The Abilene reflector. [volume] (Abilene, Kan.) 1883-1888, 1884-06-05
Speculative Statesmen.

After the close of the war we had am
era of Christian craftsmanship. The
Republican 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
department in the presiding chair OF
the Senate gave the daily sessions the
semblance of 8 prsyer-meetlng.
There was Vice President Prof
Schuyler Colfax, with an ever-present
beatihc smile which seemed to lift its
possessor above all worldly desires and
folies, and impaired to his counte-
nance the appearance OF q Perpetua1
paternoster.
There were the devout Dawes. tho
pious Boutwell,, the upright Kelley,
with Hoar, Sherman, Bingham. Pome-
roy and others, sll duly recorded ON
the calendar of political saints.
Unfortunately. Credit Mobilier got
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 stock-broker's Office. A
Secretary of the Treasury leaves tbs
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
porstions. A Commissioner of In
ternal Revenue throws up his position
for the purpose of prosecuting claims
against the Government and securing
heavy fees through his familiarity W tn
the weak points in the Government
armor.
The evidences of TIE specu3ati1o
political era crop out in other wsys-
Shrewd operators interested in heavy
litigation buy a seat on the Supreme
Court Bench for liberal sum for q
Judge they can use. Spectators in
mines, manufacturing companies, Ma
tional banks and railroads purchase
seats in the United States Senate. Con-
gressmen like Blaine and Edmunds vote
for land grants to railroads and then
speculate in bonds and stocks of the
benefited corporations. Judges on the
Bench and representatives of the people
in the halls of legislation render
decisions and pass laws in the interest
of enterprises in which they have 8
pecuniary stake.
Just now there is sort of Credit
Mobilier corner on speculative states
manShip, as there was some years ago
on Christian craftsmanship. In one
days paper we read of the bankruptcy
of the car manufacturing company of
the speculative Chairman of the Repub-
licau National Committee, United States
Senator Sabin. for several million dol
lars: of the complete failure of the
stock-bruker' firm of the great COM
mander of our armies. ex-President
Grant, for ten million dollars; of the
small smash-up of the brokerage
business of John F. Smyth. the ex-
Chairman of the Republican State Com
mittee, and of the caving-in of a syndi-
cate to speculate in coal lands and cor
ner lots, composed of Garfelds late
con fdential agent. Thomas l.. Nichols,
Ex-Governor Charley Foster, of Ohio,
the Republican ex-Speaker Keifer. Sem
ator Plumb. of Kansas, and Wooopulp
Warner Miller, United States Senator
from the great State of New York!
Alas, it looks as if the era of specu-
latiye craftsmanship were destined to
be no more substantial than the era of
Christian states ranship, AMI as if the
Republican politicians who in the pres
ent day trade in stocks, cal lands,
corner lots and car manufacturing COM
panies were doomed to rs hopeless
bankruptcy as overlook the Republican
politicians who traded n religion and
morality a few years ago. - ~ 2
World.