The Penn's Grove record., 1882-06-10

along with the whirligig Of politics
that the decision made on this occasion
win within two years return to p'ague
the Republicans themselves.
The backward condition Of the ap-
preparation bills and the desire which
will soon be manifest among Congress-
men to get home renders it probable
that s)me very hasty work will be done
as 500 a. the election cases are dispos-
ed Of. 1t is not quite clear why some
of these bills have been SO systematic
ally held back, and there certainly APP
pears to be no surface explanation for
the non-appointmtnt of q conference
committee on two appropriation bills
fIom the Senate which have been on
the Spe tker's desk nearly two months.
Possibly we shall discover the meaning
of theso things in the shape of jobs or
schemes which certain influential Mem
bers are said to have in reserve to run
through in the rush and hurry up of
last end. The star route trials are now
going 10 occnpy continuous attention
for some weeks, and before they are
over the Guiteau hanging is likely 10
come off. The wretch, Guiteau, is be-
ginning to shake in his boots already
and for the first shows his weakness.
There is a good deal said about the
unreliable reports sent out 10y CORES
pondents and no doubt mistakes are of
ten made but frequently, an illustra-
ton of how it sometimes happens is
furnished in a bit of private history of
the late war said to the strictly true,
and which so far as l know, has never
been published. During the early part
of 1864, the authorities at Washington
decided to make a new draft of 400, 600
men, and the decision was eommunica
ted to Stanton's private secretary, then
a prominent journalist, and now resid-
ing here retired from the active pursuit
of his profession. The private secre-
tary belonged to Washington news as
ISOLATION, composed of three more per-
sons, who were sending special tele-
grams to a number OF the leading pa
pers of the North. They had this bit
Of news exclusive, and of course retele-
graphed it. They sent Sunday night,
and, appearing next morning in various
daiiies, it created a p~rodigious sensa-
tion. Many of the most loyal newspa-
pers protested against the draft, and
letters of remonstrance poured into
Washington from the most prominent
Republicans. Stanton found, as the
story goes, that he had been too sudden
that he had made a mistake; that the
North was not prepared for another
draft, and must be worked up" to it
by the press. Consequently, be pro-
nounced the official dispatches baseless,
and ordered the arrest of the member
of the association who had sent them.
The journalist knew The information
to be entirely correct and authoritative
and Stanton knew that he knew it.
Still, being patriotic and willing to
relieve the Government from a very
embarrs ssing q~uahdary, he quietly sub
mittsd to arrest; went under guard to
Stanton's office; listened patiently to a
torrent of abuse from the Secretary of
War, and humbly a~rologized, saying he
was very sorry for the mistake, but
that he had heard the report from a
8 URGE he had deemed authentic. This
was ssjuredly true, the authority being
NJ other thru Stanton himself, who az
sumed, logeyer, not to notice the
covert satire. The Secretary Of War
expatiated, in a cholsrie and generally
incorporate manner, upon the gravity
OF his ~offense, and intimating what
would be the direfal consequences Of
its repetition, ordered the guards to re-
lease the prisoner. When the pless
had fully prepared the public for an
other draft, which was several months
later, 200, 0O2 instead of 400, 900 men
we're called for and furnished in due
time to the Government. Not more
than a dozen persons in Washington
had any notion that The startling in
formation about the other draft was
strictly rue and that all its details had
been received direct from headquarters
1t net frequently happens that facts
which first come through the newspa'
pers are discredited and denounced as
farse for no other reason than because
they are facts of the hardest kipd.
DON PEDRO.