The Colfax chronicle. [volume] (Colfax, Grant Parish, La.) 1877-1981, 1884-08-09

After the close of the war we had an |
ara of Christian craftsmanship. Inc
Renublican leaders went into the busi-
ness of sanctification and emulated the
'umbleness of Uriah Heep.
There was the Reverend Vice-Presi-
dent. Henry Wilson, the moral shoe
maker. unctuous with holiness, whose
deportment in the presiding chair OF
the Senate gave the daily sessions the
semblance Of q prayer-meetiDg.
There was Vice President Prof.
| SCHUYLER Colfax, with an ever-prcsent
beatific smile which seemed to lift its
nossessor above all worldly desires and
follies. and impaired to his counte.
nance the appearance OF perpetoAA
patern0ster.
There were the devout Dawes the
pious Boutwell,, the upright Kelley
with Hoar, Sherman. Bingham. Pome-
roy and others, all duly recorded on
the calendar Of political saints.
Unfortunately, Credit Mobilier got 2
corner on Christian craftsmanship, and
political holiness. in the language OF
the street, was ''wiped out"
We are now in an era of speculative
Craftsmanship. A President OF the
United States steps out Of the White
| House into q stockholders Office. A
, Secretary of the Treasury leaves the
: Cabinet to try his luck at building. .
new Stock Exchange in New York.
) Judges resign from the bench to accept
: richly paid sinecures in railroad cor
3 pcrations. A Commissioner of In
ternal Revenue throws up his position
, for the purpose of prosecuting claims
t AGAINST the Government and securing
s heavy fees through his familiarity with
' the weak points in the Government
0 armor.
Q The evidences of the speculative
/ political era crop out in other ways.
Shrewd operators interested in heavy
: LITIGATION buy . seat on the Supreme
r Court Bench for liberal sum for {
: Judge they can use. Spectators II
Q mines. manufacturing companies, Ma
d tionai banks and railroads purchase
J, seats in the United States Senate. Con
.r cressmen like Blaine and Edmunds vot'
Q for land grants to railroads and ther
It speculate in bonds and stocks Of tn
d benefited corporations. Judges on tn
Is Bench and representatives Of the peopl'
in the halls of legislation rende
n decisions and pass laws in the interes
e of enterprises in, which they have
pecuniary stake :.
e. Just now there is q sort of Cred
ss Mobilier corner on speculative states
% man shin, as there was some years ag
Is on Christian craftsmanship. In on
= davis paper we read of the bankruptc
II of the car manufacturing company {
ID the speculative Chairman of the Repuf
( licau National Committee, United State
4 Senator Sabin, for several million do
% lars; of the complete failure OF th
/ stock-brvker' firm OF the great con
IL mander of our armies. ex-PresideE
Lax Grant, for ten million dollars OF tn
small smash-up Of the stock-brokerag
business Of John F. Smyth. the e.
ID Chairman of the Republican State Con
mittee, and of the caving-in of synd
90 cate to speculate in coal lands and CO
) uer lots, composed of Garfield's la
confidential agent. Thomas L. Nichol
1o, Ex-Governor Charley Foster, of Obi
a. the Republican ex-Speaker Keller. Sci
~, ator Plumb. of Kansas, and Woodpu
no Warner Miller, United States Senat'
~; from the great State of New York!
sv Alas. it looks as il the era of spec
~ lative craftsmanship were destined
~ be no more substantial than the era
T.. Christian craftsmanship. and as if Il
-. Republican politicians who in the pre-
- emit day trade in stocks, coal land
,h corner lots and car manufacturing col
~. panies were doomed to as h0pele
~ bankruptcy IS overlook the Republics
lie politicians who traded in religion al
the morality few years ago.-N. Z. Worl