Essex County herald. [volume] (Guildhall, Vt.) 1873-1964, 1879-03-21
OUR WASHINGTON LETTER.
The sPeakership Contest DIR. John Nj.
Wood-Back in the Old Quarters
AQueer Decision- Government Print
ing Office.
Ispoclal correspondents OfTHr nERALD.I
WAsglNGr0N, March II, 1873.

and now that the Nationals anu GreeI-
hackers have force at work, the con
test grows interesting. Both Black |
burn aud Randall are conf lent, the
later arucuiarly So, for he claims
not only the caucas nomlnatio but
The election. Were it not for that I'M
certain element, the Greenbackers,
there could be no doubt OF RAndalps
success. as he is too shrewd a WIRE
puler to be mistaken; nOtwitbstand-
Ing the grave objection urged against
him by one OF our good democratic
papers that being a temperance man
and having ceased to be a good fellow
in all the Capitol Hill brawls, he
should be put aside for one who was
not so puritanic.tl in his views. Sam
my is guilty as charged, and it is no
wonder that the stomach Of one wing
of tie democracy wont tolerate crow
and Randall. Before this reaches you
It is likely the contest will be decided,
h .nce we will not speculate further
upon tue 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.
-Tnc sad news rcachos us that DE-.
John NJ. Wood, Chief surgeon of the
Marine Hospital, is dying Of pneumo-
MIA and erysipelas. lie has been rec
ognzed here us one Of the ablest sur
geons in the marine or military SER
vice. and took highest rank both as
ply stefan and author. lie entered
tie army in 1862, ami ever since has
/ been IN the Government service, in
positions Of greatest responsibility
and trust. He was charged with the
investigation Of the yellow fever cpl
demic and had accumulated an i'm
mense amount Of most important da-
Ia for q volume. SO valuable is this
matter that it will I've difficult to find
one qualified to put it into proper
form for publication.
i One OF the bogus fire insurance com
panies has come to grief. II. ii
Marsh, president Of the Federal In
surance Company, takes his meals al
the jail, while the bonds Of his Corpo
ration are worth only 2 cents pound
by weight. Marsh was arrested last
fall for absorption OF $4,000, but Oh,
tanned release from jail, after several
months incarcerati n, by swearing he
had nothing whereby he could pay the
debt. Now he is back in his old quar-.
tiers under charges OF perjury, ana the
trial NOW Progressing clearly shows
that he had q pecuniary powor Of alb
sorption equal to Micawher, whose l
0. US liquidated all debts.
, TIE Post Office Department, under
the Major-Geheralship of Mr.. Key.
has Of late been deciding questions o.
law, and has finally succeeded in de-
Gliding the difference betwiXt tweed;e.
dee and tweede-duu. Ruling under
) The law it holds that any paper ISSUED
; by firm to advertise its own business
sn1 which rigidly excludes from its
columns the advertisements Of Other
fif us conducting the same business lis
entitled to pound rates of postage il
tue IL ais, providing it has u larg,
circulate n and makes money. Bul
that II paper just started on the SANE
basis, copying 50 closely after the
money making journal i'll all its is.
sues rs to infringe upon The copy
right provisions OF protection, must
ne barred the mails because it is moi
, national in its circulation and because
il intended to advertise the publishers
business. In the big fish there is oI
PURSE no intention, notwithstanding
u large portion OF Its pages show forth
in glowing colors the peculiar advan-
lagos Of patronizng the publishers
their low prices, their fine wares, ETC.,
i but the minnow Just starting to S in
has an intenticn-a most guilty one
1t is--of wanting somebody to patron
| izc it. Law, we presume by this, is
IN, ant to aid the strong and injure the
weak and in no decision ever render
ed in any Executive Department here
has the principle been more fully sus-
tanned than by the recent one Of the
Post Office Department, which bars a
paper with a small subscription list
from the mails, ami yet admits one OF
large, decision which says the weak
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 Bn-
chanan rendered wonderful hair
splitting decision when it barred the
New York Tribune from the mails as
ircendiary matter. and it would seem,
if the present stand be adhered to,
that the mantle of the great and as
tue Tucker has fallen upon worthy
successor.
Apropas of such legal decisions as
this is bahv case which recently ap-
pcared in our police courts. The
mother Of an illegltimate youngster
saddlcd it upon its father, married
man who assumed its care until his
wife raised row and spirited the
youngster away. Upon this the moth
er sought the aid Of the police to find
it, which they did, bringing it into the
court house, where it yelled IN grand
sly c while the Judge was arranging
for its future support. This parlicu-
lar baby is llegitimate: SO is the
post office decision; but a baby is u
| hnhu no nnnIler lf tie Post OLfinn Do