Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1867-08-19
LETTER FROM OHIO.

fine building used as u. 5. arsenal there
are considerable ground attached, ard addition
al buildings are in process OF erection Near
bv. is fine grove where pic.nics are held.
Every where 20, base ball ii beng played;
the fever is worse out here than with you, loE
really think thele is a match game every al
ternoon. Older men play here than with U.s.
TOO, and | am told that the doctors, lawyers
Teachers and even clergymen OF the ONO
towns are to be found lat the bat az often as
at the bedside, the bar, the desk, or The pulpit.
| I met in Urbana, the other day, a youth with
| q terribly disfgured eye which |, at once, SET
| down TO base ball! The next day, on looking
at the town paper, | saw that was right; in
trying to catch ball on the Fly, the first base
and short stop had come into violent collision,
to the destruction OF the eye Of the one and
the mouth Of the other.
One of the things which has struck Inc most
in the West is the number OF slang words,
new 10 me, in common use in the newspapers.
For instance, drunkard figures in the police
reports, as q "galoot;' whiskey is "beuzlne
and to drink it is to "hist." Personalities
abound, and the only people who are spoken OF
with peculiar favor are those who present The
'loca' with suit Of clothes, hat, or a box
of cigars.
Before | turn my steps homeward, your
readers will doubtless expect Inc to give them
some idea of the state Of politics hercaGOuts
This cannot very we'll d. az have conversed
with comparatively few people; but | tcel sure
from what | have seen and heard, that re- &C
ton, it may be slow one, IS going on, and
that if the Democratic ticket is not elected in
October, the Republican majority will be
greatly diminished The Democrats are run
ming for Governor, Judge Thurman, Of this
CITY, an able and csimube man, against whom
nothing seems to be alleged except that he OPP
posed the war, ami that bis vile was coulnu-
ally on the road to Camp Chase, carrying PIES
and cakes to the poor, sick prisoners there.
The Republicans run Gen. Hayes 4 Radical,
Of courst though whether Of the "advlnccd'
party or not. | am not Informed.
There is, also, to be voted on IN October, All
amendment to the State Constitution, permit
ting negroes to vote, and excluding rebels.
NuW, as there are but about 10000 4. nlt male
negroes in the State their admission to the
ballot box cannot he at all dangerous, aud Is
mere matter Of taste but SC prcjudiced against
the negro are many OF these wise and just
Radicals who have just forced into our pohtl-
cal arena, almost, II not quite, majority or
wholly uneducated men, that 1t is universally
conceded that the amendment will be rejected,
and that the few educated and we'll conducted
colored people who reside here. will be thus
continued, by their special friends, in the inte-
rior osifion they now occupy. Charity don't
seem 10 begin at home out here.
| have watched, particularly, since L have
been here, what degree CT association there vas
between the white aud colorcd people, and |
can truly say that there is less than there has
always been with US There WAS procession
Of culored people in Urbana whilst vas
there, and | saw boys picking up pebbles to
throw at them as they passed all act which
had it occurred with u, wonld have beeO
clIoncled III the N0rthern papers as evidence
| CT the nEst Intense dlsloyalty.
The procession vas about the smallest have
ever seen it consisted 0! tour mounted mar
shals tour men in buggies; five III county
wagon two on horseback aid three foot
carrying flags, with band, OF perhaps doZcn
performers, LII all, pclhaps, there we've %
| persons. fiDEll;.
CALIFORNIA WINES. The San Francisco
correspondent Of the Chicago Tribune lays
''rhc sing valley Sonora produces annual
ly over Il million gallons OF wine, and The total
; product OF the State this year, IN spite Of a
short crop Of grapes in aouie localities will be
from :, 1900 900 to 100000 gallons. To this
yon may add 100, 900 gallons Of brandy reirr-
! senting nearly million more gallons Of winc
and you may then form some idea Of the grape
growing interest of California; and Yet it i" in
its infancy. In few years We shall produce
| 100, O0O,OOO gallons OF VINE annually, or even
| more.
WASHINGTON lrEMS On Friday, water
was let into the Washington Aqnelnat from
the Great Falls, for the first time. AT present
| it will be let in in small quantities only as the
water IL new, but in few days it will be let in
in full force The supply will be much greater
than it ever has been.
Quite I sensation was produced last week,
| in the Treasury Department. by the discharge
of sixty clerks, about half of them being females
The discharge was made on account Of scarcity
Of employment tor them. Ii is expected that
about fifty more will be dismissed Tor The same
reason this week.
A large granite plaster for the north front
Of the Treasury Department, weighing upwards
of thirty tons, was broken in halt on Saturday
night in mysterious manner. Another to
replace it will have TO be brought all the Way
| fror Dix Island, Maine.
1t is understood that on Tomorrow there
will be meeting Of the members Of the bar
of this District to oppose the purposes and
plands Of the meeting which was held last
Tuesday, and which had under consideration
the suspension Of Mr.. Bradley from praclcing
| in the Criminal Court of this District.
| 1t is stated that carbolic acid has recently
been successfully used near Railway, New Jer-
scy, for the determination OF mosquitoes and
flies. \ small piece of cloth, saturated with
the acid was hung up in room, and in two
hours the flies had intirely disappeared. In the
| evening the acid was tried in the Kitchen,