The evening telegraph. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1864-1918, 1866-12-13
Tho Hundred Dollars Worth Of Tur-
veydrOp.

Department is good thing, as all good
schoolooys know, and Turveydrop has his mis-
sion as well as other people. But Turveydrop
in the Department of State, pulling out his
ruffled shirt-fTont, and adjusting his wrist
bands at the expense OF the Treasury, is spec
tacle more sgmptuous than satisfactory. We
have little doubt that the stationery account of
the Government would prove that the ex-
penses of the civil war were considerably
PLAY ing TDrVeydTOp in his dispatches; and II is
certain that the country has been made 10 pay
a good deal more money than it will cost
to keep John H. Surratt on his voyage
ION EgS pit 10 America for the sole purpose of
enabling secretary Seward to strike an imposing
attitude 10 his corresdondence with our Consul
General at Alexandria about the arrest of that
individual. Dispatches by the Atlantic cable
are paid for at the rate OF half dollar in gold
per tetttr, and any public servant, therefore, who
has such dispatches to send, Will taEe at least
as much pans If he has any proper sense of his
responsibilities to use the lewest possible words,
as he would ii he were telegraphng about his pri-
vae affairs. Consu.Generul Hale, who ar
rested Surratt at Alexandria, did precisely this
thing. His despatch by the cable was couched
in these terns-
"To seward, Washington:-
"Have arrested John surratt, one of President
Lincon's assassins.
"No doubt of ldeDtty. HALE,
Alexandria"
Here was all that needed to be said, clearly
and briefly said, and at the least possible cost.
Now mark Secretary Stewards reply, despatched
by cable the same day.
"Sir;-The Secretary of the Navy has instructed
Admiral Godsborough to send proper national
O med vessel to Alexandra receive from YOU
John ii. Surratt, citizen of the United States who
ls IN your custody as an arrested fugitive, and
charged with the cr me of assassination OF the late
Ablahsm Lincoln, President OF the United States
and OF al attempt to 0ssassinate William Ii. Seward
Secre airy OF sta of the United ates in the month
OF April, 1865 You will deilver the before. named
to the commander of the vessel upon his reporting
to You his arrival at Alexandra.
~ am, SIR, your o6edient servant,
civilian IL SEWARD.
ITO Mr. Charles Hale, of Alexandra, Egypt.
Here ls a penn'orth OF words to the purpose
drenched with an intoerabe deal OF washy YER
biaee, TO the tune of more than Sl60 in gold for
It's transmission from America 10 Eng land alone
bill o. items might be probably made odt upon
tnis despatch, as tollows:-
The People OF The United States,
To 'Curveydrop, DR..
To calling Mr.. bale "Sir" $3.50
To describing ship as national armed
yesseln 1000
To recit,ng the birth, general behavior,
and alleged crime OF Surratt, and in
forming MIR. Hale that Mr.. Lincoln was
President OF the United States 137'0G
To protesting that Mr.. Seward is Mr..
Hale's ''obedient servant" which we
do not believe he Is 1850
Total for department. Sl61OO
A couple of hundred dollar in gold, it will be
said, is small matter to a nation which has
buiit up bigger, debt in i've years than any
other people ever did in century. Precisely
SO. But somebody has TO pay these two hun
dred dollars in eolG; and that somebody, or
those somebodies, if the liberty of choice were
allowed them, might possibly 6nd q more re-
munerative employment Tor their dollars-more
remuneratve to themselves and to their coun-
try. And the vital point of the matter is thi-,
that an official who was considerably honest
and in an official, want of consideration is want
OF honesty, would have remembered that these
two hundred dollars in gold which he was
spending on his shirt rutlles were Lot his to
spend. OF comse, however, it is belittling and
worthy only OF Copperheads and ordinary G iris.
tians 10 expect that a man, or party OF 'great
molal IDEAS" should have any time or thought
to waste on a mere matter of common honesty
liz