Ottumwa weekly courier. (Ottumwa, Wapello County, Iowa) 1872-1899, 1875-02-03
A DcSultory Letter from
Washington.

LEAR OOUkLEks luo &EVuuu 10 GOV-
cred with sleet and the air is filed with
snow and water, so I have concluded
to forego my usual custom ofattendins
church for the purpose of writing you
mixed letter from the National Cap.
itol. s.., 4,
The Louisiana imbroglio has been .
nine days wonder. Gen. Sheridan wa
sent down there for the purpose Of re-
conoitering the situation, and taking
command Of that city In case its tur-
bulent population made It necessary 70
relieve Gen. Emory, who 10 superan-
uated old granny, who graduated al
West Point, from Maryland, some
thing like . century ago. shall NOT
repeat the story Of the Louisiana Of
fair except to state what has now psss-
ed into history. The rebel element
finding itself defeated at the polls, ~
returned by the proper and constitu-
tional Canvassing Board, determined
upon Z coup de etat to install FIVE per-
sons rejected by said Board in revo-
lutionary aud constitutionalmanner.
And for the purpose of carrying out
their violent scheme, called In the mil.
itary, and the military put out the
rowdies and bummers injected into
The Legislature by both parties, in
Guiding the five persons claiming seats
without credentials, and that Is the ex
tent Of the usurpsti0n for which Gen.
Sheridan has been SO roundly abused
although he had not assumed COM
mand until this whole Transaction was
over. The army of the United States
is but the skeleton of . police force,
not exceeding at present all told TWEEN
ty-fivo thousand men, rank and file.
scattered from Louisiana to Sitka. If
It cannot be used by the President a.
the United States % posse and po-
lice force for the purpose of suppress.
ing revolt, or maintaining law and
order, when called upon by the proper
authorities, it is worse than useless
and should be mustered ont at once.
At the close of the war the regular
army was established ON q basis Of
1000 men on the recommendation Of
a taf e If army snd snd
an omnipotent authority in military A.
fairs. Since his election to the Office
of President, on his own recommen-
dation, II has been farther reduced nm.
til II is now smaller than il was before
the wal, and as IN agency to snbvert the
liberties of the people IL is utterly
unworthy of decent contempt. Yet
William M. Evarts, of New York,
49,. -A.p-sA~asssA . G..r lSs.Ss
administrati0n, but whose head is sore
because another fellow out in Ohio
was made Chief Justice, rushes up0n
The rostrum TO addi ess the job lot OF
negro murderers and Orphan Asy-
lum arsone, because of the great dan
ger to our Republican system ON &C.
count Of this military Intervention
Another chap At that meeting was
greatly. outraged. His name is viii.
liam E. Dodge, Grand Sachem of the
Young Mems Christian Association.
aud one Of the Christian statesmen
whose services In Congress and else
where has rendered his class illustrious
OF late. He was q member OF the en-
inent Christian and Tin Importing
firm of Phelps, Dodge u Co., of New
York, and the internal pimps, spios
aud informers Of this ungodly admin
istration caught his firm robbins the
revenues, and to save scandel and suit
they paid $27l 600 hush money into
he Treasury, and hence William E.
Dodge has q sore head about the size
II bushcl basket. and hence his duty
IS patriot and Christian Statesman
constrained him TO attend the Demo
cratic pow WOW, and howl about Sher-
idan's military intervention. Tho 9th.
r two respectable men attending that
meeting, Of Republican antecedents
were Peter Cooper and William Cul.
len Bryant, both octogcuarians and
both as irresponsible % children. The
other fellows ct largo Who made
speeches denouncing Sheridan, Grant
aud Belknap, ON premature informa.
ion would like now very much to take
them back since Grants message.
The extent of tho military interven.
ion amounts to this much and no more,
to-wit: That the military arm took
the malcontents of both aides by the
throat, and said, hands of! This hsi
given ne peace, and Sheridan will have
oeace IL he has to fight for 1t, and they
all know that in Louisiana, and II ths
army can be put to any better pur-
ose then we should like TO see how
4 IL done. Il
The Pacific Mail subsidy has come
IN az . sensation since the Louisians
nuddle. It has been DEVELOPED thai
Stock we'll Preaident Of that company
naid some &755, GOO into the hands o
one Richard G. Irwin In 1872 pending
he passage Of the subsidy to the Pa
cific Mail Company, for the purpose o.
putting 1t where II would do the mos
good. He has bean on the Congress
ional investigating gridiron for some
time and he has been done to . turn
A few days incarceration wss sufR
cicnt to induce him to tell oil he knew
ABOUT that transaction and tho result
40 far, 10 that no member of that Con
gress is smirchcd. Richard C. Parsons
member of this Congress, from
Cleveland, Ohio, called here "Slippery
Dick ct that time Marshal OF thu
Supreme Court and Q pet and proteg.
OF Chief Justice Chase, received soms
| 1880 % legal fees In the case. d,
being . lawyer engaged in the practice
at the time and since, and not then ID
Congress, Il weuld mot seem that hi
offence was an unpardonable 0ne.-
However the mere suspicion of cor
ruption n the matter was sufIicient fol
Republican constituency with u
overwhelming majority TO leave him
at home last fall. Schumaker. . Dem
OcrAtic member In thia Cam~reas fy,nn