The Portland daily press., 1882-04-20
Wash. Cor. in Portland Transcript
Reeds Rank in Congress.


Whenever member of Congress is made the
object of abuse from newspapers and individ-
ais politically in opposition to his views, one
may be very sure that such member is worth
praising in the same ratio that he is abused.
The man is a power or he would not be noticed
and the very abuse which is hurled at him from
vindictive and envious foes, does but elevate
him among those who understand his real worth
and ability. Mr.. Reed has been so outspoken
and fearless for the right in matters of claims
against the government, that it has required all
his firmness and strength of character to with
stand the blows showered upon him by those
who disagree with him in the nodos operand,
for the adjudication of these claims. Especial
ly has Mr.. Blackburn of Kentucky, the "bel-
ligeren Joe" hurled defiance at our champion
of honesty and propriety in government dis
bursements, ana many are the sneers in which
the Kentuckian has denounced Yankee cupid
ity, limiting that it sought only its own interest
and advancement in opposition to the justice
which should, long ago, have been done the
South.
Mr. Reed is invulnerable to all these petty
shafts either of ridicule or abuse, and answers
the gentleman as calmly as if his remarks were
merely the compliments of the season. But
Mr.. Blackburn puts on his war paint(a red neck
tie) and rushes into free fight with SO much
intemperance of tone and manner, that the au-
dience are at times, almost fearful of hand to
hand conflict. One.of these stormy scenes cleo
trifed the galleries on Wednesday last, during
the consideration of the Army Appropriation
Bill, when Mr.. Blackburn made q sweeping
charge of dishonesty and fraudulent dealings
against the clerks in the Quartermaster Gener-
ais department, holding what Mr.. Reed desig-
mated ''side show at his desk, wherein were
some documents proving that the clerks OF two
departments had been in the habit OF levylng
black mail to the extent OF per cent upon the
claims they allowed. Mr.. Reed said that he
made no defence for such scoundrels, they
should be hunted down without mercy; but he
added, the argument at present was not in re-
gard to men who have betrayed their trust, but
in regard to o system. The proposition was
that the appropriation provided Tor the trans
portation of troops and supplies In the Depart
ment Of Quartermaster and Commissary OF the
army, be- transferred from the War Depart
ment to the Court of Claims. Mr.. Reed object
ed to this because, from evidence furnished by
the last volume of the decisions OF the Court OF
Claims the government had been defrauded to
an amount which made the 3 per cent extor-
ton fade into insigniicance. Mr. Reed be-
lieves that the safest and best way is for the
government to send its officers to that part OF
the country from which the claims come, to in
vestigte them upon the spot. That is the way
in which more than thirty thousand claims
have been decided. Gentlemen say this sys-
tenn is corrupt. point to the aggregate results
as showing the absolute want OF foundation Tor
such assertion" There were claims to the nun
Der of almost ffty-four thousand, of which only
a little more than eleven thousand have been
approved, and only fifteen per cent OF the
amount claimed had been allowed. That is,
when eight and a half millions had been claim
ed only four and half had been allowed, and
when only such percentage had been paid no
man living could assert the existence OF any
system of bribery.
Mr.. Reed added, earnestly, in a voice that
commanded attention: "Now, Mr.. Chairman,
let not this body be stampeded. recollect the
time when in the forty fifth Congress, the gen.
tleman from Illinois (Mr. Eden) not now here,
emulous of the fame of the gentleman from In
diana (Mr Holman) who is here, used to get
up If a Republican claim happened to be pre-
sented, and shout "Fraudl' and the whole
house went in body against it; and when our
friends would get up and say Rebel! the whole
House would go against it. Let us be govern
ed by sense of reason in this thing, and not
by folly"