West Virginia argus. [volume] (Kingwood, W. Va.) 1877-1946, 1885-03-06


Thinks WIN Interest Statesmen aud Con-
grcsSmcn.
For some years / have advocated
orally. the abolition of the present sys-
sem of ladling out political spoils bv
which member of Congress becomes
either an Office broker or the unhappy
instrument of his constituency with
which 20 pull out hot chostnut.. Now
shat another prominent statesman lie
sides myself has attacked the question
[ feel free 10 say few words on thc
subject. not as a partisan hut as a man
whose voice has always been loud and
resonant on behalf of progress and i'm.
provement in other people.
In the matter of StatA patronage,
should not the whole of each states
quota ot appointments be disposed OF
in the State itself, subject TO the ap.
proval of the President and Congres. +.
and In conformity to the existing Civil
Service lawsP
In other words, let the applicant =
personal qualifications and political sig-
niiicancc bc passed upon whore he Is
best known, and thou let the proper
committees and appointivc power look
into his official fitness for the plac, as
provided i'm such cases. Neither Che
President nor the heads OF departments.
ns rule, can personally investigate the
home status of an asprant for appoint
mont The duty, therefore. OF prynp
into this matter and indor5mg or re.
pudiating the claims of the po'iiouor
rests upon the already overburdcncd
Congressman. So irlIsOme has this at
last become that il is about all we can
do now TO get anybody to 90 to Con-
| gress. Every man who has zone Ca
Congress for twenty years has done 40
| reluctantly. / know this, because |
have talked with several OF them, and
ON the promise that il should 20 no
further they have admitted Il to me.
Every year now swells is mnumera
| BILE army of martyrs who vearn 10 bc
of service to their distracted country.
| This would have been so even If there
had been no change i'm the political
| complexion of the Administration. NV
idea Is, therefore, to bring the producer
nearer 10 the consumer MS IT were. This
would leave the Senator or mcmbe,
I time to attend 90 his legislative duties
and also an opportunity to form the ac.
| quaintance of his family At present
the only time that Congress can really
get TO lcgislate is when IL sits with
closed doors defended by seventy-fiv,
men on the front stoop OF tho Capi,o
armed with shot-guns and orders tC
| shoot the first man who tries To clml
the front yard fence with petition.
say freely that for years my sym
| pathics have been with Congress and
yet Congress never did ANYTHING foi
me. presume that if were TO 20 M
into the Senate tomorrow and take of
my oyercoat and undertake to addrcs.
that august body, the President would
not recognize me, ana yet, thoroh
nothing i'm my power that l would moi
do for either branch of our National
Congress if it happened to be in trouble
or needed help.
| say, then, " at this never-dving nui.
sance OF alternating between The vari
Gus appointment clerks at Wa hingtDr
and morbidly restless aud hungry
constituency ought TO be- abolished, or
else the pay OF Senator aud member.
should be Increased 90 one hundred dol
lars a minute 80 that when they 90 "a
| the asylum there will be something left
/ for their distressed families to live upon.
say TO you, fellow citizens, IN Clar
ion tones, that we ought to look into this
matter az once. We do not know how
soon any one Of Us may be Congress.
men ourselves We are happy and
contcntcd now, IL is true, but others
too, have been lulled 10 rest I'm fancied
| security, only 20 awake and find them
| selves selected by cruel fate TO wrestl,
| in the pandemonium OF Congress DAYS
| and at night to wear ont the knees o
their best pantaloons petitioning a reluc
| tant Administration to do the squar,
thing by venerable constituent who
| helped 20 carry Rock Elm Center i'm tho
late election.
If our fair ship OF State is to 90 down
| In the second century Of hcr proud his
| tory, II along the shore OF remor5eles
! time her bleachCd and battered hulk {,
! TO slowly rot under the eye OF succeed
| ing empires, If her brave and Drawn,
| crew must bc swallowed up I'm th,
| green, iOam-crested pillows that hOlC
the history alike Of kingdoms and %
| men, let 10 be the result Of foreign pow
/ er and not Of cruel and criminal foil,
| at home. Let not the future historian
| write With red chalk, in letter sixtear
/ feet high, tlat America went down int,
oblivion g rcmoneless appetite the prcy
| W IioAbuEtA Dol4iltdi teNIlt on LNf
part OF 10000 900 men who yc1rncl &,
/ iil 1000, 600 offices. who filled the lu
natic asylum with members Of Congress
instead and sighed for other lunati
asylums which they might Gll with Sc
other Congressman.
Those Of who have never been sen
10 Congress ought never 10 forget other
/ less fortunate who may have been SEN
there, perhaps through mo- fault OF thch
own. We should do as we would %,
done by in this respect. and while vs.,
are enjoying ourselves through the ola,
guIctide and holiday season wo shoul,
not forget the mln who has innocentl,
became The creature of a yearDfu an,
"Ornery' constituency BUk Me-. N
Detroit Free Press
I
Another Brute.
Mrs DE Blank There now, John
just read that, and may be YOU vii
L a