The Manitowoc tribune. [volume] (Manitowoc, Wis.) 1866-1878, 1877-01-18
OUR WASHINGTON LETTER.
WASHINGTON, D. c., Jan. II, 1877.
WAR AND WATTERSON.


WAR AND wATTERsoN.
The atmosphere here has been filed
with talk about war, blood, bull-dozing
and the like. during the past week. The
belligerent Kentucky Congressman,
Henry Watterson, editor of the Louis
vile Journal, is responsible for reviving
the prospect of bloody termination to
the present political contest. Mr.. Wat
terson, III his speech at the Democratic
meeting held here on Monday last, an
nounced his expectation to meet one
hundred Thousand Democrats in this
city on the 18th of February, to petition
Congress to install the great sham re-
former, and to see that their petition is
respected. In this speech, MIR. Waiter
son said that this force was to come I'M
armed, but it has since TRANSFERRED that
he writes to his paper, demanding that
Kentucky alone shall send ten thousand
armed men to invade the National Cap
ital, and intimidate the Congress of the
United States in the performance of its
constitutional duty. This programme
seems to have received the sanction of
considerable portion of the Democratic
leaders, both here and throughout the
country, but the intention was to avoid
making it known to Republicans until
they found it out by the actual presence
of the bull-dozers here but Watterson
felt SO happy over the co-oDratlon OF the
LATHE of New Orleans that he allowed
himself to forget that he had been in
trusted with this information coniden-
TALLY. How far this plan has been ma
tured is rot yet known, but enough has
been ascertained to make it certain that
Democrats of the Watterson stripe, i'll
their thirst for Office and power, con-
template pressing matters to the eXtrem-
i5y of war if they fail to gain their point
in any other way. Ali the petitions sent
by the people to Congress, asking that
the present difficulty shall be settled
amicably, are understood by these buco-
lie partizans to be addressed TO the Sen
ate and the Republican party, an they
seem t. believe !hat they viii be able to
succeed with .hcic plan. to convince the
country Stat T;t,ien has taca fairly elect
ed and that the Senate IS making an
efl,4l 10 court hiia cut, instead q the
reverse being the case.
LOUISIANA EXAMPLE,.
The news from louisiana has also con
tribrted share toward kcepipg mp
the discussion {, Inc war question. 1t
is generally uade1sts.e,i ) lie Iepubi
cals that the DamocI1.s ..c> c,.., ,1de1
to show tie people how G, vcruments
are changed by force on small scale at
New Orleans, that they may become
familiar with the way it is done and be
prepared to see the Capitol, the White
House, the Treasury and the other de-
partments besieged and perhaps taken
on the 4th of March. The White
Leaguers have also exhibited the man
ner in which they would secure Su-
preme Court in harmony with their ne
far1ous ideas by attacking the Supreme
Court of Louisiana with an armed force
and demanding at the muzEle Of double
shotted howitzers, the surrender OF the
judges who were then on the bench
All this and much more these villains
propose to do in Washington as they
have done in Louisiana. With all this
il is known that there are six armed
military companies here, the members
of which were generally in the Rebel
Army, and that these commands are en-
gagged in recruiting. Can it then be
wondered at that the war has been the
topic here For the past week.
HOW wATTERsoN LOOKS AND BEHAVES.
Your readers may care to know what
the great warrior, who proposes to lead
off in this attempt to snbvert the Gov
eminent of the United States by armed
force, is like. Mr.. Watterson is about
forty years Of age, about five feet nine
inches high, stoutly built, probably
weighing one hundred and eighty or
ninety pounds. His face resembles that
Of pugnacious bulldog and that ap-
pearance is considerably increased by
the loss Of an eye. There appears to be
considerable uncertainty about the man
ner In which he found himself short of
one of his organs of vision, but it is
certain that he did not lose it III regular
warfare, and il is most probable that he
would make its loss an excuse for not
taking an active part if his counsels
should prevail and result IL another
bloody strife. Mr.. Watterson either
wears coat which Is too long for his
overcoat or an overcoat which is too
short for his coat, for The under garment
protrudes about three inches below the
outer. Probably this article is made
unusually long to afford convenient OPP
portunity for persons to 'ftread upon
the tail of his coat. Whether this is
the case or not he seems to be continu-
ally anxious that someone snail 90 SO.
His fondness for poker and his knowl-
edge of the game at which he is reputed
to have made many an opponent lay
down a good hand by unmitigated bluff
ing, probably is the key note to his game
in politics and while he knows that the
Republicans hold four aces and q king,
and he only all the ''knaves," he hopes
to win the game by the impotence of the
manrer, in which he will bluff and braer