Herald and tribune. [volume] (Jonesborough, Tenn.) 1869-current, 1886-03-18
BLOOMING DEMOCRACY.
THE REFORM" ADMINISTRA-
TON.
How Some of Its Representatives Look In
the Light Of Recent Developments.

A writer in the Cincinnati Commercial
Gazette lifts the curtain for an instant and
! discloses some of the Democratic stars as
they appear behind the scenes. You are
invited to take a peep.
No matter how far Mr.. Cleveland $
celebrated bull neck may carry him in
defying public opinion and the public
verdict in the case of Attorney General
Garland, the days OF that mans useful
ness are over. To-day he is burden
upon the Administration, the party and
the people, while Mr.. Payne goes about
his business, and expresses scorn ard
contempt for charges and investigations,
and even attempts to be facetious under
the gathering shadow of the black storm
bearing down upon him from the West.
He finds warrant for such conduct in the
Presidents treatment of the charges and
developments against the Attorney Cen
eral The President has shown no sign
of anxiety to see to the purity of his own
household. In his own party organs he
sees his highest legal adviser assailed and
denounced, he hears the proofs and reads
the letters, he hears the outcry of the
country, regardless Of party, and he set
ties his neck in his NJ. 10 collar and says
fn ahn
The public is not through with Mr. Gar
land. 1t has only begun. The Pan
Electric Telephone is but one of several
things.
That he is in this trouble the President
has no one to blame but himself. He had
fair and full warning. He no doubt re-
members the charges that were printed
! against Mr.. Garland when that officials
name was being canvassed as Cabinet
possibility, and he must dread their re-
production on top of the telephone affair.
Had Mr.. Cleveland needed the rumors
then current, he would not be in his pres
ent predicament. 1t will be remembered
that Mr.. Garland, when a Senator, was
alleged to have approached Attorney
General Brewster with proposition that
the Department of Justice should certify
to letter which had no official existence,
Mr.. Brewster is said to have refused in
dignantly to use the name of the depart
ment as he knew, and Senator Garland
knew, that the letter would be used as
evidence to confirm the titles to certain
Arkansas lands in which Mr.. Garland's
children were interested. While there
was no direct evidence in this transaction
to show that Senator Garland was con
scious of wrong doing, yet Attorney Gen
eral Brewster was much surprised and
scandalized at the dullness of man so
prominent in official life who would think
of doing what Mr.. Garland tried to do.
Another thing he will not be'pcrmitted
to forget, and that is Mr.. Garland's s con-
nection with the Augusta Air Line Rail-
road. Mr.. j. H. Staples, bright and
able young attorney of North Carolina,
was the counsel for this road before the
U. S. Supreme Court He was also an
applicant for a position under this Ad-
ministration. He staid here in Washing
ton, as others in his condition did, for
many weary weeks at heavy expense, un-
til he became almost desperate. He
wanted one of the legal positions under
the Government, and from his ability and
great prominence in North Carolina poll
tics he and his friends had every reason
to expect he would be given something
handsome But it did not come. He
got plenty of fair words and golden
promises, but nothing real or tangible.
Finally something transpired. 1t APP
pears that he transferred bis attorneyship
in the case of the Augusta Air Line
Railroad to Attorney General Garland,
the latter accepting a retaining fee of
$500. Very soon after that Mr., Staples
was appointed TO Judgeship in Arizona
or rather offered it, and promptly declin.
ed. The Attorney General has appeared
before the Supreme Court and argued
the case. Meanwhile Mr.. Staples has
been appointed assistant attorney of the
Danville system, with big salary, and
is happy as clam at high tide, and snaps
his fingers at the politicians and political
officers.
So we have the Attorney General from
Arkansas practicing in the Supreme
Court in one case, and Senator Morgan,
of Alabama, practicing before the de-
partments as the paid attorney of land
steal, and manipulating the same matter
in his committee in the Senate; and Sen
ator Harris, of Tennessee up to his ears
in the Pan Electric scandal along with
the Attorney General from Arkansas;
and Senator Call, of Florida, trying to
rob poor man of his home, and over
head in land-grabs; and the Secretary of
the Navy flying by night to New York to
straighten himself out in the Broadway
street-car franchise scandal; and the
Secretary of State, from Delaware, cx-
posed as the paid adviser in the gigantic
Maxwell land grant steal-all this, with
several back counties to hear from. Oh!
we are blooming old reform Admins
tration, we arel