appointment 1t was easily done,
and the government was paying for the
pleasures of the Senator, who had the pru-
dence to surround the damsel with all the
forms of respectability, even to bringing her
mother on to be his hOusekeeper. On the
night in question she had escaped from du-
rance with a fellow-clerk, and was having a
CAV time at the ball. This senator proba-
bly, has never had tho least idea that in the
city Of Washington, there were one hundred
persons in almost daily intercourse with
him who knew all about this hypocrisy
What right has he, merely on his request, to
put any human being on the payroll OF the
government? particularly 70 corrupt the
service, misleaG, perhaps, other young wo-
men in the civil list, and convey to his fell
low-citizens a loathsOme notion of the public
employment? The man is in the Senate
now, and is a thick-and-thin ConklIEg man.
Again there was a distinguished Senator
whose patronage extended over the whole
Union. who gave a notable Office in the Sen
ate TO a young man as the price of an in
trigue with his wife. Thousands Of people
knew it all the while, and it was matter Of
daily comment, and even Of newspaper no
tice; and in his moments of disgust and re-
morse the young man himself breathed his
complaints. Why shanld such a Senator
have the making Of private character around
the capitol buildings?
Another eminent Senator perhaps longer
in the public service than any living man,
returned from the Cincinnati convention of
1876, and Immediately, by the help of
Grant, had the postmaster of his city re-
moved, because that postmaster had express
ed a private opinion in favor of Blaine for
President. | was taking lunch with this old
Senator when he was chuckIing over his
action, and | thought 70 Layself that q more
disgusting spectacle of gray hairs | had
never seen. The vices of the patronage had
made him heartless, tyranical savage, and
he could not bear in free country to have
one of his office-holders even respect q pOliti-
cal rival.
One of the blacklist books in the history of
naau Gan be written on the patronage as dis
pensed by Congressman and Senator'S, elect
ed only for the purpose of giving US their
experiencA~and wisdom in framing the laws
and institutions Ct she country. They have
little or no time for such work, being now
wholly engaged in turning men out and
putting others into Office In the British
public service there is class of meg who
keep posted in advance ofsll scientific and
commercial changes and are engaged in
holding tLes1 country up TO its best efficien-
~ Ia the race for wealth and civilization
Our public men, gorged with this slavehold-
ing patronage, are often debating the mere
rudiraents al political economy, and many
apparently have never read book Good
fellowship, familiarity, coarse fidelity and
genial dishonesty are the most cultivated
traits in this patronage society. How many
men of fine parts have we seeA co TO the
dogs in very seY years from the glut of
Personal power in politics?