The Donaldsonville chief. [volume] (Donaldsonville, La.) 1871-current, 1880-08-21
Our Washington Letter.

A Chinese Gong Campaign Weakness
I Of Democratic strongholds Interest
ngLegal Question Senator Conklinga
Attitude-Garfeld and Hancock to
! Ride Together, etc.
/ WASHINGTON. D. C.. August IA, 1880.
EDITOR CHIEF:
| There is great clangor of trumpets
and beating of gongs in the Demo-
Cratic campaign, and if boasts were
votes Hancock would be elected with
out the formality Of ballot in No
yelnber. But | learn in very well
informed political circles here that
the prospects were never better of
carrying even the strongest of Dem
ocratic strongholds for the Republican
nominee. 1t has become evident long
since that Tilden's friends in New
! York are Indifferent or apathetic. The
Democrats, having abandoned the
fraud issue, the contest ceased to be
interesting to Mr.. TiIaeD and his sup
porters. The party will have to fight
its battles virtually without the strong
support which the name and mouey
of Mr. Tilden would have given it..
This will of course weaken them in a
great and indispensable State. Mr..
English's unpopularity. at one time
local, or ut least confined to Indiana,
has rapidly assumed rational proper
TONS. Moreover, voters are becoming
| educated to the fact that parties mean
| something more than candidates in
this country. We do nnt, t,s in Eng-
land aud France, confer hishes: honors
on our leading statesmen. Our Gam
Eettas and Gladstones are not pro-
NOTED to executive Offices. Our his
tory shows that we, whether wisely
or unwisely, trust the common sense
of all rather than the genius of one.
Our really distinguished statesmen
who have filled the presidential Office,
may be counted on the fingers of one
hand. In this view the popularity
that attaches to distinguished SOL
dier can not be taken as an omen of
success. Eminent as may have been
his military services he is obscured
now by the party host that is press
ing around him, and making an in
strument of him for the accomplish
ment of its own peculiar purposes.
Ii it were General Hancock alone there
would be little objection to him, but
it is not personal question.
The conundrum why Senator Conk-
ling stail away from the New York
Republican conference has not vet
been solved. One report has it that
he absented himself because of Gar
fields inability to carry out contract
to lisplace Merritt from the Custom
House. On the other hand, it has
been limited that ConkliDg absented
himself as matter of policy, in order
to do away with the idea that there
was any dickering on hand between
him and Garfield. General Arthur is
authority for the assurance that in
two or three weeks from this time
there will be no occasion to complain
that the campaign is languishing in
New York, nor that Senator Conkling
is continuing his policy of mastery
inactivity.
An interesting question was de-
cided yesterday by the first Comp
troller of the Treasury. A United
States draft, sent out to an attorney
in Tennessee, had been taken from
the attorney under older of State
court, the intention being to secure
its endorsement and payment by par
ties other than the owner or attorney.
The decision of the Comptroller is
that only the owner or his duly auth
orized attorney can cash the draft. If
the original owner-the party in
whose name it is drawu-has died, or
otherwise become incapable of acting,
the papers must be returned to the U.
). Treasury, and a new claim made by
the proper representatives, and new
draft issued.
At Boston's coming two hundred
and fiftieth anniversary it is expected
that both Hancock and Garfield will
be present, and it is part of the pro-
gramme that they SHALL ride in ba-
rouehe together in the great process
sion. They will make good look
ing pair.
The visitors at the numerous water
ing places along the shores of New
York bay, have recently been greatly
disturbed and excited at the appear
ance of large schools of sharks So
troublesome have become these mon
stres of the deep that it has greatly
;nterfered with bathing and fishing.
The appearance of so great number
Of these fish SO near the city is re-
garded as almost a phenomenon.
SENTINEL.
Our RAILR0AD.-The gap east of