Washington standard. [volume] (Olympia, Wash. Territory) 1860-1921, 1874-06-06
Our Washington Letter.
SPECIAL CORRESPONDENCE OF THE STANDARD.
WASHINGTON Nav 20. 1874.

WASHINGTON May 20. 1874.
Gossip about proposed Change in the Cab
met Discrimination against Sex-Penny-
wise Legislation-The Olympia Railroad
Bill--Neah Bay Mail Service.
Mr.. Secretary Richardson, who went
on short trip South for rest, has re-
turned much invigorated, but the gen.
eral opinion is, that he will not be
strong enough to hold on upon the
Treasury, as Gen. Grant has certainly
offered the place to Drexel, and to E. B.
Washburn. Washburn was little too
crafty to take the load just now, for he
is looking to the Presidency, and they
are not making Presidents out of Sec
retaries of the Treasury this year In
fact they never did to any extent. Mr..
Chase had strong impression that
there was good material in that line
which would work up we'll if the people
would take hold of it right, but they
wouln't. Mr.. Boutwell, built up q very
fine reputation by four years of hard
labor, and got away with it before the
panic, but it is very narrow standing
ground for him as presidential candi-
date, and his smallest sins appear
against him now, and loom up larger
than his greatest virtues us Secretary.
Nobody has accused Mr.. Richardson of
entertaining presidential aspirations,
and his chances we need not consider.
There has been some talk of Schenck,
who has been lowering about here for
some time, but it is now conceded that
his aspirations are matrimonial, and not
fiscal, except so far as the possession Of
a rich widow may be counted in that
direction.
Senator John Scott is pointed to by
many, as the man for the place. He
has ability and character, and if his
health is sufficient, perhaps no filter Sc
lection could be made. Bristow of Ken
lucky is here, and as he was named by
the President for cabinet position
when Williams was nominated for Chief
Justice, some think he may be the lucky
individual. Mr. Delano is not unwili-
ing to accept the arduous position, but
many Republicans are emphatic in OPP
position to him, and declare that he
could not be confirmed.
THE CURSE OF SEX.
The Court of Claims, after some
weeks of deliberation, has refused to
allow Mrs. Belva A. Lockwood to prac-
tice as an attorney The opinion was
given by Judge Nott-the reason, be-
cause she is not man. The Court
made a discovery, which is, that the
law is not q profession for the means of
enabling person to get living, but
an instrumentality for securing justice,
and justice could never be secured if
women were permitted to practice
This is illustrated by superstition.
" Suppose the wife of the presiding
Judge should appear with case" says
Judge Mott! This is good point; for
every one sees that in the Court of
Claims very hnoHy complication would
arise, exen if no domestic scenes should
be repeated, of which there would be
to say the least, not a little danger.
Judge Mott intimates distinctly that in
such contingency it would be very
unsafe to predict that justice would be
done, and he is the man who should
know the perils of the situation if any
man does. And that was not an ex-
treme case. Suppose the Judge unmar-
ried, and a sutton for the hand of the
fair counsel, and she as fascinating as
Phoebe Cousins, who then would guar
antee the sanity of the Judge? The
appalling results conceivable in q case
of this kind, have been happily averted
for the present, and the integrity of the
Court of Claims is safe for time from
temptations which the Belva-dears, as
Don Piatt calls them, might subject it
to. The judge was more prolix than
Shakespeare, who summed up the case
in single line:
Woman thou troublest me; am Mott in
These judges get pinned some times,
but they are determined not to be hair
pinned.
THE PENNY-wIsE POLICY.
In the House, since my last, the de-
bates have been dreary enough. Il
would be supposed from few days at
tendance there at the present time, that
all the great questions which aroused
the eloquence of Ames, CASTOR, Cal
houn, Clay, Adams, Madison and Nc
Dufie had all been settled, and that
instead of the Constitution, jays Treaty,
the Embargo, Free Trade and Sailors
Rights, the important subjects for con-
sideration relate to the expenses of the
departments. The members seem to
be ambitious, not only to make laws,
but administer them, as though an act
of Congress could supersede the proper
discretion of department officers. One
would think, to hear the debates, that
a large sprinkling of small hucksters
and pack peddlers had got inside the
Capitol, and are trying to fix the price
of jute, and make laws regulating the
method of patching up the broken fur
niture of the Treasury Department, and
for the sale of the old junk, damaged