The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1881-12-03
Washington Letter.
rrou our Regular Correspondent }

ErOlH our Regular OiICoP'hu'H|J
WASHINGTON, ID. g., Nov. 20, 1881.
During this and the next week, the election
of speaker of the House will attract some OF
the attention that Is now lavshed upon the
Eloathsome Gueau. The candidates are al
ready in the field, but not more than one.tourth
of the total number Of members has ar
rived. Owing to a rather low grade OF quail
fcalion OF most of the candidates Tor the
lspeakership, Mr.. kasson, who is really bril-
liant man, shines with contrasted splendor
At no previous time, since the formation OF
the party, mas there been such dearth OF able
Republicans in Congress. Sumner, Conkling
Blaine, Garfield, Conger Butler, Thad. Ste
yens, Henry Wilson, Boutwell,, Dawes, and
many others, are either out Of public life, OF
have been buried IN the ground or in the Sen
ate. The old party is III its debauched, equity
dotage sans nose, sans MIND, sans every
thing but the Government, which 1t still ho!us
through the ftaud of 1876, and the public treas
urv, which it has transferred to its pocket
The candidates for the speakershlp are sc
lacking in National reputation, that 1t woulc
seem necessary to placard them with bog
raphy, but very small card will hold the an
nouncement that they were born and elected
to Congress Their names and states are Dun
nell, of Minnesota Burrows, of Michigan,
Reed, of Maine IIIscock, Of New York, and
Kelfer. of OHIO. All of these gentlemen are
good commonplace men, who like good
dinner, and never grow thinner, on bottled
beer and chops" But they have no special
fitness for an office that requires the parlla
mentary learning and readiness OF ColtaX or
a Blaine, the impartiallty OF judge, and the
tact of a woman 1t seems to be agreed that
Mr. Kasson has the qualifications OF all the
remarkable people in history
The pluck of Lord Nelson on Board OF the VIC
Genius Of Bismarck devising plan;
The humor of Fielding (Which sounds contra
Goodness of Paget about to trepan;
The science Of Julien, the eminent musco;
Wit of Macaulay, who wrote OF Queen Anne;
The pathos of Paddy, as rendered by Boucicault;
STYLE of the Bishop Of Sodor and Man;
The dash of D'Orsay, divested OF quackery;
Narrative powers of Dickens and Thackeray;
1upper and Tennyson; Daniel Defoe,
Anthony Trcllope, and Mr.. Guzot,-
| Take of these elements all that is lusible,
Melt 'em all down in II pippin or crucible;
Set 'em to simmer, and take OH the scum,
| And Mr.. KassOn is the resduum."
The great objection that every honest man
must have to Mr. Kasson Is, that he is tainted
and stepped with the fraud Of 1876; he was
Hayes attorney before the electoral commits
sion, and was paid for his services with TIT
Austrian mission, for which Guiteau was 81
recently an applicant. There Is not villain
in all the United States that approved con
doned or failed to rebuke that unspeakab
wrong "but he is an arrantknave." This sen
tence, | know, will include large mlnort,
of the census-twenty millions of men, wo
men and children, more or less-but 1t Is nom
too sweeping, and only regret that have no
time and strength to express my opinion an'
feelings personally to every unit OF the 20,Ooo
600 Still, will do all can,