Fayetteville observer. [volume] (Fayetteville, Tenn.) 1850-1966, 1879-02-06
Our Washington Letter.


CONFERENCE.-The Chinese Minis-
ter's diplomatic Reticencc-C
gress aud the acknowledgement
Capital.
Special Correspondence of the ossxRvrn
WAsuTNGToN, d. G., Jan 80, rs
The way IN which the cipher
dispatches were conveyed to the
New York Tribune is no longer
ia mystery;;eit was disclosed on
Tuesday by the testimony Of
sec0nd-assistant Postmas ter
General Brady, thatshe received
the package of dispatches which
Bullock, while messenger Of Sen
ator Morton's committee, took
from the committee-room, and
that lie gave them to VIM. f.
Chandler who left some on Gen
eral Buffers table and forward
ed others to Whitelaw Reid, ed
itor of the Tribune. Mr.. Bra
dy's and Mr.. Chambers testimc-
my show that all Of the 10000
despatcheswercin the committee
room Of Senator Morton for sew
eral weeks, open to the insI &C.
ton Of almost anyone who might
call. This is practically the'end
Of the investigation. Mr.. Til
den will perhaps appear and tee-
tily that he was not personally
privy TO the dispatches, but, since
the manner of their abstraction
has been disclosed, and since it
is known that of the 10000 only
800 live to tell the, tales, the in
vestigation will soon die cut for
want of fuel.
In the earlier part Of the week
the attention of qstid names was
about equally divided between
the Potter Cipher Committee.
and the Senate, when it was ex-
pected that the great Conkling
versus Hayes case concerning
New York appointments would
be debated and settled in open
session. The general impression
now is that the Secretary of the
Treasury has been very complete
ly answered by General Arthur,
and no reply of Secretary Sher-
man to the, answers of Arthur
and Cornell has as yet been re-
ceived. Yesterday a little after
two o'clock the Senate went in-I
to executive session to take up
and dispose of the New York
Custom House nominations, but,
when the doors were opened, it
was learned that the business
had been deferred until Friday at
at / p. IN. in order that Secreta-
~ Sherman may have an oppor-
tunity to file his reply.
The new Chinese Minister has
taken a keen interest in the bill
that has just passed REFRESHING
Chinese immigration, but, like a
true diplOmatist of the old school,
he will have nothing to say to
the many representatives of the
press who seek to interview him.
1t is said that no foreigner is bet
ter acquainted than His Excel
lency, Chin Ian Pin, with A
meIican politics and that he
knows and appreciates the desire
for party ascendancy on the Pa
cific Coast, that was the secret
of the success of the bill. The
Chinese Minister was at the Pres
ident's reception last night, and
was the object of much attention
from members of Congress who
sought to be introduced to him. |
81 There are indications that the
attention of Congress will soon
be directed to improving the san
itary surroundings of this swamp
.beleagured Capital. The start
ling congressional mortality is |
believed to be in a great degree
due to local causes, and there is
no doubt that through the per-
sistent neglect of both Houses to
give any attention to the great |
river that, with its branches and
tributaries, nearly envelopes the
National Capital, the channels
of that stream have got so choked
up and the current so scattered !
over wide marshes and flats that
it is wonder the city has escap-
ed a malarial plague. The An
acOstia branch Of the Potomac,
East of the Capitol, that used to
be navigable to Bladensburg is
now a swamp filed up with rank
vegetation, the haunts of reed
birds and malaria. The Poto-l
mac on the west front of the cityi
is filled up with mile-wide flats
to.such an extent that the sewer
age lodges on the reedy marshes,
forming pestilence breeding
nuisance of unbealable offensive
ness. Last summer the evil had
reached such a point that the
district authorities were obliged
to spread disinfectants over these
fats as a palliative measure; but, /
of course, it could not afford any
permanent or adequate relief.
The stencil from this loathsome
of fecal matter exposed
to the direct rays Of the sun at
low tide was such that the winds