The daily gazette., 1878-05-22
Our Washington Letter.
ANNUAL SESSION OF THE DOC
TORS OF LUNACY.

SUCCESSOR TO THE LATE PROF.
HENRY-PREPARAT FOR
THE OBSERVANCE OF ''DEC-
GRAFTON DAY"-PRos-
PECT OF ANOTHER
INDIAN WAR,
&C, &c.
From Our Regular Correspondent
WASHINGTON, May 18.
Veni, Uidi, pici! is what our Democratic |
Caesars will excla IN this morning, when |
they read the news, flashed by telegraph |
last night all over the country, ofthe pas |
| sage by the House of the resolution to |
investigate the election frauds in Florida
and louisiana. 1t was a long and bitter
| fight between the two parties but it is
over and the battl is won; what it will
ultimately lead to, no one can foretell.
As am merely chroniclcr of events
and not here appear IN the role of editor,
| shall abstain from all criticisms, pro or
con, merely promising that the action of
General Butler in voting with the Demo-
Gratis throughout has created no little
wonder and excitement in the Republi-
can ranks. Whether the general carries,
as the saying is, ga fox behind his ear
or whether he has acted strictly on the
square anu really means to stand by the
Democrats in this thing, is also a matter
of conjecture
Besides the excitement caused by this
affair, our city has been enlivened for a
week past by the annual meeting of sup
erintendents of insane asylum. In view
of the fact that the finest and largest III
sane Asylum in the United States is To-
Gated right here in our midst, Il do not
refer to the Capitol,) it would seem that
this is about as good "a place as could be
selected for them to meet in. Their time
. was occupied in debating the best treat
ment of lunatics, and the methods of de.
, terlning the existence, and the several
grades Of lunacy; visiting the Govern
ment Insane Asylum, and the beautiful
surroundings of Washi ngton, passing
/. resolutions on the death of Professor
Henry of the Smithsonian Institution
and eating good: dinners. Altogeth er
they seemed to have a jolly good time.
!, The successor to the late Prof. Henry
U | was elected by the Regents of the Smith
:. sonian yesterday and resulted in tn,
u unanimous nomination of Prof. Baird
It Among those present (of the Board o
Regents) were Chief Justice Waite
senators Hamlin, Sargent and Withers
Representatives Cl> mer and Garfield
Gen. Sherman, Hon. =. Parker, Rev. DI
Maclean, DR. Asa Grey, and Presiden
n. Porter. Representa- i've A. III. Steph
ems drove up to the steps of the building
n but did not feel well enough to leave tn
l -; iafa Init
sympathy for the family, granting tn
salary for the remainder of the year +
the widow, and the use of the rooms il
the Smithsonian Institute rs long as tn
family wish to occupy them, and AZ
ipointing committee to provide for
Future memorial service, at which apprt
pirate eulogies should be delivered, &c
! were adopted. The EXPIRE sion was ger
eral, that the eulogits should be deliver
ed in the House of Representatives mex
winter. Gen. Sherman was elected to ii
the vacancy in the executive committe,
occasioned by the resignation of Hor
George Bancroft. The subject of the S,
n lection of secretary of the institl
Il ton was then considered, and it was d,
cided to proceed to the election by ballc
Eleven votes were cast, and ProfesSo
Spencer Fullerton Baird was declare
, unanimously elected.
), The newly-elected Secretary was Dor
at.heaulnB, Ia, III 1919, anu is uinui
guished naturalist. He has written se'
eral valuable works connected with ma
ural history, and has contributed article
| to the publications of the SmithSonla
c Institute, and to the journal of til
" Academy of Natural Sciences, of Phili
u, delphia." He is n member of the N;
~ tlonal Academy of Sciences, and th
head of thefish commission. His longs
vice AZ assistant secretary of the lnstirl
ton has given him thorough know
edge Of its plan and all the details of il
! workings, and he is, perhaps, better ii
ted, as Professor Henry's successor,
direct the operations of the 1nstitutio
. in conformity with its established polio
than any other man in America.
Yesterday, during the progress of vo
ing on the Potter resolution in Il
House, n cheerful scene was enacted
= the reporters gallery, which is locate
just over the Speakers desk. One co
respondent accused a brother quilldriv'
of having called him hard names al
slapped him III the face. Whereupc
quilldriver No. went for &. d. No. l, al
ri, lively row ensued which might, pc
M Mhu haps, have resulted in the spilling of h
Vi man gore, if the correspondent of Il
w. n. Y. "Sun," who was present, had II
lth interfered, and taking each by the coll
+. marched them both out into the lobl
m where they were cooled down by plen
full applications of lemonade and ice W
'ed ter. I have not heard of any challenl
having been passed yet.
Il Vice President Wheeler left for Ne
, York in company with Mrs. Hayes al
Is Miss Fanny Hayes, to be absent about
week During his absence, Senat
Ferry of Michigan, is temporary Pre-
", dent of the Senate. The German Min
ter, Baron Kurd Won SChlozer, has q
, 4. tanned leave of absence, and leaves I
Lurope this morning; he is one of Z
os most popular of the corps dtptomdtiQ
ars here and will be greatly missed by
&C. who know him.
PS Elaborate preparations are being ma
for the observance of "Decoration Da,
on the Both inst, when impressive a
interesting services will be held at
= lington, Soldiers Home and Congr
. sional cemei cries, under charge OF
propriate committees. The monumei
throughout the city, and the graves
Oak Hill and Battle cemeteries Will a
be decorated. Arlington, of course, v