The Portland daily press., 1872-12-20
Our Washington Letter.
WASHINGTON D. c., Dec 18th, 1872.

ana now lanSuisnes IN JAIL
Our Washington Letter.
WASHINGTON D. c., Dec 18th, 1872.
HARD CASE.
1t is no easy task to collect material for iet-
ter to live paper like the PRESS, in these
times of telegraphs and press associations.
CORRESPONDENT is of course expected to write
news. and it will require only moment of re-
faction on the part of the reader to understand
the discouragements that a,poor qull-driv-
ar must feel after scrubbing around here half |
a day more or less, in search of items for let
ter which he mails in the evening, only to find |
that the PRESS which reaches him next morn |
ing, aud printed two days before, contains all |
that is worth reading of the news be has labor |
ed SO hard to collect. 1t is easier to write fora
less enterprising paper
1t is true, might put = good deal of small
pox into Washington letter just now, but
your readers don't want that Or might tell
how they conduct public executions here, and
how earnestly the physician endeavors to sus-
tain the criminal by the .use Of whiskey and
camphor, while the priest administers the last
dose of religious consolation and the hangman
adjusts the moose, and how the stimulants both
spiritual and spirituous, fail of their purpose
and the assistants hold the poor wretch in po-
sition until the preparations are completed and
the trap sprung. Or how our idotfc negro is
judicially choked to death without having his
neck broken and how his long continued con-
tortions amused the cheering and jeering crowd
in the jail yard and on the adjacent house tops;
but would ther have the small pox than die
in that way SO will spare the reader the pain
of inf Sabhath several Of
preachers alluded to the recent executions in
their sermons. some in opposition and some in
support of the enforcement Of the death penal
ty; bnt even the supporters felt constrained to
apologize for that part of the proceedings con-
nected Herewith, in which religion 10 made
farce, and hanging not only respectable but ev-
en- desirable, as the best possible assurance,
that the dying man can have, of speedy and
safe entrance into the land of pure delight"
THE FRENCH sPoLIATIoN BILL.
This bill has been thoroughly discussed the
past week by Messrs Cameron, Vickers and
Morrill, of Maine in favor, and opposed by SEN
ator. Sherman and Thurman. The fate of this
just measure is much in doubt rs there is much
opposition to it in the West.
THE CREDIT MoBILIsR.
Hon. James Brooks of New York, has found
it necessary to rise to a personal explanation
to soften the anticipated blow of the Credit
Mobilier investigation upon the Democratic
side of the lower House. Mr. Brooks is entire
ly innocent of any ownership in that corpora
ton or any other ''unclean thing" if his own
personal explanation is true, and who shall
say that it is not? For one, l see no reason to
believe that he has ever exceeded the honest
rights of any American citizen in his business
relations. His speech though of personal
character contained many well put points of
| general interest and importance, which are well
| worth the careful consideration of his Demo
cratic friends in Maine who have so studiously
circulated and SO implicitly believed Tor pre-
tended to believe) the story of Mr.. Blaipss
having been bribed, by presents of fabulous
amounts of this same Credit Mobiler stock.
There is certain class Of men, and rich men
| too, who know of no other way to accumulate
wealth but to acquire it dishonesty, and of
course they have only to learn that man is
| prosperous, to believe him thief. They also
| know no other way for themselves to main
tain even tolerabe comparative rank in 80
cial or public life but by striving to degrade
other regulations to level with their own.
On this ground only can we account for the
| action of many apparently candid men who
have labored without ceasing to fasten these
absurd charges upon some OF our best men,
| even when they had no better evidence of the
truth of those charges than the statements Of
the New York San or some other equally SLAM
derous publication. l would respectfully call
| their attention now to the position to which
euSh uOWluSS nave urIVcn bnelf ITicHus, Auu
ask them to read the speech of Hon. James
Brooks-Democrat-of New York, delivered
to-day in the House of Representatives, and
make ataeast one effort to profit by the lesson
1t AFFORDS them. This Islander is a Democratic
missile, and is rebounding with undiminished
force on the political friends of those who first
hurled it. Let them ''stand from under"
THE RECESS.
On Friday the holiday adjournment takes
place. The recess will continue until Monday,
January 6th-so there can be only a small
amount of legislation accomplished before the
holidays, but there will be great rush as soon
as they reasssmble.
| WORTHY EXAMPLE.
| Moses Titcomb, Esq, Superintendent of the
Senate document room has presented to the
city of Portland very fine portrait of his father
who was the first printer in Maine and the
first Baptist minister in Portland. The por-
trait is copy by Brumidi, the well known
artist whose works adorn the walls and ceilings
of the Capitol, and is from an original portrait
by Badger of Boston in 1926. Mr. 7. has also
presented one of Hon. William Pitt Fsssenden
painted by Max Neyl, young and very prom
Using artist of this city. This generous act on
the part of Mr.. Titcomb is valuable suppes-
ton to persons owning portraits of prominent
men connected with our early history that they
should secure their preservation for the good of
future generations by placing them in the care
of public institutions and certainly no more
fitting place can be found the proper room than
the city buildings of Portland. The act also
deserves public recognition, and hope will be
the means of inducing others to ego and do
likewise"
A SCARE
The weather here is certainly the best have
ever experienced in Washington at this season
OF the year, and but for the prevalence of small
pox flags it would be pleasant for out door
recreation-"We can't have everything to
please u.s. MINOT.