The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1882-04-01
OUR WASHINGTON LETTER.
From our Regular Correspondent

largely in the direction OF the "Peru-
Wan Company" investigation. Some
very interesting developments were
expected. especially as several prom
inent officials and ex-officials were
supposed to have been implicated in
something improper, but with the
exception of occasional glimpses of
what the miners call "paying dirt"
it must be said that Mr.. Shepherds
examination has not PANIED out
as richly as the surface indications
promised. The witness has not risen
| to the dignity of a second Cakes
Ames, though he has a way of as
suming mystery and leading his
hearers to think that he is on the
point of disclosing something very
startling. There is nothing in his
testimony to injure Mr.. Blaine or
Senator Blair, or any one else whose
names have been mentioned, except
Minister Hulburt of whom the wit
ness took pains to express a rather
damaging opinion. 1t is possible that
Mr.. Shipherd has been posing as a
lperson who knows a great deal if he
Il osly would tell it in order to adver-
tse himself and his schemes. He APP
pears in the committee room as
smooth, perfectly self-pessessed, sharp
man of affairs. Just where the hitch
exists in this Peruvian enterprise
does not clearly appear. Various
theories are held. But perhaps some
thing more to the point may come
out when some of the other gentle
men are heard from on the stand.
Gen. Hulburt is on his way home.
and doubtless he will take seat in
the witness box. 1t is not at all un-
likely that his story IN that event
will be worth listening to. He is
liable to have views on any subject
that interests him, and he has, more
over, an emphatic and picturesque
way of expressing them,
The Senate has presented gold
snnff box to Capt. Isaac Basssett, AS
sistant DoOrkeeper, who has served
as an officer of the Senate for fifty
years, and is now an active and fine
looking old gentleman. In the short
address which Capt. Bassett made in
acknowledgement of the testimonial,
he presented some interesting rem
iniscences about Senatorial snuff
takers of earlier days. "When Mar
tin Van Buren, was Vice President"
said he, "he was possessed of gold
snuff OK. He gave it to me in
charge, to keep we'll filled with snuff
and see that it was placed on the
Vice-President's table every day that
the Senate was in session. At the
end of every week thereafter he ham
ded me fifty cents to pay for the
snuff. When his term expired gave
him the snuff-bex. He lett the city
soon after, and forgot to give me the
fifty cents that he had always given
me at the end of the week. Henry
Clay was very fond of a pinch of snuff,
and enjoyed it very much. He would
often stop in the midst of his speech
and call page to bring him a pinch
of snuff, and if he could not see any
one of the pages he would leave his
seat and walk up to the Vice-Presi-
dents table, take up the gold snuff
box, take pinch of snuff, and, re.
. turning to his seat, resume his speech.
Richard M. johnson and John Tyler
were neither of them shutters. and
therefore 1 had to furnish my own
snuff-box but when George M. Dali
las was Vice-President, he brought
with him a very handsome gold
snuff-box and gave it to me in charge,
and after his term expired / returned
it to him. When Willard Fillmore
was e-President he objected to
/ having snuff-box on the table OF
the Vice. President, because, in his
opinion, it interfered with the busi-
ness of the Senate, Senators would
come up and stop to converse with
, each other, and disturbed him so
t. much he could not hear what was
going on in the Senate. Ever since
! that period there has been placed on
; each side of the Senate small snuff
box fastened to the wall.
: The Chinese bill passed the House
: as itcame from the Senate by more
) than a two-thirds vote. The sixty.
, five negative votes were all Republi-
, cans except four. 1t has been assert.
ed that the President would veto the
) bill, but that does not seem probable,
) The clamor about the wickedness
t and injustice of the measure, in Con.
I gress and out, is rather absurd. Time
. |. and again both political parties have
: promised to do what has now been
= done, and nobody has raised voice
of protest or disavowal of response.