The Eaton Democrat. (Eaton, Ohio) 1875-1903, 1882-04-27
WASHINGTON LETTER.
From our Regular Correspondent.
WASHINGTON, d. G.,
April, "a, 1882. e

The last week has not been an es
pecially good one for Robson, as the
House acquitted itself oy practically
sitting down on one or two of his pet
Enthusiastically the navy recon-
struction job. There would not be
so much objection to the Navy bill if
il were at all certain that money APP
propriated for that purpose would be
honestly expended. All Americans
feel more or less ashamed of the POI
sition we occupy among the Nations
as q maratime power, and would be
willing to see 1T somewhat improved.
But this condition of affairs is as
much due to Robson and his course
as Secretary of the Navy as to all
other things combined and there is
a feeling that he is not the proper
person to manipulate the work of
building up. The, present scheme is
believed to beajGbr andas snchit
has been in exceedingly bad odor.-
There is one thing Rebeson can do
and have his own way about THE
can run the Speaker, and, at the pre-
sent rate, if he don't run him into the
ground, politically speaking, before
the end of his term l shall be disap-
pointed. In fact it is as good as done
already. Nc Speaker has ever been
SO unpopular or made such an un-
mitigated partisan ass of himself.
The Shipherd Investigation has
taken something of a different turn
this week and promises after all to
be somewhat interesting. Shipherd
himself, who has for the time disap-
peared from the scene, has made the
impression here that he is a smart,
quick witted person, who may or
may not be telling the truth, but who
is clever enough to make what he
says look like the truth. His half
condolences and his refusal to testify
on many most important points weak
en- the force of what he has revealed
SO far that unless he can hereafter
substantiate the material points by
other evidence than his own what he
has said will amount TO but little
He has been, on the whole, too smart
for the committee, which, in the be-
ginning, was not much inclined, SO
far as the Republican part of it went,
to discover more than it could help.
They have curiously missed the real
object of the, inquiry, whether pur-
posely or through dizziness it is not
easy to say. It may be that by the
time this is in print we shall have
got at something really important.
The difference between the two Re-
publican Senators from Pennsylva-
mia and their followers is, so far as
appearances now 60, irreconcilable.
Senator Mitchell says openly that he
intends from this time forth to fight
Don Cameron either in or out of the
party. Gov. Curtin has urged upon
the Democratic Senators that the
wise policy of the Democrats in the
Senate will be to stand by Senator
Mitchell in voting on the Presidents
nominations. AS a matter of policy
from O party standpoint there can
be no question of this. But Che prac
tice of many of the Democratic Sen.
ators is to permit personal consider.
atoms to outweigh party advantages,
and some of them will doubtless con.
tinue to prefer Don Cameron's din.
ners and lunches, and conclude that
it will not pay them to help widen
the breach in the Republican party
of Pennsylvania at the expense Of
giving them up.
President Pro Tenn Davis, of the
Senate, is too big for all the chairs
in the chamber and had, a day OF
two ago, his third breakdown since
he became a member of that body.
The trouble with the Illinois Sena.
tor is that he forgets an ordinary
chair cannot sustain the four hun.
dred-pound mass of flesh which be.
longs tozhim. He ought to follow
the example of the late Senator Dix.
on H. Lewis, and only use CHRIS es
pecially constructed to stand the
strain. Judge Davis, who had put
another Senator in the big, strongly
braced chair which he occupies as
presiding officer of the Senate, had
been strolling around the chamber
to stretch his legs, and passing by
the chair which belongs to Senator
Brown, of Georgia, and is abundant
ly able to hold his weight ofone hun
dred and twenty five pounds, he took
a notion to rest himself. He sank
into the chair. and the chair sank to