Year: 1876

The Herculean labor of cleansing the
Augean stables was mere childs play as
compared with the task Of purifying the
Democratic Legislative ticket, which was
undertaken to appease popular wrath at the
collection of bummers who were presented
as the exemplars of the Confederate idea Of
Reform. The immensity of the job was
fully appreciated, and hence not less than
100 men we're appointed to grapplo with it.
But even this strength in numbers did not
screw Democratic courage to the sticking
point, and there we're only twenty-one in all
who had the temerity to confront the bum
mers. The exceptional heroism Of the twen-
ty-ono is accounted for mainly BY the fact
that they gathered rather to protect than to
"bounce," IS the result showed. Those on
hand were the usual lot Of PEnRY SMITHS,
MILES KEHoEs, PAT RArFERTYs, GooDE1Ls,
CAMERoss, land sich." so that it is
not surprising that the process of puri-
fication was of nature to leave
the ticket more foul and offensive,
if possible, than it was before. The Con-
federate organ in this city charged, day or
two ago, that the Committee on Legislative
Smells had been made up in the interest Of
certain aspirants for the United States SEN
ate, and there was not much hope for i'm
provement. The result shows that the Con-
federate organ was pretty well informed, and
leaves even the pretense Of publication ut
terly ridiculous and preposterous.


It was admitted by decent men Of all par-
ties that the ticket, as presented, was an in
suit to the intelligence of this community
and a disgrace to the politics Of the day.
Yet there were only two or three changes
made, and these were adopted not for the
purpose of getting rid Of SO many bummers,
but for the purpose Of adding some of the
G1eenback candidates, the further to
carry ont the compact between the
Democrats and Greenbackers to get
control of the Legislature, as they
did two years ago. Thus DAr, who mny
fairly claim that he is no nlore>of hummer
than EszEsnAcHER, SEXTON, and half dozen
others who were retained, WIS crowded of
in the First District to make room for one
BRowN, who had been nominated by the
Greenbackers. So the Withdrawal Of EVANS,
the candidate for Senator in the Fourth Dis
trict, was simply used to foist another Green
back NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS. the ticket.
These were about all the changes that were
made except to add Ton MORAN as a second
candidate for the House in the Second Dis
trict, counting upon the Democratic notion
that THOMAS will be extensively ss cut :" be-
cause he is colored man.


Thus terminates the farce of sitting the
Democratic local ticket It never was any
thing more than pretense. Anybody who
is familiar with the class Of Performers
hereabouts-the fellows who nominate man
like Hoxmfor Con gress-knows that the Leg
islative ticket is fair representation Of Dem
ocratic purposes and aspirations. It could
not be improved or purified without endan-
gering large part Of the Democratic vote.
It certainly could not be changed|for the bet
ter without interfering with certain Demo-
cratic convictions that the hummer has the
first lien upon public Office. The personnel Of
the Legislative ticket could not be materially
altered without playing havoc with certain
combinations which have in view not so
much the exsctions Of 1aw-making as the
defeat Of Republican as the successor to
Gen. LOGAN in the United States Senate.
To this end, and to further the ambition of
certain gentlemen who regard personal pre-
ferment as superior to municipal welfare,
tho ne7nocrets ara seeking to send q lot of