The New Orleans daily Democrat., 1877-07-29
AN AMERICAN HAR0lIN-AL RASCHID
A PRESIDENT IN sEARsM or WRONGS
AND INJURIES.

was weary, Mr.. President was bewiider-
cd and bored. As he tossed upon his
bed d thousand tangled recollections OF
that days executive business-of oilioe-
giving. of proelamations, Of suggestion,
OF advice OF policy, knotted themselves
In his brain.
.If Civil Service Reform" he mur-
INJURED vaguely, were carried out at
Martinsburg and Resumption intro
dueed in the National Republican Con.
vention, so that no ofiiceholder could
pursue Mexican raiders into their own
territory, except upon the recognition
OF Chief Joseph by the Diaz Govern
ment. why'--here he fell into On uneasy
slumber. All was quiet In the mansion
and the surrounding umbrage, save for
the occasional amntory howl OF some
old soldier and the coy yet playful
"Who dat dar, now? Left mo go, dar, -
Of q passing female Ethiop.
The noise awolle Mr.. President. "Old
soldiers --ah-my veteran friendsP' he
mused for a moment, "and yet mind
me now that in my boyhood days the
torn was used to define o wad OF the
Nicotian leaf from which the juice had
been expressed. Strange that the cpl
thet should have been borrowed from
the just and honored appellation given
to aged and retired defenders OF the Re-
public. But. bless me how much that
sentence sounds like Evarts! really
am catching his style. Why d-n IL oil |
All that oath too comes from an unhal-
lowed intimacy with John Sherman. /
must stop this and go to Sleep"
He would have turned over and gone
to sleep, but his attention was at this
moment arrested by singular light In
the corner of his bedchamber, which
Ivn,>N ,.,r,natnsY a. hrilttnnpv whf1n the
air WAS filled with q strange perfume OF
Oriental spices and altar OF rose.
Gradually figure was outlined darkly
below this building, which Mr.. Presi-
dent now perceived came from an enor-
NOUS diamond aigrette In It's turban:
The stranger was clothed In Oriental
garb, and his deep dark eyes and glossy
black beard betrayed his Persian origin.
He made a profound salaam to the
President, and in u low but musical
voice, said.
II am Haroun AL. Raschid."
''From Ohio ?' asked the President
with some animation. II knew an IL.
L. Richards of Warren"
'From Persia" responded the stran-
"Then must refer you to the
State Department. Mr.. Evarts takes
"My business is with you," replied
the stranger, quietly,
"But, my dear sir. there are no vacan-
eies now, and by the rules OF scivilser-
vice reform the appointment clerk must
refer----"
''Son of a Giaourl seek no office |"
The President rose on his elbow.
"May | trouble you to repeat that cpl
thet ?"
''Son OF Giaourl"
swell, that will do. Go on!" and the
President, as he lay down again, II
thought you said something else."
II am here to do thee q service, infldel
though thou art Thou dost not remem-
ber me, and yet / once sat the wise yet
.despotic ruler OF a throne that upheld
the gorgeous East. Look at mel i was
s'I regret to say" said the President.
s'that any Republican Political Organi-
xation, under whatever name, renders
Its chairman unfit to hold Office"
''Son Of Shitan! Hear mel" ea +
"Which ?" said the President.
''Son of Shitan, listenl Marshalla !!
thou shalt hear mel Tomorrow thou
goest with thy prime minister to visit
thy people, to observe and note the con-
duct Of thy servants In office, to repair
abuses, to punish fraud, to right the op-
pressed"
"That is my little game-excuse me, I"
added the President hastily, as he NUT
tered to himself, II really must drop
Devens: his slang will ruin me yet"
''Yes, but hop goest thou, o Ruther-
ford, the Mighty. Why, with caravans
and attendants, with Lightning, the
.swift-footed, before thee to announce
thy coming; with drums and cymbals,
with shoutings and banquets."
''If the loyalty and affection Of free
people chooses to express itself in this
manner" said the President, hiding his
hlushing face beneath the coverlid-
sit were discourteous to rebuke-"
"But what sees't thou Of thy people
what knowest thou OF thy slaves and
servants who do thy bidding? Is not
the house made ready against thy coth-
ing? Are not the crippled and the
manned put out OF thy sight? Is not the
wine jar hidden and the bag of dates
refilled? What knowest thou Of thy
meanest slave save through the report
of mis- master, who haply Is but fit to
take his place? Does corruption invite
thee to view its black deformity? Do
the jackasses that defile the graves of
the Just caper and dance In thy presence?
Bismillah!"
"Go slow, old man! Go slow!" The
President again checked himself, and
muttered that he really must cut Nc
Crary.
81 was once, 0, Frank"
Rutherford! Rutherford b." sug.
gestingly interrupted the President.
~ was once, o Frank, like unto thee
was once ruler Of an empire that ]
knew not-of people that l saw not
I was as dog in the hands Of my
slaves-doing but their bidding, seeing
with their eyes, hearing with their ears
One night 1 bethought me to walk the
streets Of my capital, disguised as a sim
pie merchant, accompanied only by my
faithful Mesrour. Thou knowest the
story. Thou rememberest the iniqui
ties | discovered, the wrongs I re-
dressed"
"Seems to me do remember hearing
the boys say something about it. Well
that was your .policy-I mean YOU
ideas of things?"
cit was my custom-it became m,
glory. was mighty Caliph.'
"Well, I'll speak oft in Cabinet meet