davidaulloa/AmericanStories huggingface dataset:
The Sunday herald. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1866-1887, 1881-01-30

thermore, an act OF June "a, 1872, very rea-
sonably provided that executors and admin.
istrators from any of the States or Territories
should be allowed to sue here upon produc-
ton Of their letters properly certified. The
revision omits this, though II is very full on
the cogna,e subject of guardians and CON-
"mit,ees appointed elsewhere, and IL thus
puts all executors and administrators suing
here TO the often useless trouble and expense
of taking out additional letters within the
District. These are mere chance observa-
tions on a few pages. The probabilities Of
course are that a close search would reveal
similar ones throughout.
Enough has been said to indicate why the
people of the District have reason to COM
plain of the present manner OF promulgating
the laws, in itself one of the most sacred
duties of the legislature. The expense OF
setting the matter right would I've trifing,
and the benefits not only to the governed
bit to membets of Congtess themselves, in
future legislation, would be incalculable.
Persons who ask TO see the laws of this juris-
diction have to be told that they are found
only in old Maryland books which are out Of
print. in Congressional revision which is
obsolete, and in statutes at large where they
are inaccessible. Lawyers thrive on this
| obscurity and confusion of their art, but
every one else suffers. We are aware that a
| civil, as well as a municipal code, are now
pending before Congress, but experience with
four or five similar efforts in the past justifes
us in saying that 1t will be delusive to wait
for their adoption as a remedy for the evils
coinplaired of even If they could he speedily
passed. They do not pretend 10 cover the
whole ground, and would need a criminal
code and possibly digest Of public laws &c
complete them. A new edition of tn,
Revised Statutes would be speedy, efrec
tive, and cheap, even If it went no furthe,
than Mr.. Boutwells, and merely indicated
corrections without venturing to make then
outright. 1t should be understood, finally
that this proposed edition is to be printed
separate and free from the voluminous "Pos
"Roads and Public Treaties" which nov
add to its bulk uselessly so far as Distric
purposes are concerned, and which are gen
orally cut of and thrown away, the pur
chaser going to the expense of having th
part he really wants bound afresh for con
venient handling. These observations ar
by no means new, but they are timely an,
important, and they require net merel.
assent, but action on the part of those con
cerned.
The Sunday herald. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1866-1887, 1881-01-30

ONE of the most singular in the farrago of
arguments against civil service reform is the
plea that insecurity of tenure is necessary
to keep the Off ce'holder in aproper state of
humility and subsection to the great public
which has to deal with him, and prevent
him lording IL over them too much. But
which is more likely to be insolent the re-
tainer of powerful political chief who
knows he has no one to please but his master,
or man appointed solely on merit who has
no way to rise but efficiency and the giving
of satisfaction in his dutiesf We think the
" insolence Of office, in this country at any
rate, is exaggerated, and about equaled by
the insolence displayed towards those in
Office; but certainly, If insolence is to be
looked for 1t is from partisan heelers in
Quoted into places for which they are unfit
and relying on "inhooenz to keep them
there.
The Sunday herald. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1866-1887, 1881-01-30

official record in both cases shall save our
bushes:
Major william f. crcary, paymastcr, United
States Army, did, on a Sunday afternoon. m pub.
lie place near the traders store Mt Fort lowed IT,
he being in his uniform, 60 to an open carriage In
which we're two notorious prostitutes did engage IN
conversation with them, while rrlvatc Charles W.
wcbber an enlisted soldier OF the sixth Cavalry band
present did drink with said prostitutes and said
soldier at the expense OF said soldier; did enter said
carriage and accompany said prostitutes and did ride
with them In said carriage In the streets Of Tucson
A. 7. All this on or about January IS, 1850.
subsequently the Major, though but lately
a civilian and even then not among the ac-
tive combatants of the Army, did most
heroically black the eye of the City Marshal,
and conducted himself so gloriously in COM
batting the minions of the law that they could
only overpower him by main force and send
him home in an ambulance.
First Lieut. Wallace Tear, Twcnty-nfty United
States Infantry, being EN- route from san Antonio,
Texas to Fort Randall, u. T., with adetachnent OF
the Twenty NTH Usltcd states infantry, and travel
ing In sleeping &t with othet officers, their wives
and children, did become drunk, ahd was by a
lady OF the party hound In helpless drunken con-
dition, or nearly So or In n drunken Sleep In the
apartment In said sleeping car set apart for the eScu
sive use OF ladies. This or aboutJuiy 20, 1850.
The result in both cases may be guessed.
The sentence OF, dismissal for each "is miti-
"gated to suspension from rank, with a for
feiture of one half of his pay, for the period
"of one year. r. B. Hayes
The summing up is that during his term
the virtuous and indignant Mr.. Hayes, ari-
thor of General Order No. 104, has had be-
fore him sixty convictions of courts-martial
for gross offenses, most of them involving
extreme cases of drunkenness on duty, ha;
only confirmed nineteen and so mitigated forty
one that the offenders remain in the servic,
tJeontaminate their associates and bring re
proach on an honorable body. In some o
these cases there were favorable recommends
tions, but there can be no such pretense il
the case of Creary, who was retained, as Ii,
was appointed, by political influence, and il
all cases of ofdrunkenness Mr.. Hayes had bount
himself in the most public and authenti
manner to use no leniehcy. tits against tn
operation of such causes as this that tn
Army is expected to maintain its high stand
ard of character and honor, and purify itsel
from the unworthy and base. Can anything
more destructive to discipline, good order
and morale be conceived than this mawkisl
setting aside of punishments and dismissals
which is combined, it must be remembered
with constant infusion of material like Max
we'll or Creary from civil life, and persisten
ignoring of all regularity and regard for meri
in promotions and retirements?
The Sunday herald. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1866-1887, 1881-01-30

SOME Of the Lesseps organs are now prov
Ing that there Is no such thing rs the Monroe Doc
trine. This Is all right, but they don't begin far
enough back. The weight OF opinion is now leaning
to the belief that there any Mr. Monroe, cx-
cept Mr. scatcn Monroe and that the fabulous possess
sion OF that In the past myth Of the Sun and
the Dawn. As next step 1t would he easy to prove
that there Is no United States of America, and that
therefore the regard paid to that by combined
Europe Is highly ridiculous. Strong reasons could he
adduced for this latter belief from the testimony Of
alleged "Americans" travelling abroad, and who
have never heard of the ctitous country thus called
ever cxcrting the slightest influence tof good or III
beyond Its own borders possessing any commerce or
effective Navy. protecting Its citizens, exercising
any other Of the attributes usually ascribed to
ereignty really existent or course any such hgment
as the Doctrine dependent ON this vague and shadowy
republic hidden In the Atlantic waves, Is unworthy
much as the notice Of the Count lie Lesseps, who Is
diplomatist and not an engineer.
The Sunday herald. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1866-1887, 1881-01-30

The New York Sun denounces the Supreme
Court for deciding that the income tax is
constitutional, and calls upon the Demo-
cratic party to array itself against the tax
alton of incomes. In this brother Dana is
utterly wrong and u-Democratic. The mil
lionaire aristocracy-the Goulds and Van
derbilts-oan only be reached and made to
bear part of their share of the just bur-
dens Of Government through an income tax.
A really Democratic party must revise a
system of taxation which now bears wholly
upon consumers of taxed articles, in other
words upon the masses of the people, ire
spective Of their ability to pay, and must find
means of reaching the all-devouring capi-
talist. That means is the income tax. The
man or journal that opposes such a tax is
on the side of the aristocracy.
The Sunday herald. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1866-1887, 1881-01-30

The American papers that are fercest in
denunciation OF Sir George Colley-or will be,
when they find out that he has taken the
place of their +" Beaconsfield and Bartle
" Frere " in the Transvaal-have nothing but
words of praise for the achievement of Rus
sia's halfguerilla chief, one Skobeleff, who
has captured with great slaughter city OF
the unfortunate Tekke-Turcomans, Cor Toor-
komans) yet the the Toorkomans are, far
more than the the Beers can ever pretend to
be, defending their own country and their
rights, while Russia is waging an unjustif-
able war solely of conquest, plunder, and ex-
termination, bringing with her not civiliza-
tion and liberty, but the sword, the knout,
and the degrading worship of the Tsar.
There were two suggestive dispatches
from the scene of action last week, the
first being that the besieged had Loyalty OBJ
served truce for burying the dead, waiting
until the last Russian had returned to the
trenches the second, that after the city had
fallen great numbers of its chivalric defend
ers were "pursued and cut down." which we
take to be the cautious official way of an
nouncing massacre. On which side, in
vaders or the oppressed, does the prepon-
derance of humanity and nobility seem to
be! The disparity with which American
editors view English and Russian events,
respectively, in so far as it is not attribu-
table to sheer ignorance, must arise from the
absurd superstition which still fingers on
that we ought to be better friends with
semi-Asiatic, altogether despotic Russia,
than with our own kinsfolk, from whom
we derive our laws, our liberties, and our
language. How baseless this is may be
illustrated from the nearest example: Rus
sia has already sold us at an exorbitant
price all her holdings on this continent
England has an empire here yet, which she
may some day give us for nothing II our re-
lations continue friendly.
The Sunday herald. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1866-1887, 1881-01-30
TIE HOLOCAUST OF CLERKS.

The fact that the only sufferers by de-
railment of an Erie train last week were the
postal clerks in the mail car and an express
agent who shared their danger, and that all
of them met dreadful death, must provoke
earnest inquiry in regard to such affairs.
Several times within few years has it hap
pened that an accident comparatively slight
in itself has found its only victim in these
deserving employees of the Government, who
have suffered the tortures of martyrs at the
stake. If it be true that the railway COM
panies cause them to be fastened into tinder-
box cars, laden of course with in1ammable
matter, heated by common coal stoves and
lighted by kerosene lamps, it is certainly a
disgrace to civilization and humanity. No
official concerned can be held entirely guilt
less of these deaths, considering what warn
ing has been given by repeated disasters.
Under present arrangements it really seems
that every clerk in a mail car takes his life
in his hands in stepping on board for his
perilous journey. The slightest shock to
the train, which may scarcely disturb the
other passengers, and which, as in the Erie
horror, may leave the engine-driver and
stoker ahead of him scatheless, is almost
certain to bring the demon of fire upon him.
remorseless and unacceptable. Human in
genuity has found a way to avert such ex-
cessive risks as this wherever it was Sc
riously desired to do SO, and perhaps the
consideration that valuable mail matter is
liable to be burned up at the same time with
its unfortunate custodians, may avail to save
the lives of the latter if only incidentally to
their precious charge.
The Sunday herald. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1866-1887, 1881-01-30

THE week has been signalized by gross
instance Of the personal favoritism which
saps tho esprit de corps Of the Army in the
nomination of Major David G. Swain to be
Judge Advocate General over the heads Of
six seniors, each of them brevetted for gal
lantry during the war, and distinguished in
the Bureau Of Military Justice for their emf
nent capacity and legal attainments. Major
Swain is deserving officer, but those will
be very partial friends who will claim that
he is superior in ability and desert to Majors
Lieber, Winthrop, Curtis, or Goodfellow.
But, as If the elevation for no perceivable
reason except personal favor of Junior over
his seniors in rank were not enough, this
promotion is tainted by circumstances which
ought to have made II impossible. We un-
derstand that I" it was made on the direct
personal solicitation of General Garfield,
"on whose house Major Swain holds consid-
"erable mortgage" If this Is an earnest of
what We are to expect under the coming ad-
ministration, we can only hope that instead
of leaving the Service in state Of irrepara-
BILE decentralization, 1t will turn the atten-
tion of all concerned toward the necessity Of
getting our Army out Of the reach of such
influences By giring ii an autonomous or9anisa-
lion.
The Sunday herald. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1866-1887, 1881-01-30
TnE dificulties In the way of making ihe

The difficulties In the way of making the
reappointment OF Representatives and the principles
that should govern 1t thus succincy set forth by
the World;
The scheme OF reappottionment reported from the
House committee Is In form an amendment OF that
submitted by Mr. Cox In fact Is to be feared that
It is by no means amendment. MIR. Cox's bill in-
creased the number of Representatives by eight. The
committee rst proposed additional increase Of ten
and the bill now before tile House proposes further
Increase OF eight, making the whole number OF Rep
resentatives so. These twenty six additional menu
bers will cost the country not far from $780, yearly
and certainly nobody imagnes that the House the
country will get that amount Of good out OF them.
This, however, is small matter. increase is to he
deprecated as the World pointed out the other day In
discussing Mr. Cox bill because when you once admit
an Increase 1t is difficult and indeed impossible to set
limits to 1t with fairness. The committee admits the
principles by providing for twenty SIX iore iembers
When Its report comes Up some member from State
large unrepresented remainder will urge that In
Justice has been done his State, N,at to meet
this injustice will only require more member and
that the number ought to be Increased to 320 II the
House accedes to this, another member from the
State next most deeply aggrieyed will make an In.
committee to show that the line ought to be drawn at
$40 rather than at 900 321, and mQlerae amount
Of logrolling the part of membegOf States with
large rcmalnders will be likely to swell the number
much beyond the largest of these figures. Moreover
there will be no logically conclusive to their
demands. Every member Of the House will admit
that that body Is already so large to be unweldy
and t'at although an addition of eight members,
Mr.. Cox proposes, even of twentysix, the COM
mittee proposes, might not add very appreciaby to
this unwieldiness any addition at all is objec-
tionable, and that reduction the contrary would
tend to the better despatch of the public business.
Absolute arthetca fairness to every State Is out of
the question: and the liotse Viii simply Increase Its
difficulties by every concession II makes to appease
even plausible complaint. 1t is to lie hoped, there
fore that the present number since smaller number
number of tho House for the next ten years.
The Sunday herald. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1866-1887, 1881-01-30
DIED.

HEALY.-on the 27th day OF January, 1881, Rosale
A., wife Of Col II. g. Heay and daughter OF the late
afternoon, January 80, from st. Aloysius Church.
DAVIS.-January ~, Louisa wife OF Capt. w.
II. Davis, and daughter Of Edward and susanah
Raynor In the twenty ninth year Of her age Fdneral
from her late residence, sos Sixth street southwest,
to-day, at 2 l.. NJ.
sTEELE.-January 20, Mrs. II. N. Steele widow
of the late IL. N. Steele aged seventy four years.
Funeral from Memorial Church, ii street northeast,
Monday Afternoon at $3.50 O'Clock.
The Sunday herald. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1866-1887, 1881-01-30


Mr.. MAST has joined the outside of Har-
per'S Weekly to the inside in the demand for
civil service reform, by a cartoon represent
ing the typical political hummer sprawling
his dirty boots over an official desk and
arguing that the American citizen is equal
to any kind Of work, and we must not build
up "an oftce-holding aristocracy." The
best of this is, that the artist attacks his own
party, whose organ in this city continues to
vent just exactly the arguments he 50 well
satirizes. "We PROPOSE" said this sheet
the other day, "that the functions Of civil
"service reform, which have 80 long engaged
attention, may be put aside until political
"reform, as it applies to Democrats holding
"ofice in Republican administration, has
some consideration. "Functions of civil
"service reform" " is not very clear, but the
rest Of the sentiment means glsringly enough
that politics, not fitness, must determine the
tenure Of office, and teaches the Democrats to
make clean sweep from high TO low when
they in turn come into power. II is poor
rule that won't work both ways, but II is q
poorer rule that, working both ways, works
only to the Generalization of the public
service and the beggary of deserving men in
subordinate offices.
The Sunday herald. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1866-1887, 1881-01-30
Col. OchiItree's Game.

letter written abroad from New York
says that Col ochtree, who occupies the position Of
private " tooter y TO Gen. Grant and other staesmen
who require occasional grooming. has given forth
letter from Gen. Longstreet, which says that the
Republican party only be reorganzed and built up
In the Sonth by "Southern Republicans. That II,
Gen should be endowed with all the Federal
patronage TO build up Louisiana. while Col Tom, his
hair lighting up Its banks like prairie fire, would
make the Rio Grande reveTberato with the crack I
the Administration black snake.
The Sunday herald. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1866-1887, 1881-01-30
The worthy citizen of Washington. wi

THE worthy citizen OF Washington, who
is Just struggling under his nonstrous winter
gas bills, increased by the company whether he in
creases his consumption not has his whole
years water rent to pay, that twin brother Of bar
barlsm Increased as tho rates have been to meet
expenses not properly chargcable upon the yearly
consumer they still collected In installment
at the time Of teat when tile poor are least able to
meet them. There Is also paipablc nidstob To the
monthly tenant, who II he moves In the 7rst OF
January is obliged to pay the water rent for the whole
year. though he may move out In February. The only
reason given for not making two installmcnts with
the regular taxes is the convenience Of tho clerks and
the lordly Registrar This supplies s,iong reason
for abolishng the whole business and including the
water supply In the general taxes.
The Sunday herald. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1866-1887, 1881-01-30
To copRrspoNDFyrs

Rejected communications cannot be returned. AS
an evidence Of good faith, nj, communications, no
matter how BRIEF addressed to the Editor Of THE
SUNDAY HERALD, must be accompanied by the
writer's name full and address.
The Sunday herald. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1866-1887, 1881-01-30
EDITORIAL COMMENT.

THE recent trials in this District of James
NJ. w. Stone and John s. NJ. johnson for murder In
dictate that It is dangerous to weigh down young mon
with Surplus Of long names early In life.
The Sunday herald. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1866-1887, 1881-01-30

Mr.. HALlErT KILBouRS will be remembered
as the man who defended the rights of the
citizen against the arbitrary power of i'm
prisonment claimed by both houses Of Con-
eress. The Constitution gives the citizen
the right of protection against unreasonable
searches and against deprivation of his
liberty without due process of law, yet Con.
gress has exercised the right to make any
inquisition it chose into private business, to
compel witnesses to answer any questions,
and to compel the production of all private
books and papers and the exposure of busi-
ness secrets, and to punish any refusal to
co nply with these despotic demands by in
definite imprisonment. In carrying his case
up to the Supreme Court and securing a
judicial definition of his rights and of the
limitations of the power oflegislative bodies
TO coerce and punish witnesses Mr.. Kilbourn
has rendered an important public service.
The Sunday herald. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1866-1887, 1881-01-30

n1f. f.WARTED-YOU To knew THAT
We sell First class Tailor made Second hand
Suit much better and great deal cheaper than
mon new suit can be bought. at JUSTH'S OLD
STAND, No. 6i9 ID street, between Sixth and Seventh
streets northwest, at Branch Store No. 408 Ninth
rect, between ID and streets northwest.
N. B.-We buy but First-class second-h hand Cloth
The Sunday herald. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1866-1887, 1881-01-30
SpsfiaI 1otifes.
REGISTRARS OFFICE,

WASHINGTON, ID. c., Dec. 20, 1880.
TO WATER TAKERS;
You are hereby notified that WATER RENTS FOR
THE YEAR 1881 will 10 due on the LIST OF January,
and II not paid within Thirty DAYS from that date
the law authorizes the water to DO cut of and the
penalty OF s2 to be added to the bill.
TH0S. G. cox,
ta2- Water Registrar,
The Sunday herald. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1866-1887, 1881-01-30

Whole Tickets, So; Halves, 50; Quarters, So.
Remlttances may be made by Bank Check, Express,
Postal Money order, or Registered Mail.
Responsible agents wanted at all points. For circu-
lars giving full Information and for tickets address
w. q. ID. WHIPS,
The Sunday herald. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1866-1887, 1881-01-30

THE Legislature of Nebraska has made a
great mistake in sending new man TO re-
place Hon. Algernon S. Paddock in the Sem
ate. Congress is of all places the one where
the knowledge gained by heightened service
is Of most value. New members take the
least important places on the committees,
where all the real work of legislation is done,
and especially where those matters in which
each of the different constituencies has a
special interest car be gained or lost. Mr..
Paddock at the close of his six years service
leaves the Senate with the respect of his
colleagues, and is recognized by those famil-
lar with its inner workings as a man of supe-
rior abilities ripened by study and expert
ence. His unblemished private character
and well-known business ability will without
doubt enable him to acquire the fortune in
private which he could not expect in public
life, so that his State and country will be
the chief losers by his retirement from the
Senate.
The Sunday herald. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1866-1887, 1881-01-30

One bad feature which may be expected TO
flow from the unguarded state of our streets
and the facility afforded for crimes, is that
every man, and woman too, for that matter,
will be tempted to carry firearms, as in per-
fectly wild region. When the police are too
few in number and widely scattered to pro-
tect us, we must protect ourselves. If Mr..
Ramsdell, for instance, had been armed with
pistol from the abounding arsenal of our
neighbors on the other side of us, he could
have signaled for help after his accident in
way much more effective than the use of his
gentle aud unboisterous voice. 1t is easy to
deplore this necessity, but not so easy to
suggest remedy until Congress shall be
pleased to increase the police force. Even
good citizens would rather break the law
against carrying concealed deadly weapons
than run the risk of being murdered or hav-
ing ladies under their charge insulted with
immunity.