The Dallas daily herald. [volume] (Dallas, Tex.) 1873-1887, 1883-06-26
WASHINGTON LETTER
The Twiggs SwOrds-A Scrap Of Half
forgotten History.
Decsylng Editors Retaliation of Some
SlanderOus SluSh.
The President and Whitewashed Dorsey

WASHINGTON. June 2S.-TSpecial Core
spondence. l-Strangers visiting the bureau
OF engraving and printing always inspect
the three beautiful swords exhibited there.
They are studded with costliest gems and
encased in gold, and were the gifts of the
United States and Georgia to General
Twiggs. made because of his distinguished
services to the Union or to the state. II
seems that these tokens ofpublic confidence
in General Twiggs were found ia New Or
leans, and transmitted by General BENJAMIN
F. Butler to the authorities in Washington.
1t was not proposed by General Butler to
have the property confiscated but at that
time. and even while still acting as an Of
icer Of the United States army and holding
command in western Texas, the conduct OF
General Twiggs was previously misrepre.
scented and misunderstood. Records, as
recently published, show that General
Twiggs throughout the winter of lS60-'6
constantly appealed to the war department
for Instructions. He writes that the depart.
ment refused or failed to direct his move.
ments. One of his letters of this character.
as appears in Records of the Rebellion, u
was dated December ID, 1850. General
Scott wrote to General Twiggs that the
silence of the war office was unaccountable
and that he must act on his own judgment.
This he did, and marched out of Texas
after the state had seeded. He had re-.
solved, it seems, not to inaugurate civil
war, and when he could no longer remain
in Texas he moved out, losing nothing of
any moment. He was growing old and
sought rest in New Orleans. He was prof.
fered some military position by the Con.
federate government, but died, We believe,
in 1862, not long after New Orleans was
captured. He left these swords and other
valuables where he supposed they would be
most secure, but the property was seized,
and, as stated, has been held ever since bv
the government. OF course the nation
whatever may be said OF individuals, is
honest. 1t wants nothing that is not its
own. 1t acquired no title through the act
of those who seized this private property,
and government greed for diamonds and
gold cannot be supposed to wrong even an
enemy, and least OF all to become operative
against the children and grandchildren OF
an old sold er, who, through almost half a
century, served the republic. Congress
should enact law restoring these swords
to General Twiggs' family His daughter,
an admirable lady OF this city, hesitates
perhaps to ask it, and the gracefulness of
the concession would be heightened if made
without her petition. We are induced to
advert 10 this matter by the perusal of the
correspondence between General Twiggs
and the war department and General Scott,
showing as it does, that General Twiggs,
while an officer Of the United States, was
faithful to every trust and to the flag he
honored with his latest breath.
DECAYINd EDITORS.
We have been reading everywhere a
dolorous article about the premature de.
cay of editors. They have not time to
count the lapse OF hours or years. They
must discuss, however, specifically, all
manner of subjects, and since they cannot
read books, must devour paragraphs. An
article exceeding column in length is too
much for harnessed editor ever TO pull
through His necessities and the constant
demand upon his brain for fresh thoughts,
deter him from everything of yesterday.
He lives and reads, and thinks and writes
only of to-day. However brief the duration
of his breathing, he actually lives longer, by
living laster, than all others. At least he
has seen, and heard, and read more by ball
than his surviving contemporaries. II h.
sleep less, he is more awake; and if his life
be shortened in hours, its duration is
heightened in the infinite number and
variety of his sensations and experiences
and they who weep that editors die young
have the least possible reason for outbursts
of sorrow. II, as alleged, editors have
empty pockets, it is because their heads are
full. There is no space for plans of vulgar
fellows, who hang about legislative bodie!
preying upon party leaders and lobbies, are
in no sense editors. A thorough Bohemian
is no tradesman. He never sells his liter
ary wares. Publishers and others stea
them, and then dole out only enough t
prevent death by famine and nakedness
The genius tor lying OF publishers howeve
strange the world may think 1t, transcend
infinitely that of most fanciful Bohemians
Publishers are al ways poor and penniless
When they have used the letters or edi
tOrials of one writer until he is starved int
the necessity of demand ng compensation
they coolly take in" another to be robbie,
in like remorselessness and both they AM
their long line of successors are told iha
they were sufficiently rewarded by seein
their productions in print. even as cooks a
oleomargarine boarding.houses are happ
in compensa lion lavished in odors Of garli
and green's. We have observed, however
that editors die no. more because OF irregu
lar or mean compensation than OF NOR
irregular habits, and always long befor
any confessed degree Of prosperity or gene
osity distinguishes the career Of publisher
they serve. New York publishers 81
millionaires; New York editors, beggar
Each habitual lifelong editor, as well t
newspaper, should have a business manage
to rent him out by the acre (of manuscrip
and make contracts for HIM, and sell hi
topublishers and place.holders, The 10
should intervene In this behalf
But the time is coming when editors vi
nave their special tasks assigned them. AZ
each be confined to given class OF subject
when universally OF information, Will n
be required at their hands, and when the
intellectual forces will be less diffused al
more concentrated. Then they will do bt
Yer work for better pay.
THE PRESIDENT IN A BAD FIN.
The president. so the story goes, ev
since the acqulttal of Brady, Dorsey and
Strobach anu convection Of Russell by she
uespotic force and by fixing q jury" Al
condemning him for the crime OF his su
ordinate-ever since these events have !
come historical, the president, ESPECIAL
when contemplating the physical and MOI
cnarms OF Brewster, has been exceeding
anxious to unload. II becomes his duty a
pleasure as well, now that Dorsey Is sta
ess, TO restore him to his proper place
VIZ party and before the country. This
vn,y be done by giving MIR. Dorsey the W
positlon he held when this prosecution
SSegun. This is the plain duty OF the pr,
tvsent and Of the party. But before dol
Mls the president must unload and Brt
s s.ef be elected from the cabinet. Tn
HSn oe no proper apology rendered
.C""a,sey save by thrusting the passiooni
u explosive Philadelphia out OF
to,haet. The PRESIDENTS difficulties .
smvuol.s are illustrated by q story VIII
cssvuolican orators should not forget. !.
onseh, astnmp speaker of Mississippi,
'"eo his harangues said:
W., vas aad,ng aIong the levce yeste e
iheoi encountered an old farmer ir
tS s Inferior Hard by, and stuck fast
BAL uu, was His wagon treighted with
tsN rotton. l said, WHATS the y
Es de replied, I'm in q bad fix.
NY wagon aud them two steers u