The Eaton Democrat. (Eaton, Ohio) 1875-1903, 1883-05-03
WASHINGTON LETTER.
From Our Regular Correspondent
WASHINGTON, D. c.,
April 90 1891

OF the next mouse OF representatives
the other day somebody asked why
Frank Hurd, of Ohio, had not been
brought out. Undoubtedly he would
make a good speaker, but he is not
a candidate, and Notwithstanding his
popularity there are reasons why
his candidacy would not be wise or
successful. But this reminds me of
a c circumstance. connected with the
electoral count of 1861. MI. Hurd
was a member of Congress then, and
one of the ninety democrats who
stood out to the last against the out
rage of counting in Hayes. He had
in his possession facts which would
have enabled him to defeat the count
had not his high sense of honor pre-
vented his using them. His roc
at Wormley's hotel was next to the
one in which the famous conference
of republican leaders was held, and
he overheard, by accident, some of
the stragetic schemes for deceiv-
ing the democrats and propositions
made to certain southern members
in order to gain their acquiesence
to the work of the commission. Yet
Hurd never made any use of his
knowledge. Neither has he since
ever given any account of what he
heard. He told me once, says a well
known western correspondent, about
the fact of his being made an iavol-
u1tary eav~esdropper, and when I
asked him what he heard, he replied,
Enough to have defeated the count
ing in of Hayes beyond a peradven-
ture but Icould better have afforded
to have him counted in than TO have
used jllegitimate means to defeat
that end. l could not afford to go
down to history AZ en- eavesdropper,
and sc / held my tongue, not even
telling any of my associates until the
fight was over"
One of our local journals aptly
says that the Union Pacific railway
company, accustomed to duns from
the government, will not be surpris-
ed to receive the letter sent recently
by Secretary Teller to Sidney Dillon,
ESQ.,, president, making an urgent
demand for the immediate payment
of. the uncontested sum of ST, 1885,
824, So. No part of this debt is dis
putad, not even the SO cents; Meth
er is any part of it paid or rendered
for payment: but it is nov hoped
that President Sidney Dillon will
either renew the old excuse or put
up q better one. A discouraged
claimant once said the plan of the
government "a to assume that every
bill it is asked to pay is fraudulent,
and then wear out the claimant in
making him prove it a few times in
the departments and before congress
sional committees. This statement
came, of course from the infamed
imagination of an enraged claimant,
and it is only of use in passing as
suggesting that, if it were true, it
may be said that the government has
a match in this railway, so long and
so. wide. 1t is the only corporation
in the world with more assurance
than the Washington gaslight COM
pany, and runs its trains as placidly
while ewing millions to the govern
meut as though it held a surplus in
vested in gas stock. Mr.. Secretary
Teller reminds Mr.. President Sidney
Dillon that by the act of 1878 he is
enjoined from paying, making or
voting any dividends TO stockholders
of the company until the five per
centum of net earnings and other
money due the government has been
paid; and after calling attention to
this law, the Secretary of the Inter
Tor says to the road in effect that it
will do well to pay what is incontes
tibly due, and go into the law of the
disputed parts of the debt afterward,
the payment of the requirement for
the year ending December, 1882, not
to prejudice any sums in dispute. II
Mr.. President Dillon takes the free
and easy stand inthe matter main
tanned by him toward the govern
ment directors of the road, he will
probably put the letter away in the
pigeon hole with the other govern
ment duns, and tell his secretary tc
wake him up when it comes time fol
another dividend. 1t will be inter
esting to watch the case and learn
by theissue which is the greater, the
government or a subsidized railway
running through the middle Of its
territory.
Chalmers, of Mississippi, came or
here to make himself solid in the
matter of patronage, to secure alb
solute control of all appointments in
his state. after the manner of Ma
hone in Virginia, and went home
with his tail feathers considerably
!, curled. His business was chiefly
, with the Post Office department, anG
the new Postmaster General hat
views of his own touching the mat
ter. So Chalmers got left. 1t i;
= even limited that if Judge Gresham
, has his W way, without interfer
ence from higher authority, Mr.. Ma
hone won't be as potent in that de
partment hereafter as he has beer
heretofore. The fact is, the new
| cabinet officer is disposed to admin
j., lister his department on business
principles. He has stopped the prac
J tice of allowing applicants for clerk
] ships from states whose quotas ar,
full to credit themselves to othe.
states. The other day a hungry of
flee seeker applied for a certain place
on the ground that the incumben
had had it long enough. The Post
master General told him it would
take him five or six months % de
e eide that question, and advised TIL,
, applicant meanwhile to look out 70.
some other employment. Apparent
, ly, everything is lovely between thu
new head of the Post Office depart
ment and his subordinates, and if h,