Ellsworth American. [volume] (Ellsworth, Me.) 1855-current, 1879-02-27
Correspondence.
Letter from Washington.


" AsHINStpN. II. a.. REQ. =, 1917.
The ''tidsI wave" of 1874 swept a safic-
: lent number Of Ex-C onf,dsfatcs aud their
sympsthixers from q, her sections into he
House TO give them the coatroi. and many
OF them SIN set on the construction which
they placed on that accidental transfer Of
power. in the frs, hea, OF their exultation.
IL was interpreted as giving those lately In
arms against the Government - j those
who secrsily plotted 10 aid them iAe Wild
est latitude OF abuse OF their loyal prede-
cessors and contemporaries In congress.
II was not deemed essential that the spite
fully malicious reports Of their invcstIgat-
Ing committee should have any basis of
fact So that 1t was sufficiently abusive OF
Republican officials to brig Il up to the
reform standard. whl,thorne's report 90
ex-Sec'y. Robson was a type of one style
affected. when so overloaded with the
reform spirit that it was continually s,rug-
Cling for utterance, 1t was competent to
make the report in advance as 10 the case
OF Glover's letter TO the President. written
under the inspiration OF his designation A.
chairman OF general mud-raking Commit
tee In which position he gained such i'm
perishable renown by the aid OF nap.d doodle
Wilcox. and confirmed his psrty's right to
the title OF reform by the number OF Demo
cratic thieves aud pcculators be landed
from hts drsg-net. One Finley, a Demo
cratic member was ambitious to aid the
work Of publication which his party has In
hand. He was accordingly entrusted with
the work Of overhaullng the methods OF
Mr.. Dcfrees as Public Printer. His real In
the cause prompted him to take the same
shortcut to results a. that trod by the dis
tinguished Mis.ourian above named. lie
accordingly delivered himself 10 the House
recently OF the Impressions received while
nosing abou, Mr.. Defrces' establishment.
They were TO the las, degree preJudicial to
that genileman's character for honesty and
business capacity. But be seems decii-
eddy TO have aroused the wrong passenger.
HEIR Defrees 10 bis "open letter" to the
Hon. Finley: The charges made are
lies, and assuming you 20 have sense enough
To understand the testimony taken before
yopr committee you know them to be lies
when you authorize their publication. They
had beet repudiated by the Committee on
public expenditures a majority Of whom
are gentlemen OF character o! your own po-
lltical faith. You will please observe that
use the word ties as the most appropriate
in the English language Tor the present &C
casion." The letter concludes as follows
your assertion that the systcm o. book
kreprng IN this offlce cannot be understood
Is doubtless true, so far as you are con-
cerned, as IL could no; be expected that
your limited knowledge of that science, ac-
quired in adding up the chalk marks on the
reverse side OF the door OF = shiskey shop,
would enable you TO compr ehend Ii. | as
sert. and can show 10 any man having sui.
fcienl capacity to understand the .ubjcct,
that the books OF this Office are well kept
as In any department OF the Government
Take the advice OF one who has
proper appreciation OF your capacity,
eonfne your future labors to the petifos
peace OF out townships. You know moth
Ing about printing and binding, aud when
man attempts TO speak on 4 subject of
which he Is As ignorant as a Ho,tentot, he
Is sure TO accomplish the feat Of Dogberry
In writing himself down as an unmitlg q ted
As.n
Every supplementary explanation" OF
Gen'l Barlow before the Potter Committee
Of his extraordinary conduct 10 society
counsel ling with the Democratic managers
and coytrtly striving 10 influence the
Florida Returning Board TO give the State
to 11iden. while acting As leading Eepubil-
can counsel pending the official declara.
ton OF that States vote. has sunk him
deeper into the mire Of rank incon sistency,
not to say treschcry. His relations to the
Republicans of that State and the \ alton
at large were those OF counsel to client.
He voluntarily assumed them, and his
testimony did not need the reinforcement
drawn from MIR. Chandler TO prove his
betrayal of that confidential trust. In his
anxiety TO make reputation as 9 nom
partisan or something else, he seems to
have become strangely oblivious of his
duty rs an honorable man. All the testi-
mony before the Potter Committee since
its return from New York, goes to confirm
the general belief entertained here from
the first, that all details Of the plan to
reach tile White House through the de-
bsuchery OF election officers were too
characteristic Of the methods Of the boss
reformer in all that of his career open TO
the public, to be explained away as coin
cidence.
A Senate Committee has reported In
favor Of granting the relief prayed for BY
Capt. EAds in his work on the Mississippi
jetties. The work is OF incalculable value
TO commerce, and ~ the work Is nearly
completed, and Capt. Esds has not yet re-
ceived $4,000 600 Of the more than q. 600
OO0 Government contracted to pay him, his
request for an advance payment OF por-
ton Of the money due him will probably
be granted. kATAHDIN.
ZODIACAL LIGHT.-Our reaiers inter-
ested In celestial phenomens are notified
thar ha 7nIiurAI HrkF ia u.