Virginia free press. (Charlestown, Va. [W. Va.]) 1832-1916, 1881-02-26
W4sHINGr0S LYrTER.
from our Special Correspondent

aShingtOn, feO. q, 1851
The day is rapidly drawing nigh when
one may say: "Well, yes; Hayes did occupy
.he executive chair for while, but for all
the good or i'll he accomplished itmight just
as well have been vacant" The only thing
that will keep green the memory Of his adj
ministration il the undisputed fact that he
occupied the place that fairly belonged to an
other against the expressed will Of 4 large
majority of the American people. He is
admittedly loath to leave and the cXtraordi-
nary preparations being made to welcome
his successor no doubt affects him ID some
extent As the sound of the hammer and saw
erecting his scatiold does the felon who IS t.
be executed.
The Refuading bill which has 50 long
occupied the attention of both Houses has
at length passed the Senate in such a shape
that the House will probably find nothing
20 object to. 1t has not been materially
changed from the synopsis | gave youth my
last The passage of this bill pretty effect
uallv dissipltes all ideas of an extra session
much 70 the regret, il is thought, OF quite
number of patriotic gentlemen who have
grown fond Of life in Washington.
Poor Washington, like numbcrless other
/ have lived in the city since 1880 at which
time it was not much more than a very large
village. and | can remember bat few years
that passed without food in some part Of
the city or the washing away of portion Of
the Long Bridge. The fact Is that the city
wls never intended TO be built where il is.
An inspection of the spondence between
Gen Washington, l. Eniant, the civil engl-
necr, who planned the city, and Mr.. Jeiier-
son will show that the original design was
to build the city on that broad and high
plateau extending from the Capitol to the
Eastern Branch. This lastinunddtion how
ever seems to have been the worst, and rs
long a. the flats above the Long Bridge
continue 10 fill up and the long causeway
forming part Of the bridge is kept in repair
the damage will yearly increase. C0ngrcs3
may do something 10 remedy this evil but
the cost will be heavy.
The Northern Electric Light Company
I have made a proposition 70 light the city
and Capitol building with the electric light
/ The offer IS of such 4 character that il Is
fully equivalent to asupPly Of 100000 street
lamps and will be so arranged that the city,
/ If necessary, can be lighted every night in
4 the year at an annual cost of thirty cents
per lamp. The cost per lamp as now used
with fixtures and gas is $40. Ii such a
( thing can be done, the desidera,um as to
cheap and efficient illumination is within
/ easy reach.
. Nothing can be learned As yet "a to who
Will be likely 10 form Gartield's Cabinet be-
vond the fact that Blaine is to be Secretary
of S,atc-this, too, much against the wishes
+ of Grant. C)nkling has visited Garfield at
/ Mentor. but refuses to disclose the object Of
his trip or the result thereof 1t is thought
+ that Garfield Is trying his level best to recon-
I cile the personal dislike between COIkling
1 and Blaine. but finds it difficult u make
/ Roscoe forget that jim once likeaed him to
4 strutting gobler IL this connection it
NAV be proper 10 state that mention has
( been made of Robert Lincoln, son of the
J late hmcnted, a; likely 20 be made Attor-
ney General. I. is said that Logan has
visited Garfield in this behalf and told him
that Grant was in favor OF The appointment.
/ But when Grant heard Of this he fatty de
MED it and wrote to Garfield 20 that effect.
/ Let who may be in the Cabinet, it is noS
pretty definitely settled that no gentleman
/ with dark hair and eyes and skin OF the
same color will bc offered position. The
negro clement among political parties has
certainly earned deep consideration by
/ Republican leaders and the overslaugh or
neglect OF their claim at this time seems to
/ nave something Of a suicidal aspect. Be
| this as il may, 1t is entirely satisfactory 10
I a LOCKER ON - VIENNA.
/ In the rather discreditabc light Of thcallega-
ton that the river and haTbor bin mainly con-
s:sts of items of money for distribution in Con-
( -rc-sional districts. and that it is not for Tie
/ benefit of the streams and har5ors which abso-
/ lutclv require improvement the House is per
m.,tiug the rivers of West Virginia to give it a
deal of trouble During debate last week on
/ the bill, Mr. Updcgrati, of Iowa, referred to the
/ Monon-ahcla as a bad case OF splatter dock
navigation "a stream incapable of present or
/ future navigation for anything under Heaven
cxce3; RATS and hatboats, even after Sl64,OCO
/ had been expended ON If. lie moyed the strik-
F ius out of its 5000 appropriation. Mr. Fort,
/ OF Illinois, owed that the government should
regulate the tolls of the Monueahcla NavigG-
ton Company. Mr.. Cox, Of New York, moved
/ that the Mouonsahela appropriation shouldn't
4 DE available until it was aScertsingd that that
river was not tolicI by amy corporation. He,
in opposing the appropriation for the Great Ka-
uawha. alluded To- 10 as q river in which cat
fish was apt 90 wear ont its shout I'm getting
over sand bars Mr.. Van Noyhis of New York.
moved TO strike ont the $500 appropriation
for the Shenandoah, and Mr.. Updesratl read
from the engineer report, describing our river
asa mountain stream Of to inchc, depth o.
yer l.l-c~ aud shoals Mr. Konua yuliantly
comhat.ed these amendments and they We're
defeated
Sold for Mulhooly" is thegrace.ul title
of alate New York volume, reminiscent
OF the Tweed Ring regime, and within
which the veil is rather abruptly lifted on
metropolitan municipal methods. We APP
pend few dainty AKIN thcrcirom:
1t matters less how many votes youhaye
than how many YOU poll; itmattor, less how
many YOU poll than how many You get
counted.
one election officer well in hand is
worth score Of voters on the half she'll
It's cheaper to buy with promises than
cash
President Hayes participated in the cele-
bration of Washingtons birthday at Alex
andria. During the delivery of the Grafton
bv Hon. Frank Hurd, the large and ciabo-