Muscatine weekly journal. [volume] (Muscatine, Iowa) 185?-1890, 1863-06-12
Correspondence of the Daily Journal
FROM WASHINGTON.

|
Coming Stale Cnventi0n-etc, etc.
WASHINGTON, June 5.
The telegraph is great institution, but |
notice it resembles us poor christians marve.-
ously, in respect that it has many sins 10 an
swer for, both of omission and commission.
There was your neighboring city of Davcn-
port, for instance, went off at the handle not
many weeks ago, and had high old time.
generally upon the telegraphic fall of r CHI
mond. So motto, that Burlington has since
been equally jubilant over the reported cap
ture of Vicksburg. Other cities were taken
in by the same telegrams-wicked lies, re-
sultng in terrible revulsion of feeling, and
which cannot be too severely condemned.
Then again it omits to state a great many
great things, which would at all events do less
harm than the lies positive. Here is a little
incident of the sort: A portion of the negro
regiment now being organized here, was Or
dered into camp beyond Georgetown, a few
days ago. While quietly marching thther,
without arms, they were attacked by lot of
Georg eown rowdies, who got most soundly
thrashed and beautifully pounded for their
pains They now respect negro t. oops And
we have had another panic at Washington,
too Rumor was, that the rebels were forti-
| flying Munson's Hill, and that our troops
were actually blockading the streets of Alex
andria OF course it was all a lie, but the
panic here was immense, Notwithstanding
| Why didn't the telegraph inform the country
of the terrible suffering Of this chicken heart
ed city, should like to know? Shall cabinet
officers bubber, shall the heads of bureaus
pack up their buds fora journey on the peace
ably -if,;hey can orcibly- -they-must princi
pie, shall there be fearful looking for rebel
atrocities on the part of such devoted and
money making patriots as have referred to,
and the whole country not know of it? |
protest and by these presents do solemnly
protest, that such course is treating the
chronic disease of this city with papable and
gross inattention. AS for your correspond
ent, he has not sojourned here these many
months for nothing. lie is as impurturbable
as Doric column at the Patent Office, and
neither by good news nor bad can be moved
OF from his trust in our only reliance-the
God of heaven and the Western armies.
This city is a more miserable place, take it all
in all, than ever was the city of Sodom Or Of
Gomorrah. Now whilst our friends and
neighbors are being baptized in fire and
blood before the works of Vicksburg-when
the very country holds its breath in anxious
solcitude as to the result, Or weeps in con-
temptation of the fearful slaughter which has
taken place-egen at such a time, the
base political wire pullers are intent upon
schemes for securing the next Presidency
tits the somew hat fabulous story of Nero tid-
ding over the burning of Rome more than
realized. Mr.. Seward has been off on this
atrocious business, and Mr. Montgomery
Blair could not resist the temptation of the
Cleveland convention because he might
there do some manipulations in the same
line. 1t is shabby business in any body. We
look upon it as simply horrible in such men
as Mcclellan, Val andgham and Fernando
Wood. l cannot just now recollect any late
act of earnest patriotism on the part of either
the Secretary of State or of the Post Master
General which gives the one or the other
a specia! title to set the Presidential machine
in motion at this particular time. It is a sad
spectacle, these cold cherries, heartless poll
ticians laying pipes for a political campaign
while the country is bleeding at every pore
I shall take occasion before long to give your
readers some of the particulars touching these
schemes.
: 1t seems to be agreed that the President
has consented to give Gen. Fremont a CON-
mand. 1t is understood that he will; have the
organization and control of negro army. So
everybody says. doubt it. Halleck is his
deadly foe, and if any man can put his finger
on a member of the Cabinet who is his friend,
| should like to know who it is. When Ere
mont gets his command, it will be time
enough to rejoice.
Here is an article from this mornings
Chronicle I'D
ut is very common practice with the an
principled opponents of the Administration,
while directly charging the mistakes of the
Generals and the failure of an assault or cam
pal IN upon the authorities at Washington"
to give General the whole credit of a sue
cess, and attribute it to the fact that his scene
Of operations is remote from Washington, and
beyond the influence and control of the au-
thorties here. The idea betrays great igno-
race or greater disingenuousness. Yet it has
been so often repeated that many have adopt
ed it, therein evincing that want Of reflection
which is our too common failing as people.
1t may be worth while, therefore, to recall to
the public mind the fact that no General how
ever remote from these headquarters, is in
least the degree removed from the influence
Of the authorities here 1t is a military i'm
possibility that he should be. He acts under
orders as directly as the General who is
within a few hours ride of the Capital !;
and the supreme military authority is at least
as much entitled to praise for a successful
campaign in the Southwest as to censure
for an unsuccessful one in Virginia"
There is loyalty above the comprehen-
sion of a depraved politician whose thrift has
for many years been as rapid as his fawn-
ing has been abiect. There is an independ-
ent spirit of patriotism which visits not the
high places of political power which neither
pliers, nor peculates, nor clothes itself in fine
linen, nor fares sumptuously every day;
which is as true to the country as the mother
to her first-born; and which may never be
appreciated by the Chevalier Forney, or such
as he. Men who are thus loyal and patriotic
without money and without price despise the
lick-spittler who penned the above disgusting
libel upon the army of the West now before
Vicksburg. This thing of men directing
movements thousands of miles distant with
the facility of topper taking his toddy, and
egregiously failing in directing far less i'm
poltant movements right under their own
noses is long since played out. But Mr..
John W. Forney gets magnifcently paid for
his fawning, and, as is very proper in the
commercial sense, he fawns about as magnif-
Gently as Seward lies.
I hope my readers will not have thought,
from the heading, that purpose informing
the good loyal people of Iowa who they ought
to nominate, or what they ought to do at the
Convention called for the 18th instant. As
Charley Bowen said, upon the receipt of
fine present shortly after the famous torpedo
case at Cincinnati, of which your citizens
will have lively recollection, "None Of your