Democratic Northwest. [volume] (Napoleon, Ohio) 1869-1894, 1882-12-07
WASHINGTON LETTER.
TFrOm our Regular oOrrssDOndenLl

IVTTttHONuNNlsl
WASHINGTON, D. c.. Dec 4, 1882.
7 eGarfe'd Monument Fair has not been
without disappointing features. more es-
peciaily without regard TO its results.
The extensive preparations made, and
the large amount of labor and money ex-
pended thereon, entitled the affair to a
liberal patronage. but evidently it has for
some reason failed to elicit the anticipat-
ed response. During the first few days
there was serious doubt whether it would
pay expenses. but later the attendance has
been better. though whether there will be
anything realized for the subject in view
is not yet generally known. 1t is not that
there is any less regard for the name of
Garfield now than heretofore, but in my
opinion there would have been more pub
lie sympathy. at least here in Washing
ton, IL the Garfield Memorial Hospital
had been the enterprise to be advanced.
There is general feeling that the hospi-
tai wonld he more appropriate and en-
during monument-one which Garfield
himself, We're he to choose, would better
approve. Then, too, the time seems to
have been injudIciously chosen. The
Army of the Cumberland, so brave and
successful in war, do not seem endowed
with good practical sense in matters of
this kind. Three years ago their society
held its annual reunion i'm connection
with the unveiling of the Thomas statue
here, in bleak, snowy November wheath-
er, and Gen. jeff. c. Davis, the vice.
president, who had charge of the exer-
cises, caught his death. cold at the park
on the day of the unveiling, and his val
liable life was terminated but a few
weeks afterwards. Unwarned by this
severe lesson, the society again chooses
the same season, and Thanksgiving week
at that, week when the American peo-
pie travel less than usual, for holding a
fair whose success depends mainly on
people at a distance. How could the av-
erage citizen comply with the luscious
Thanksgiving proclamation of President
Arthur in it's true inwardress on the cold
charities and perfunctory turkey of a
Washington hotel? 1t is perhaps min
or consideration that our beloved but
chastened Congress on its reassembling
will find the Capitol as ''cluttered up as
dollar store.
The office holders have not yet recov.
cred from their CONSERVATION caused by
President Arthur's recent bomb shell,
supposed to be aimed at the Star route
camp. 1t was undoubtedly sudden and
unt expected stroke, the meaning of which
lies much deeper than the indication of a
simple purpose to "purify the atmos-
phere surrounding the prosecution of
these cases" The prime cause, SO far as
Mr.. Attorney Bliss is concerned, was the
desire to punish officials who have not
paid that profound respect to himself
which he thinks is due to the intimate
friend of the President. It was upon the
report of this smart prosecutor, who
draws $10O per day, and whose bills for
the last year to the amount of $4,000
have been approved by the Attorney
General, that the action of the President
was taken. Vet Bliss is very insigni6-
can't. person, nothing of a lawyer, and
not SO much above suspicion himself as
to be proper person for employment in
such capacity 1t was due to fismanipu-
lations in the Jury room that the late
grand jury refused to indict Kellogg, late
United States Senator But on the part
of the President the late bold stand-a
complete change of front-was the re-
suit of the recent elections. Mr.. Arthur
heard something drop Nov. 7th, and he is
making desperate efforts to recover him
self. There are circumstances almost
without number to sustain the view that
up to The present time Mr.. Arthur has had
no desire e. secure COW lotions in these
Star route cases. And now in the face of
this sudden spasm of virtue the fact re-
mains that the net in which the conspira-
tors were to be caught was SO woven or
so cast as to hold the little fishes and let
= fk, I,s E,1 "a
late for the public prosecutors to disavow
any responsibility for the failure of jus,
lice in the case The dismissal of these
five officials is good thing in itself.
Whether it is good thing or not for the
interest of justice in the Star-route cases
will appear hereafter. When Brady and
Dorsey are actually in prison, and not
until then, people will be prepared to
score point for the Administration.
The orders issued in some Governmentide-
partments recently requiring the clerks to
do six and half hours work every work
ing day and to desist from receiving visi-
tors during Office hours are the direct re-
suit of the late elections. Pension Com
missioner Dudley is given to posing as
reformer Some of his 'orders" are fa-
nous for their bombastic style, and ex.
cite good deal of merriment about
town. The Commissioner of the Land
Office, however, is not open to any such
charge, but probably it occurred to him
that this is a very good time to turn over
couple of new leaves. 1t is move by
no means superfuous. The way in which
time is squandered in the Government
Offices is wonderful. The half hours in
termission for lunch is generally spent
on the street and the lunch time taken
out of the Governments time. It is
against this abuse that the Land Office
circular is directed, as well as the prac.
tice of virtually stopping work half an
hour before the Office is closed. The re-
suit of the late elections has been to
cause a sudden spasm of virtue among the
officials and an immediate cutting off of
cakes and ales, but it won't last. Now
that the devil is sick he wants to he
saint, but his illness will not continue
longer than month or two. A darky
official Is one of the most amusing sights
in the worId-the airs he gives himself,
his immense Importance, the grandilo-
quent manner in which he spreads him-
self in his office chair and surveys his Of
flee desk are delicious to the lover of a
joke. PHoNo.
And SO do Others.
A gentleman of SwedesbOro. N. r..