National Republican. (Washington City (D.C.)) 1872-1888, 1882-02-16

lhere lS IN the Northern District OF
Texas a marshal named A. b. Norton.
He voted for Henry Clay in 1914, and
made a vow that he would not have his
hair cut until that statesman should be
made President. He has kept his vow,
and wears long gray hair of the growth
of thirty-eight years. He was member
of the Texas Legislature in 1861, and, al
though Union man, he is said to have
drawn pay as a member after the seCes-
sion of the State. He spent q portion
of his time in the North during the war,
and we are assured that he made speeches
for the CoppeIhead Democracy in Ohio
and Indiana during the presidential cleo
tion of 1854. He was school-mate, or
some other kind of mate, of President
Hayes, and was by him made marshal.
He is credited with having had the sway
as to Federal appointments under Hayes
in the 100 counties in his bailiwick, and
the many Democratic postmasters there
attest the liberality with which he acted.
Mr.. Norton publishes paper in Dallas,
Texas, in which he illustrates the bigotry
and intolerance of Bourbon Republican.
He isunable to comprehend thata slender
minority in Texas can never lift that
State out of the political mire, even
if some of its members hold
lucrative Federal offices. He snaps
and snarls against the thought of
organizing an anti-Bourbon party
with any but old-line Republicans in it,
and would probably be glad TO confine it
to old-line Wings. Mr. Norton is fos-
sill. He has come down to us from for
mer generation. 1t is of course desirable
to know what the formations of his period
were, but it is not essential that the future
political and material development of
Texas shall await the time when
those of its citizens who favored the cleo
tion of Henry Clay in 1874 shall be
majority. We have before us many
specimens of the Bourbonism of Marshal
Norton, taken from his paper, He ridi-
cules the idea of attempting any'co-oper-
alton between Independents and Repub-
licans and battles for exclusiveness on
the part of the "Spartan band of Repub-
licans" He allowed the Spartan band
to take care of itself while he was dis
tributing the post-ottces under Ruther-
ford the Mild. He has better words for
the Spartan band than he has for North
ern Republicans, as is evidenced by the
following from his paper:
Timothy o. Howe, Of Wisconsin, the new Post.
master General, is a miserable old political fossil.
He has long been known as Il StalwUrt, and udvO-
Gated third term for Grant
i. = Al.
premises, those Texas Republicans who
are not Spartans and the anti-Bourbon
Democrats, Greenbackers, and lndepend-
ents of that State are desirous that A. b.
Norton shall not longer represent the
Federal Government in Northern Texas.
We hope he may fare better in some
other place. OF course he was not APP
pointed to do political work, and nobody
wants him to do any. But he is doing
Political work of the very worst kind.
lie is doing all he can against union of
liberal and progressive men, He is more
useful 10 the Bpurbous Of Texas as an ohi-
cial under the Federal Government than
any iourbonloodcri in thestate There is
chance for c,catiug some anti-Bourbon
members Of Congress from Texas thisyear,
and many hope for the surDe Of an In
dependent state ticket. This cannot he
Attempted with any confidence while
ghifty oNire-holders or even mistaken
bigor, holding Federal places stand
in the way In the South an
official is supposed to represent tho
appointing power, Whatever may be
done about this case in hand we are graf
ifpd 10 be able 10 say that A, b. Norton
marshal as aforesaid, does not represent