The Morning herald., 1878-03-21
WASHINGTON LETTER.
[From our Special Correspondent.1

l. From our Special correspondent
WASHINGTON, D. c., March 20, 1878.
Anderson, Of New Orleans, was fortunate
In having the best lawyers Of Louisiana to
defend him, and they seem to have labored
as zealously as If they had believed in the
innocence of their client. They have Sc
cured his release upon technical grounds
The State has five days In which to de-
mand rehearing, but 1t is hardly that any
thing more will be done. Anderson, at hls
worst, was only feeble imitator OF Wells,
the head of the Returning Board, and the
conviction of Wells is yet possible. There
has been the greatest robbery in all his
tory, and It would be gratifying to have
some one of the thieves convicted and pun
ished. They are known. They have not
repented. They still have the stolen arti-
! cles.
The Senate is now engaged In Q discus
sion of terms of settlement with Pacific
Railroads. Messrs Matthews. Christiancy
and Thurman have already spoken, and the
subject will probably call out all the emf
nent lawyers of the Senate.
Years ago money was appropriated to pay
mail contractors for services performed in
the south in the years 1860 and 1861. One
way and another, payment had been pre-
vented and early in this session bill was
| introduced In the House to secure an early
settlement of the claims. OF course after
the ordinary Departmental examination Of
the Individual claims no payments would
have been made to those found to have
been paid by the Confederate or other Gov.
ernment. But the fact that few Of these
contractors had been so paid was discovered
in the House and was made not only an
excuse for defeating the bill but q ground Of
attack upon the whole South. Nothing
could be more unjust to great majority OF
the claiments. Nothing more absurd and
wicked than to stir M sectional feeling.
No one believes that :. 10 of The con.
tractors has been paid
Yesterday In our q. s. Criminal Court
the Judge called attention for the first time
{, the act lately approved making persons
charged with crime competent witnesses in
their own cases. The case on at the time
was one In which an intelligent German
was to be tried for manslaughter. The
killing was not denied, the accused simply
ella lining that it was the resul5 of an acct
dent. Witnesses were examined, the ac-
cused testified In his own behslf and the
jury, without leaving their seats, acqui ted
him. He has been in jail for a year, on in
dctmeut by Grand Jury There was no
day of that year on which, if his OWE state-
ment could have been heard at his former
trial, he would not have been q free man
The new law, therefore, has an excellent
| start In this District. MIR. Frye, Of
the House, was the principle supporter Of
the bill. If remember rightly Judge Ap-
pleton, of Maine, was one of the earliest as
also certainly one OF the ablest advocates
in this country of this humane and sensible
practice
| All these years that McGarrahan has been
at the doors of the White House, the De-
partments, the courts, and Congress, he
has been writing letters, His opponent, the
New Idria Mining Company, has purchas-
ed these letters, 700 in Number, and Is use.
ing them before Congressional Committee
having the great contest in charge.
1t is fair to say of Mr.. Garrahan's letters
that though the mentioned pumberless at
tempts to control Courts and Federal off,
GERS by iDdlrection, they nowhere admit of
any question as to the justice and strength
of title by which he claimed the valuable
mines in dispute. Indeed, through all of
them he seems to feel himselfa poor man
whom rich and powerful enemy is endeav,
oIing to crush. This may yet be a sLrong
point in the mans favor. Writing 100 let
ters to his most confidential friend, his
partner, who If any one knew that their
claim was fraudulent, would know 1t, It IA
harply possible that scoundrel should not
In some way use expressions or state facts
showing such fraud. Meantime simular ex-
posures of corruption on the part of the
New Idria Company are promised by
McGsrrahan. This scandal, If 1t touches all
spoken of q now as likely to be reached,
will create more of sensation than that
Of Oakes Anes and his Credit Mobelier did
Hilton.
TOHN q, COLE