Ashtabula telegraph. (Ashtabula, Ohio) 1874-1880, 1879-03-21
THE NATIONS CAPITAL.


The fight for the Speaker wakes warm,
and now that the Nationels and Greenoack-
ers have a force at work the contest grows
interesting. Both Blackburn and Randall
are confidant, the latter particularly so, for
he claims not only the caucus nomination
but the eleetion. Were it not for the cleo
tiou.-were it not for that uncertain ele-
ment, the Greenbaeker, there would be no
doubt of Randall's success as he IS too
sbrewd a wire-puller to be mistaken, not
withstanding the grave objection urged
against him by one,of our good Democratic
papers that being temperance man and
having ceased to be a good fellow IN allthe
Capitol Hill braWls and drinking bouts
who used to celebrate every occasion with
an orgie, be should be put aside for one
who was not so puritanieal in his views.
Sammy is guilty as charged and it is no
wonder that the stomach Of one wing of the
Democracy won't tolerate Crow and Ran
dali. Before this reaches you it is likely
the contest will be decided hence We will
not speculate further upon the subject.
We think Randall will win notwithstanding
the adverse combinations. But it IS only
guess work for the factors Of the question
are most uncertain. 81
The sad news comes to us that DR.. John
NJ. Woodwork, Chief Surgeon of the Ma
rine Hospital, is dying Of pneumonia and
erysipelas. He has been recognized here as
one Of the ablest surgeons Of the marine or
military service and took highest rank both
as physician and author. He entered the
army in 1862 and ever since has been in
the government service in positions Of
greatest responsibility and trusts. he was
charged with the Investigation of the yell
low fever epidemic and had accumulated
an immense amount Of most important data
for volume. So valuable is this matter
that it will be dificnlE to find one qualified
to put into proper form for publication.
One of our bogus fire insurance company
presidents has come TO grief. r. II. Marsh,
President of the Federal Insurance Com
pany takes his meals at the Jail while the
bonds of his corporation are worth only &c.
a pound by weight. Marsh was arrested
last Fall for the,,absorbtion of So, 600 of tidu-
ciary moneys, but obtained release from
iail. after several months incarceration, by
swearing he had nothing whereby he could
nav the debt. Now be is back in his old
Quarters under charges of perjury, and the
trial DOW progressing clearly shows that he
has had a pecuniary power OF ABSORPTION
equal to MicaWber whose /. 0. U. liquid,
ated all debts.
The post office department under The
aior-GeneraIshlp of Mr.. Key has of late
been deciding questions of law and has fin.
ally succeeded in deciding the difference be,
twixt tweedle dee and tweedle dunn. Rul.
ing under the law it holds that any paper
issued by firm to advertise its own busi.
ness. and which rigidly. excludes from its
columns the advertisements Of other firms
conducting the same business is entitled tC
pound rates of postage in the mails, pro-
viding it has large circulation and make:
money. But that paper just started on
the same basis copying so closely after the
money making journal in all its issues as
to infringe upon the copyright provision Of
protection must be barred the mails be
cause it is not national in its circulation
and because it is intended to advertise the
/ publishers business. In the big fish there
is, of course, no intention Notwithstanding
a large portion of its pages show forth in
| glowing colors the peculiar advantage oi
patronizing the publishers, their low prices,
| their fine wares, etc., but the mlnnoW Just
starting to swim has an Intentions most
| guilty one it is-of wanting somebody to pat
roniZe it. Law, we presume by this, is meant
to aid the strong and injure the weak, and
in no decision ever rendered in any Execu
tive Department here has this principle
been more fully sustained than by the re
cent one of the Post Office Department
which bars paper with small subscrip
Gion list from the mails and yet admits one
of large, decision which says the veal
has an intention Of advertising its firms
business while the strong has not, though
the two periodicals are identical in matter
and spirit. The Post Office Department
under Buchanan, rendered wonderful
hair-splitting decision when it barred tbs
A1--a Yark Tribune from the mails as in