The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1882-04-22
OUR WASHINGTON LETTER.
From our Regular Correspor dent.l


cally. and generally. Congress has
not stirred up much dust, but it keeps
pegging away and matters are shap-
ing for more lively work in the next
two months, The Democrats give
up beaten on the tariff question. in
the present Congress at least, and the
Commission bill is certain to become
law. Several contested election
cases have been settled by the cleo
-tions Committee and are ready to be
reported to the House. There is like
~ to be some music when Democrat
;c methods in South Carolina and
Mississippi are officially shown up.
but there is little doubt that the
Committees conclusion will be sus.
tanned. Captain Howgate gave us
another sensation By eluding Il depu-
ty marshal who had been sent with
him to his house. and the fact re.
moved whatever doubts previously
existed of his guilt. It...can not be
that he really expected to escape be-
You'd recapture, but he may have re-
lgarded his case so desperate anyhow
that it could not be made any worse
by the attempt. The Star-route pros
ecutions promise to occupy some at
tention for the next four wee ks and
we shall see whether the Govern
ment is powerless TO convict rascals
who steal from and swindle it under
cover of law.
The drawing of the Shipherd net
has not caught any very big fish and
consequently but little interest is
manifested in the investigation.
Mysterious hints of astounding lie.
velopments were thrown out to the
pubic in the beginning, and expec-
;asion was raised to a pretty high
pitch. 1t was, indeed, more than
lntimated that one distinguished
man. conspicuous chara ter in
American politics and statesman
ship. would be entangled in the
meshes of the Peruvian company ;
and very naturally this excited pub
lie interest. The testimony has
shown that this prominent individ-
ual, rs Secretary of State, simply
manifested and expressed what
might he termed an official interest
in the claims.and that he was willing,
as the head of the Department OF
State, to protect the interests OF
American citizens. The oyer.san-
guine Shipherd put his own interpre-
tation upon the Secretary's patient
bearing and kindly expressions, and
like the candidate for office who con
strues pleasant greeting from IA vo
ter into a pledge of his support, a:
once concluded that he had every
thing his own way, He communi-
Gated his rose.cOlOred views to parties
interested with HIM in the claim ana
they concluded that they had become
possessed of ii real bonanza. All the
brilliant prospects of the Peruvian
company, SO far as its influence oyer
State Department was concerned.
were based upon the too favorable
Interpretation placed by Shipherd
upon CONVEX satIOns held with the SEC
rotary. Shipherd manifested the
same characteristic of excessive con.
| fidence in his correspondence which
has been published. II public man
to whom he addressed one of his cir
culars did not at once reply, rejecting
his propositions, Shipherd would at
once c0nstrue that silence to mean a
favorable response and would enroll
the man as one of his partners.
Whether he is most dupe or knave
remains to he seen; but rs a sensa-
tion he no longer possesses interest.
Some of Shiperd's latest testimony
makes it look as though he was both
a knave and fool.
There is great deal of building
going on here this season and the
Capital will improve greatly during
the year as it has in past years.
Among the new buildings just begun
is one for tie Money Order Division
of the Post Office Department. The
Department is rapidly out-growing
the building which, when erected
some years ago, was regarded ample
for all time. Senator WINDOWS new
house is nearly ready for occupancy,
and so is the spacious one built by
Mr.. Blaine, hut the latter and his
family will not move in before next
autumn as they propose spending the
summer out of Washington. as usual.
Senator and Mrs. Window will prob
ably move in theirs, which is a man.
moth dwelling, very soon. Their
former residence. which Senator
Platt, of New York, purchased and
settled on his wife just a year ago,
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