Watertown republican. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1860-1906, 1877-01-10
Our Washington Letter.
WASHINGTON Jan. 9.


During the Congressional hiatus oc.
casioned by the intervention of the
holiday season, we are reduced to local
sensations wherewith to satiate the al
most universal craving for something
startling. In It's absence life becomes
dull, prosy and quite intolerabls.
For years there has existed con
viction in this community that our po-
lice authorities were unduly lenient in
their treatment of the gambling trater-
nifty, whose members overrun this city
during the Congressional season, plying
their infamous trade without let or
hindrance. The unwary were Aeeced
without mercy and without redress.
The gambling places we're as easy Of
access as the hundreds of groggeries of
high and low degree which infest our
city, many of them employing ''stool
pigeons" who canvassed the streets for
new victims. About two weeks ago
the National Republican, after worry
ing Fernando Wood into a cold per-
spiration, dropped him and delivered
broadside into the gambling hells'
that had just fairly opened for the
season. Its effect was almost marvel
Gus. In less than twenty.four hours
every known resort had closed up, the
proprietors and all others interested,
waiting for the storm to blow over,
meanwhile doing little business in
out oi-the-way places, where they were
not liable to interruption. The Re-
publican continued its exposures aud
they were of such positive and pointed
character as to secure the sympa by ard
active cooperation of large majority
of our citizens, and to move Maj r
Richards to ask an investi CATION which
was accorded him at once. It has
gone far enough to demonstrate the
humiliating fact that there has been an
open, habitual disregard of the law for
years, which the police authorities have
either winked at or viewed with entire
indifference - apparently. But the
matter has become so notorious, and
the determination of our citizens so
pronounced in favor Of driving these
hirples from our territory-that they
can remain at a greater risk than they
are likely to be willing to incur. Ma
| jor Richards, unless he can show that
his hands are clean. is in imminent
peril of losing his popularity.
The old year was watched out b.
large congregations at many of our
churches and the new one was prayed
over and greeted with sacred songs.
1876 had quiet death at last and its
youthful successor tempestuous birth,
coming in on the wings OF bitterly
northeastern, ccompanied with snow
which promises to lay foot in depth
by tomorrow morning.
Tie intelligence from South Carroll
ma to the effect that the Congressional
Committee sent there to investigate
the late election, had agreed uuani-
mously in favor of a report giving the
state to Hayes was an exceedingly bit.
ter pill to many OF the Tilden adher-
) ents here who have made themselves
CONSPICUOUS by their bowls about Re.
publican frauds and corruption 10 that
State. Their last hope now appears
to centre on Louisiana. 1t is the gen.
eral feeling here that the solution of
the Presidential problem will depend
larg 'ly on the report of those commit
tet 9 which are.still 10 the South IN.
raveling the tangled political skeins in
that section. Very many Of the mem
bers of both houses havs been absent
during the holidays, no quorum being
present at the meeting of either, dur
ing the past week. Tomorrow they
re-assembls for the serious business Of
the session and from present indications
the hotspurs of t. e House majority are
much less beligerent than they were
two weeks ago. The war feeling has
almost entirely subsidized, and there
will soon be apparent an earnest effort
to harmonic all the conflicting views
relative to Gen. Grants successor.
MAXWELL.