Morning appeal. [volume] (Carson City, Nev.) 1877-1906, 1882-02-16
WASHINGTON LETTER.
Mr.. EsIaine's Diplomacy Water Bills of
the Yorktown Observation-Disclosures
Land Pirates. Etc.
From our Regular Correspondent.


1t is clear that the enemies of Mr..
Blaine have not yet succeeded in put
ting him at disadvantage. The spec
tacle Of the retiring Secretary of State
hurting open letters at the President ac-
cusing him of vacilIstion and bunder-
ing in the foreign policy Of the Nation
is sufficiently novel to attract attention.
Mr.. Blaine's position is not only plausi-
bic but calculated to be popular if the
public mind becomes interested in the
subject. 1t is fact that our foreign
policy has deteriorated to a farce. We
have had none since the days Of that
harmless jelly-Fish, whose notion of
American dignity was confined to the
proper adjustment Of letters of passport,
and who had no conception Of the
growth and power and force of the
United States in the diplomacy Of the
world.
The advent of Mr.. Blaine on the scene
in the high capacity Of diplomat Nas
notice served that the spinal column Of
the Government was about to be stiff
which recalled the palmy days of Jay
and Webster and Buchanan. Some
people suppose it is the proper policy Of
a powerful nation to wink at all manner
of indignities to which ten-cent govern
ments propose to subject il and its rep
reseItatives, and that conservatism
means nothing more or less than al alb
| iect willingness tc be peaceful! at any
cost. BY publishing the text Of his
dispatch proposing peace congress Of
American powers, and by his letter to
President Arthur, Mr.. Blaine has top
pled down structure Of misrepresenta-
ton. the rearing Of which cost its au-
thOrs several weeks of laborieus faisifi-
cation. | am not going to champion
the side of the ex-Secretary, but can
see through the attacks that have been
made upon his diplomatic career. The
business of belitteing and maligning
one Of the ablest and most popular states
men of our time is ut best 4 poor one,
but it becomes what insurance men call
"extra- hazardous when it is prlcticed
upon man of Mr.. Blaine's fighting ca
pacity
Some Of the bills ofthe Yorktown eel
ebration are beginning to turn up, and
like nearly all bills for entertainme hts
of that sort they are quite curious. One
OF the items regarded as remarkable is
a charge of twenty-five dollars for water
furnished an official party from Wash
party of that sort has used water. Water,
However, was not all that was drunk,
for there were several charges for wines,
amounting to thousands Of dollars, and
ether charges for things called enter
tainmexts, under which disguise =
great deal of wine was paid for. It WAS
the beast Of one who attended at the
Government expense that the boat on
which he travelled was literally swim
ming in champagne. 1t is, even at this
late day, rather comfort to know that
somebody had some fun at York town,
even though the government has to
pay the bill. About the time the af-
fair came of it wasn't safe to say York
town to anybody around Washington. |
The disappointed visitors were SO mad.
The railroad corporations are getting
some attention just now in Congress. |
Firing has commenced all along the
lines. The Northern Pacific is in the |
jaws of the Judiciary Committee. The
Kansas Pacific has been bombarded |
with shot and shell by John Anderson
of the First Kansas District with an ar
ray Of facts and figures to startle Con-
gress, and the Ways and Means Com
mittee, that tried to choke piece of
jobbery for the Reading Railroad down
the throat Of the House, was defeated
by the crushing vote Of 106 to As. All
these facts, occurring within few days,
are convincing proof that Congress has
some notion Of protecting the Govern