The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1877-12-29
OUR WASHINGTON LETTER,

L. S. Draper, of Washington, was
commissioned as Assistant Surgeon
in the Navy during the war. While
on the Princeton, at Philadelphia, in
December, 1864, he secured forty
eight hours leave of absence, with
with permission to take with
him one Menenzies, prisoner con-
fined on the Princeton, and becoming
responsible for his return. Menenzies
was blockade runner, had been an
officer in the rebel navy, and was,
presumably, personal friend of
Draper. They went direct TO Balti-
more, where an ovation was rendered
Menenzies at his sisters house, by
rebels and rebel sympathizers, Ora
per participating. The Notification
was exceedingly boiSterous and so
offensive to Unionists as to have
nearly provoked riot. The whole
party was arrested, including ORA
per, who was informed February II,
1865, by Secretary Wells, that his
commission was revoked. Draper
wrote requesting that he be allowed
to resign, and his letter was treated
as formal resignation, the Secretary
informing him that it had been
accepted. Draper tried to get REIN
stated, but Secretary Robson de-
clined to interfere; but he has been
more successful with the present
Secretary, who decides that he has
never been legally out of the service,
and, it is said, has ordered his name
restored to the Naval Register. AS
this decision carries with it pay and
allowances about S25, 0O0-for the
thirteen years that he has been prac-
ticing medicine here, rendering no
service whatever to the government,
the case is exciting good deal of
adverse criticism in naval and politi-
cal circles.
Since the political lull that has
come through the adjournment for
the holidays recess, public interest,
which had been largely absorbed in
the struggle for supremacy in the
Senate between the representatives
of Republicanism and Bourbonism,
and by the issues that have, unhapily,
been forced between the former and
the Administration, has been recall
ed to several matters now pending
before Congress OF such exceptional
importance to the whole nation, as
to demand much more attention than
has yet been accorded them. The
case of the Union Pacific Railroad is
among these, and it has come to
strike many rejecting people as very
remarkable that creature of Con-
gress can go on year after year DEFY
ing the power that called it into ex-
istence, in open violation of its char
ter, and in virtually refusing COM
pliance with its promises as to the
repayment to the government of the
money loaned to aid its construction.
Away back in the extra session the
President was requested by both
Houses to inform them what imped-
iments existed to enforcing the orig
inal contract with the road. The
Attorney General appears a long
while in framing an answer. The
interests of the Kansas Pacific and
other roads, as branches, are indi-
rectly involved, as are also the rela-
tiOnS of the government, to greater
or less extent, to the great railway
system OF the country and notwith-
standing the fact that every influence
is being brought to bear, likely to aid
these gigantic monopolies in defeat-
ing the governments effort to estab-
fish its supremacy in the premises
and to force them to rigid account
ability in all time to come, in no pre-
vious Congress has there been mani
tested such a general hostility to their
designs and such determined spirit
to establish the metes and bounds
beyond which they may not go here
after. Every Establishment, every
temporizing expedient will undoubt-
eddy be resorted to by the formidable
array of lawyers here working to
defer the blow, which, when given,
will render them thereafter always
amendable to law. The proposition
that the government accept some
million acres of worthless land at a
valuation that would be ridiculous
even were the land ofaverage growth,
to satisfy the government claims, will
be cunningly and persistently urged;
but forbearance has apparently been
stretched to its utmost limit in be-
half of these sWindles, and the day
of reckoning hastens apace.
The reconciliation of Messrs. Blaine
ans Conkling appears to be regarded
as one of the most distasteful and