The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1882-05-13
OUR WASHINGTON LETTER.
From our Regular Correspondent

Star route trials to await the appear
ance of John w. Dorsey, is another
evidence of the desire of the defend
ants to delay the prosecution as much
as possible. When they were first
charged with fraud. it will be re-
membered they clamored loudly for
trial, urging that it was working
them great injustice for the Gov
eminent to allow them to be tried in
the newspapers and take no steps
towards substantiating the charges it
had made. But since they have been
indicted, and the prosecution has been
begun, their tactics have changed
completely, and their only anxiety
seems to be to throw as many OBJ
stacles as possible in the way of a
speedy trial. This is a strong indica-
ton that they are afraid to meet the
evidence against them. The Govern
ment is moving vigorously, however,
and they will soon be unable to prac-
tice any further evasions. To one
who is familiar with the details of
the charge this dilatoriness is strong
proof that the prosecution has good
case. 1t was at first believed by
many here who were acquainted with
Gen. Brady that, while he had the
opportunity to practice the frauds
charged upon him, and might not
lack the willingness to engage in
them. it was extremely unlikely that
a man of his ability should not have
covered up his tracks SO carefully
that conviction would be impossible
even were the charges entirely cor
rect. But this systematic course of
delay and evasion by every means
available has considerably shaken
this belief and brought a tendency
toward the opinion that he will not
be able to escape the Justice of the
law. His conviction, of course, car
ries with it, in all likelihood, the
conviction of all the rest connected
with him.
The bill for the removal of political
disabilities has opened afresh the I'M
healed wounds the war. The state
ment made by Wade Hampton that
God alone knew who was right in
the civil strife was insulting to the
Government of which he is an officer.
1t is now seventeen years since the
termination of the war, and it does
seem as though the conquered party
might resign itself to the situation.
There certainly should be no removal
of the disabilities so long as such a
spirit is alive as that shown by Sem
atOr Wade Hampton.
The Peruvian investigating COM
mittee seems to be more interested
in Blaine's policy toward Peru than
in his connection with the claims of
the Peruvian company. Nothing
seems likely to be elected other than
that Blaine simply instructed cur
minister to see that the treaty of peace
did not work an injustice to the
claimants acting upon the policy
that the Government should protect
as far as possible the interests of its
citizens in other lands.
Barnum has visited us with Jumbo
and the baby elephant. He is GER
tainly the prince of advertisers whetE-
er he is the "prince of humbugs" or
not. The whole lard rings with
Jumbo-not such wonderful animal
after all, but good advertising card
and our whole city turned out to
see him. The tremendous tent with
a seating capacity of twenty thous-
and. was full at every performance,
and hundreds were turned away. The
President was present at one of the
performances. 1t is surprising what
attraction the circus has for the aver
age American. 1t sets the small boy
crazy. and the older people are not
much less affected.
The citizens of Washington are to
be congratulated on the favorable as
pect of affairs in regard to the re-
mOval of the celebrated Potomac
Flats. All the scientific testimony
delivered before the committee tends
toward the same idea-that these
fats are very greatly detrimental to
the health of the city. With this
great pestilence- breeder removed,
Washington will rank among the
first cities of the country as to sani-
tary condition and there will be no
pleasanter place of residence in the
United States. We are somewhat
unfortunate in being directly under
the charge of Congress, for that able
body is so much engrossed with af-
fairs of national Importance that our
little wants and needs are often over.
looked.
JUNIUs.