Gloucester County Democrat. (Woodbury, N.J.) 1878-1932, 1899-03-23

Joe Cannon Ik Trying to Figure Out
That 1t WAS Economical, but He
Can't Work Miracles-Eyes of the
ToiIing Taxpayer Are Open-Cen-
sus Offers Hope to Few ssPatriots.r
A Democratic Hero.
Especial Washington letter.
Latter day Republicanism may be
not inappropriately or incorrectly de-
fined as abnormal appetite for public
pap. The appetite grows with what it
feeds on.
The most extravagant congress that
ever assembled in America has just
passed into odoriferous history, making
what one member not inaptly termed
ssa riot of expenditures Uncle Joe
Cannon is doing his everlasting best to
figure 1t out that it was an economical
congress, but while Uncle Joseph is like
another Joe Major Joe Bagstock-
s'sly, sir, devilish sly, he can't work
miracles, and all the lightning ealcula-
tors who have lived since the muItipli-
cation table was invented cannot shut
the eyes of the toiling taxpayers to the
fact that their hard earned money is
thrown away with reckless hand. So
Uncle Joe might as well lay aside his
pencil and his pad and begin to realize
the fact that an awful trouncing awaits
the Republican party at the hands of a
long suffering and outraged people.
The papers say that there were 80, :
600 applications for the few hundred
new second lieutenancies provided for
in the army reorganization bill The
appetite Of Office among the Republic
ans is surely appalling. 1t is safe to say
that every one Of those second lieuten-
ancies was promised before the bill was
passed promised to Republican states
men with a pull, most frequently
for some of the kith and kin-for Re
publican nepotism is growing as rapidly
as Republican appetite.
There ought to be a law passed that
nobody shall be appointed to a federal
Office, great or small, who is related by
blood or marriage to the president. vice
president, cabinet member, Judge of any
United States court, foreign minister
or ambassador, United States senator,
representative in congress or any other
person gaoiding great office Hnder the
general government while he holds such
Office. / am in favor of giving the boys
of thu land fair chance, which they
will never have, dead sure pop. as long
as the fat places go to ''the sons of
their fathers This is matter for the
voters to ponder, and cordially invite
their attention to it.
Strange BedfeIl0vs In Politics.
Ex-Governor Merriam Of Minnesota
has been appointed director of the cen
sus. He has or will have about 8, 900
places to bestow, and there will be
about 300, 900 applications for them.
Republican appetite again
The pressure of the atmosphere is not
equal to Republican pressure for place
1t is said that politics makes strange
bedfellows. This is illustrated forcibly
in the case Of General Walker of Vir-
ginia, who recently shot man and
was shot himself. He once commanded
the famous ''stone wall brigade He
has served two terms in congress as a
Republican, was one of the most bitter
partisans in the house, was defeated last
fall, and in his contest wounds a man
unto death and is sorely wounded him
self. Strange companionship truly is
his-where truth is stranger than fc-
tionl
turn away from bis sad case to take
up the further consideration of Demo
cratic hero Frank Blair. Continuing
my speech on him, / said;
It is generally assumed by the wise
acres who write the histories that in
the border states the old, wealthy, prom
inent slaveholding families all adhered
to the Confederacy, and that only the
poor, the obscure natives and the inn
migrants from the north stood by the
old flag. This is a serious mistake. The
great historic dominant family connec-
tions divided, thereby making confusion
worse confounded. Prominent people
wore the Confederate gray. Others just
as prominent wore the Union blue.
Southerners who Wore the Blue.
DR.. Robert J. Breckenridge, the great
sheologian with decided and incurable
bias for politics, who presided over the
Republican national convention of 1854,
which nominated Abraham Lincoln and
Andrew johnson, was stanch Union
man. Two of his sons achieved high
rank in the Confederate armies and
two others in the Union armies.
His illustrious cousin, John G. Breck-
inridge, resigned his seat in the United
States senate to become a lieutenant
general in the southern army, while
James s. jackson, representative from
the Green River district. resigned his
seat in the house to become brigadier
in the Union army and died hero's
death, leading his division on the hard
fought field of Perryville.
Rodger Hanson. the eloquent, became
a Confederate general and fell on the
field of his glory at Stone River. while
his brother won distinction on the 9TH
er side as general of brigade.
John j. Crittenden, the best beloved
Of Kentucky statesmen unf1inchingly
stood by the Union, while one Of his
sons wore the double stars of Union
major general, another achieving sim.
liar rank in the Confederate army.
The Henry Clay branch of the great
Clay family espoused the Confederate
cause, wsile the Cassius M. Clay branch
fought with the traditional courage Of
their race for the solidarity Of the I'm.
ion.
John Marshall Harlan, now Mr.. JUS
tice Harlan of the supreme court, with
pedigree running hack to the Cava-
liers of Jamestown, won renown on
many bloody field, fighting under
ssOld Pap Thomas. the Rock Of
Chickanauga.
In the same army were Lowell FL.
Rousseau, the ideal soldier and prince
" gentleman, and Benjamin II Bris-
tow, who missed the presidency only
by scratch and through lack of organ
ization Of his forces
Fortunes Of Cfyfi War.
I had two schooImates, older than
myself. named Dickinson, beardless
boys and hrothefs. one III whom enlisted
with Morgan as i private and the other
in the same eapaeltY n brave cid Frank