Middletown transcript., 1877-10-06
washington Letter.

WASHINGTON, D. o., Oct. Sd, 1877
Senator Jones, Chairman Of the Con-
gressional Silver Commission, and Geo.
1 III. Weston, Of Maine, its efficient Sec
retary, are revising the report submit
ted to Congress at the close Of the last
session. Mr.. Weston is one Of the
aOld Defenders" as they say in Balti-
more. of silver. He contributed to va
rious publications, at the time demone-
tization was voted, articles in opposi-
tion thereto, and has since been a fire.
ouent writer on the subject. He ex-
presses great confidence in an early re-
turn to the double standard" !"
Tomorrow "wednesday morning
Hon. John Lynch sends out the first
! | number of his Administration daily,
| the National Union. He has leased
the Globe Office for five years, and that
| has a business look certainly. To off
set this gain. to the Administration, A.
NJ. Clapp, late Public Printer, has
bought the NatiolG Republican, the
old proprietor going out yesterday.
Clapp says he shall run the paper IN
the interests Of genuine Republicanism.
Republicanism just now is wide and
various, not to say cracked and inhar-
monious object. Talbot, Of Maine, is
set down as managing man Of the Ma
tioaaL Union editorial force.
Secretary Schurz is making rigid
;nvestioation into the cause Of the late
| fire In the Patent Office building. The
loss is considerable, but it is not now
thought that the walls will have to be
taken down. A special effort is being
made to render our public buildings
| fre-proof. Only one Of them is thought
| to be so-the new State Department.
IAN expert says the burning Of a frac-
ton Of the combustible material in the
capitol would destroy the dome. This
enormous dome of iron, and as the sun
| shines on it from the East, South or
West the expansion of the metal on
/ its different sides causes a sensible de-
Walton in its direction. Its support
could not be burned out, but the heat
of a confagration like that at the Pa
tent Office under any portion oft would
throw it out Of shape forever.
i Frederick A. Sawyer, contrary to
4 general expectation, was convicted last
week Of causing, while Assistant Sec
cretary of the Treasury, the payment
Iof a claim known to him to be raudu-
lent. Sawyer is a Massachusetts, man,
who went South after the war, and sub
seouently represented South Carolina
ii the ii. S. Senate He will have a
new trial probably. It is only fair to
say that there seems to be q reasonable
chance for doubt as to his criminal in
tention. Another case, known as the
Witowski fraud, follows in the crimi-
nal court. In this Pennsylvania
member Of Congress is alleged to be
mixed up. It is said also, that the
grand Jury will find true bills against
one or more army officers for swindling
the government and taking pay for it
in connection with the famous patent
for preventing moth and mildew.
The accuser-the man who gives up
his ''pals" in this case lis Dom Piatt
! Of the Sunday Capitol. He claims that
the twenty-odd thousand dollars he re-
ceived was not a fair share of the plum.
| der.
You will. have seen that certain Re
publicans of New York propose to re
bel against the Conkling party Of that
2 State. It is useless to discuss the mer
its of this quarrel. Conkling was nc
, doubt savage and coarse, and indscreet
and Curtis is all those things thai
Conkling, in his wrath, painted him
| allude to the meeting only to con
gratulate the Senator on being tht
only live politician of eminence whc
has had the courage to express himself
f plainly. Other Senators, feeling JUS
D as he does toward the Administration
and unable to secure for their friends
Cabinet positions, or other first-class
posts, have smothered their resentment
a and their convictions and taken fol
distribution such clerkships and mis-
: sions to small nations as were vouch
q safed them. Conkling is better mar
r than any Of them, Just as Zach Chan
< dIer was better, because a boldel
t rogue than those who are now secretly
8 driving Ohio clerks home to vote.
!. That eminent statesman, Senator
: Sharon, Of Nevada, writes that owing
e to private business he will not be abb
: to attend the coming session Of th'
: Senate. This is getting monotonou
r in his case. Without studying mi
nutely the value Of the senator's ser
vices, compared with those Of othel
t senators, it may be suggested that tn,
2 theory of our government is that eael
t State shall be represented in Congress
e by two Senators. Senator Sharon cal
!, secure this in either of two ways-b,
! coming here as Senator, or resigninl
It and allowing some one else to come
: Nevada should have remained a Ter
q ritory ten or fifteen years longer, ant
It would but for supposed political ne
d cessity, but having been admitted sh
e shonld insist on her constitutional REP
n resentation. SoLoN.
it Inquiries continue to be made of tn
S Government officials in Washington a
4 II