Weekly graphic. [volume] (Kirksville, Adair Co., Missouri) 1880-1949, 1882-12-22
WASHINGTON LETTER.
From our Regular Correspondent.
WASHINGTON. d. G.. Dec. II. 1889


cious body has come in great and vari
ed crowds Of adjuncts, hangers or
camp-followers, tooters and parasites q
all kinds and both sexes. There are tn
tariff, Banking, Indian, Whiskey, lro1
and Steel, Dakota admission, Railroa
and other lobbies small and great wit
their various agents and assistant
whose name is legion. In addition l.
the above there are the nnumerabl
smaller satellites, male and female
which revolve slngly or in constella
tons around the Congressional lumin
aries. There is tie lovely and accom-
plisned Mrs. Anonyma, who has tha
celebrated claim, you know, for hel
dear dead husbands services as grea
counsel In the great Whiskev suit
There is the typical claimant who has
gro" gray in the steady pursuit o.
some gigantic sum of money wrongful
ly WITHHELD p.rhaps, which every man
knows the Rray-halred claimant viii
never get. Then there are the typical
Judge and Major" and Colonel.
whose military ranks are brevets
granted in the bar room and banded
over drinks for which none Of them are
ever able to pay.
The second star-route trial attracts
more interest here that the first and
the prevailing opinion now Is that
somebody will get hurt this time. The
counsel and defendants is the case are
numerous enough to form little Jury
of their own and they ara making des-
perate efforts to get their case pre-
judged; every resource that shrewd
counsel can suggest is being employed
not only to secure delays, but to affect
public opinion. Assaults upon the
Government counsel. and upon the
Court, of the most outrageous and un-
heard.of nature are among their devil
ces. A long and varied experience
persuaded witty iFrenchman to con-
clude that I'VE ought only to be aston.
ished that we are still able TO be aston
ished.' But he had never witnessed a
S:ar-route trial, with ite dramatic sur
prises. An ex-senator indicted, then
then lndignant..at the delay of his trial
"a delay either necessary or proverbl-
al-but returned non est when called
before the array, finally coming into
the arena smiling and gong out sor-
rowful. Returning to the contest with
his war paint on, printing two or three
columns of battle cries, and then fall
ing back into the arms of the medicine
man. There is broad margin of &C.
centricity assigned to every one jim the
embarrassed situation which is occupi-
ed by the cunning men who imposed
on Mr.. Dorseys too confding, unsuspi-
cious nature, but this charity uoes not
exUend to their counsel learned in tne
law. Human experience was not fully
prepared for the role played by some
of the counsel for the defence when
they appeared before Judge Wylie and
modestly requested that gentleman to
certify to his own judicial disqualified
tion. The court is crowed daily. One
of these days l may find time and op-
portunity for pen sketch of the scene
presented and the prominet figures in
it.
The recent braQgadocio in the French
newspapers incident to the rumor that
the United States intends to demand
reparation for the wrongs of American
sailors in the Island of Madagascar, is
attracting much painful attention and
pravoking much angry comment here.
The claim made by the French that on
account of the utter impotence of our
navy that of France could ruin every
American seaport is felt to have much
ground OF shameful truth. And here
S fine opportunity for Mr.. Robinson.
IT New York, and other doughty mem
'ers of Congress whose pleasant duty it +,
'as hitherto been to periodically twist ,
he tail of the British hon, to turn
heir attention to cutting the comb of
he Gallo rooster, which crows so lusti.
y. The farmer and the merchant of
he inland towns may often find it dif.
lcult to appreciate the need for pow
rful and effective navy, and yet it en-
ers closely as powerful factor into
he question of his daily expenditures.
The navy ofany mercantile and mara
lme nation is at once the pioneer and
rotector of its foreign trade, and when
lther of the citizens named has to pay
few cents more fer his teas OF cotfees.
Or example, because some foreign pow. ;;
r has monopolized the trade, he begins {
find that a great navy Is useful after
II.
We all had chance to look upon J
he well-known physiognomy of Gener- I
Butler during his late visit to the y
apital. His expression is simply bliss.
IL in spite of the tact that Mrs. Julia .
Yard Howe refuses to let him be pre- y
,nted to her. But he was rather cross v
ne day while attending to some busi- v
ess in the Land Office. An old gentle. !,
ian went up to HIM as he was writing q