August 4: L. B.—The Cliques.
a The worst, and the womb of all evils is the Weed-Seward clique. Around it group contractors, jobbers, shoddy, and all kinds of other social impurities.
b The ambitious, intriguing, selfish, narrow-minded West Point clique.
c The not brave, not patriotic, and freedom-hating, unintelligent McClellan clique.
d Copperheads of various hues and gradations.
Cliques a, b, and c, generated and fostered Copperheads, and facilitated their expansion.
e Imbeciles, lickspittles, politicians, etc.
f The Lincolnites, closely intertwined with the genus e; the Blair men, etc.
g The partisans of Chase. This clique is the most variously and most curiously composed. Honest imbeciles, makers of phrases, rhetors, heavy and narrow-minded, office-hunters, office expectants, politicians, contractors, admirers of pompousness and of would-be radicalism, all who turn round and round, and see not beyond their noses, etc.
Several minor cliques exist, but deserve not to be mentioned. Behind these mud-hills rises the true people, as the Himalayas rise above the plains of Asia.