The national Republican. [volume] (Washington City [D.C.]) 1866-1870, 1869-04-23

II Will be known some day how wise and
true, how sound and sensible man this ma
tlon possesses In Mr.. Frederick Douglass.
In intellectual vlgor, In ripe experience, In
tried patriotism, and above all In the precious
quality OF common sense, he has few supe-
riors among the public men Of his time.
We have known him long and wcll-not
merely as thousands of his fellow-country-
men know him, by mere superficial acquaint-
ance, but through and through to the hearts
core; and II Frederick Douglass Is not one
Of natures great men, then there exists no
such thing as that which Milton denomi-
mates "noblo mind"
President Grant, with business and
courage infinitely to his credit, In making
up his list Of foreign ministers, named
among them two men Of an un-Saxon skin.
We presume that If the nation had expected
any such appointments 10 be made, the gen.
cral voice would have named Mr.. Douglass
for the Haytlan mission. The only excuse
which tho Government can render for not
Offering him the post was tho public an
nouncement, made apparently by authority
Of Mr.. Douglass himself, that he would not
accept the offer II made. We ourselves put
implicit faith In this alleged decllnature, for
we knew that Mr.. Douglass could not accept
the mission without large pecuniary sacri-
fee to HIMSELF and, moreover, We wanted to
sec him where hc more properly belonged,
and where at least one man OF his race
ought to bc-and that is, In the Presidents
Cabinet.
With characteristic modcsty, aud from an
habitual unwillingncss to push himself for
ward, or to become In any way, however In
directly, party to his own nomination, or q
solicitor for his own promotion, Mr.. Doug
lass, at q distance of thousand miles west
of Washington, quietly peruscd the multi
tudinous telegraphic dispatches which so
diligently asserted his unwilllngness to serve
the Government In any capacity; and II was
not until after Mr.. Bassett was both nomina-
ted and confirmed, and thus made safe from
all unsettlement that Mr.. Douglass dropped
to the editor Of the Independent private
note, saying; at Is quite true that 1 never
sought this office, or any ether but II is
equally true that i never declined III; and II
Is also true that would have accepted, had
II been offered"
cation. We publicly print them for tho sake
of saying, on our own responsibility, that
some Of Mr.. Bassetts friends at Washington
1--WE sincerely hope without Mr.. Bassett's
knowledge borrowed some Of the meanest
arts of whittier men In order to deceive the
Government into belief that Mr.. Douglass
would not entertain an offer Of the Haytian
or any other mission. A cunning fraud was
thus practiced, not only upon Mr.. Douglass,
have nothing to say against Mr.. Bassett,
whom we have never seen, but we are the
sworn enemies Of political craft, chicanery
and false pretence, and we desire to brand as
1t deserves the successful knavery which
has defrauded the nation Of the services OF
one Of It's ablcst, noblest and greatest men,
W Y. Independent, 4prR22.
FISHING IN THE MIssIssIPPI.-A Musca.
tine gentlemen wri ties to the Chicago Post.
After the waters Of the Mississippi river
get out Of their usual banks In the Spring of
the year, they cover a big extent of country.
So long rs the river rises, the pickerel run
up the sloughs, and out into the shallow
places In great numbers. It Is o common
saying here now that the pickerel In the
bottom are so thick they've got to climbing
trees! But as they come browsing around,
so to say, In the shallow places, they are shot
by the sportsmen In great numbers. Upon
being shot they Immediately "keel over"
as the saying Is, when the sportsman wades
in, or sends his dog In, to bringthem out; for,
If only stunned, as is often the case, they
will revive quickly, and then of they go.
As soon as the river ceases to rise, the
pickerel every one vanish. They have an
instinct which impels them back Into the
main stream the moment the river stops
rising. They do not wait for 1t TO begin to
fall. II usually remains at precisely the
same stage for two Or three days. But this
makes no difference. Unless tho river be
actually rising, there will not be a plckerel
found nosing around in the shallow places,
not one.
We have a kind of fish here which bark.
They are hence called dog fish. They are
the meanest fish which swim, but are very
plenty. They are of no account as food,
being among fishes about as disreput able as
the turkey buzzard among birds, but as they
gobble great many minnows when one is
fishing for pickerel or salmon, they may be
counted among the most successful promoters
Opportunity extant.
Miss CLARA LOUISE KELLOGG, after con-
sentlng to sing In New York for the benefit
Of the Cuba revolutionists, reeonsldered the
matter, and refused because the gentleman
with whom she has contracted her profess
sional services had engaged to bring her out
at Havana next autumn, In which case any
apparent manifestation of sympathy for the
insurgents here would be likely to prejudice
her popularity.