Maryland independent. [volume] (Port Tobacco, Md.) 1874-current, 1881-10-21
OUR WASHINGTON LETTER.
From our Regular correspond..t

WASHINGTON. d. c., October 18th. 1881.
Yorktown has been the central uogn, dur
ing part Of the week aud Waslliagtao was
for the tir-e pretty much deserted l,a;ts ofi.
cihls avs. celebrities Tor several a. lie
coming tul going Of troops ga r1tip "a the
arrival iirr. Of various Governor. aaJ si,4ir
siaif l,c'I Ia cits itlI strangers FL ,..,Iiss
cae,l our streets. q say njthiag Fl b.,tf,.-
tidDfs. Tie Oil Potomac has n1f f,fes,.ntrd
s1c,l gala importance hef1-e dufsr= ~, So
ionrn Al the tiapitai An The sietfasl. -, In.
river, Mii,i several Navy vessels. t-nfasslr
decorated with hunting, have guns ~ tud
down tin river l0Gltl TO the wtter fsl o,tl,
lunitn frrieht The President aa.l e,i.ige
ARMY and Ntvy oil 'efs, Senators. g.n,r..,-
men and flrr1n diplomats were ans,nr Size
passeu9 rs Along the river front 4sd sl,1t,t
tue harhor titrs have displayed while N. M
usual stir aud the heating Of drums almost
suggested actul preparations for wiz
i pOu the historical spot where Corvallis
/ SURRENDERED there WIS gathered larger
crowd, military aud civil, thin il /, likele
ever 10 see again mall lis main le.itnes the
4 Yorktown Of to-day, which was.he sene Of
/ the cuiniuating Struggle thai ettu4lIy
brought the war - indepcnleacr . sss.a,
phant clesp, finds y ehivf diH fei a's s.tlfe
iitfie port - ttrN where ii,e .se7NN WI the
/ Pages lived in pttrhtrchhi fishiou snturv
ago, in the r,vages that time has wrpbht Il
Tie principal features Of the place II tho
same. The little custum-house s.jli =, So
There are still traces Of the earthwOrks 4 ,o,,.,
j up during the siege, and tie fine old x.lsnn
mansion still rcars its stately head. thrs,,h II
a condition Of diapidntiOn and dc., me
4 Yorktown ola century ago was again to CO..,
Of mimic war. Soldiers were enclun.. u, =,
now barren fields, aud on its waller. shins
rode al anchor, with the flags Of Fr,ese ma
America unfurled 1t WAS i graepfnlact ~
courtesy to invite the descendants and ron,a-
senttiyes Of those who participated i, our
revolutionary struggle to assist Mt the eentcn-
tcnnitl celebration Of its successful te,nioa-
ton on the spot where CORVALLIS laid lown
his arms and surrendered the 900 men of bis
command prisoners Of war. To I4aiAye,te aud
4 llorhamheau, Count dc Grasse aud tbe naval
and military forces Of France tie country
owes deep debt OF gratitude, as well AZ "a
4 the able German soldiers Steuben and DE
Kalb, whom France engaged to assist us in
our struggle. But for France the war mich,
have continued indefinitely as a iorIorn ana
desperate conflict, such as II people intent on
/ liberty can wage with all the odds againsl
them. She supplied the colonial Government
with money, arms, men and manitions Of var
4 cipated in the scige Of Yorktown, aud Of The
/ 1914 900 men that constituted the beseuinp
force under Washington, France contributed
/ 1900.
Mr.. Field has just given out a bulletin
I showing the condition Of the Mrs Gari:eld
4 fund, stating that after purchasing regisered
tour per cent bonds TO the amount oil So On1,
4 there Is still about $4,000 on uaIltA 80.
,rs'ss1' 81 ssiss,.s ss:i
/ sivcaess of American character than the on ),
pouring Of this large sum OF money from pri.
vlte purses to the widow of the late President
Aud while all are glad to see her amply pro.
vided for, | cannot help thinking that IN,
matter is being oyerdone. Mrs. Garfield III.
in addition to this fund n comfortable house
in Mentor worth $4,000, house in Wa.b.
ington worth $4,000, besides S35. 0o1 IN
money from life insurance policies and In
probability Of $50 600 or Sl00. 600 from ,-on.
gress. Thus she is practically worth bali
million dollars-more than she can eye, ,,so
and more than enough TO start all of her all
dren handsomely in life. What need ,ras
there Tor all this, and how utterly foolish =, ,e
the proposition 10 raise another fund far tbo
Presideuts mother. All this suggests tbs H.
consistency Of our phllanthropv, sometimes
and how high position often ELECTS an over
plus OF svmpaty. in hi ,higan are thousand
Of uniortunates whom the fire fined lately rru-
dered utterly destitute. In il day the deslroy
cr swept over them and took everything :
/ They were h0uselcss homeless and naked not
knowing where the next loaf was comino
from, and many dying from injuries and e1po,
sure. Yet all these thousands Of sufferers and
all this utter destitution did not elicit fmm
the mitli9aaircs who had given so freelyIlo
Mrs Garfield one half the amount raised for
her who really did not need it, and wdjse
Affections were not of the kind that mole
can soften.