The weekly democratic statesman. [volume] (Austin, Tex.) 1871-1883, 1883-03-22
THE STATESMAN.
OUR WASHINGTON LETTER.
WASHINGTON, March

A few DAYS after the adjourr Vent
of congress news became @drce
commodity about the federal capitol,
and the able correspondents were IN
a bad way for matter TO send u their
papers; but, not to be outdOne entire
", the rumor of the attempted
ASSASSINATION OF JAMES @. BLAINE,
Reported In che loccl press few days
before, was carefully worked up and
elaborated as only Washington Bo-
hemian can do. Mr.. Blaine was called
upon at his palatial mansion in the
northwest by scores of reporters, all
of whom he received in his usual
pleasing way and gave them detail
ed account of the causes which led to
the assassination story. The eX-sec-
rotary said that the whole
story was ridiculously absurd
one. The report was printed in a local
paper when the reporter who wrote
It knew il to be false in every partic-
ular. The fact is, he stated vehement
ly, that did ride with Congressman
Mckinley, of Ohio, from the capitol
at night, but no incident occurred du-
ring our trip. remember that Nc
Kinley threw away his cigar because
the windows were closed, and had a
pistol ball entered the carriage 1t
must have either gone through max
ing two holes. or it would have been
found in the carriage, when, in fact,
neither Is the case. Again, l should
have noticed the hole in the glass had
there been one there, and L don't
think should have remained covered
with glass splinters, as reported, with
out being aware of the fact. heard
nothing of the story until the next
morning, when the livery sta
BILE proprietor came to make
complaint about the dam
age to the vehicle. "My theory"
continued the secretary, "is that the
glass was broken by a stone after
had dismissed the carriage" The
representative of the STATESMAN,
together with several other newspa-
per gentlemen, made an examination
of the broken window at the livery
stable after seeing Mr.. Blaine, and is
of the opinion that the fracture was
not made by bullet. The hole was
too irregular and the glass too much
shattered to have been made by Il
pistol ball. The rumOr was first put
in circulation by Frank Hatton's
lying and venal National Republican,
and caused profound feeling of
anxiety in Washington, but it was
generally disbelieved by the
masses, for the Republican is we'll
known to be intensely hostile
to Mr.. Blaine, and has before clrcu-
lated fabrications about him, which
invariably reverted to the benefit
of the statesman afterwards. Mr..
Blaine, in speaking of the affair, de-
nounced the Republican rs being the
most disreputable and lying sheet
published on the American conti-
nent; its main object being to abuse
every one who does not agree with its
editor politically or otherwise. Many
of the leading papers in New York
and elsewhere commended that Mr..
Blaine himself first circulated the
story, so as to keep himself before the
public. A moments thought would
have told them that if Mr.. Blaine
wanted to advertise himself, he would
not have done it in journal
that has always villiiied him, and I'M
dertook on several occasions to rule
him out of the Republican party.
In relation to the alleged contem-
plated withdrawal of the proceedings
against =. j. Sheridan,
EDITOR OF THE IRISH WORLD,
OF New York, by the British govern
ment, Assistant Secretary of State
Davis said to the STATESMAN's repre-
sentative this afternoon (Monday)
that the state department knew moth
ing of 1t officially, and is not likely to
know anything in relation to the
matter unless through the public
prints or from other unofficial
sources. There is a wrong idea prev
alent, he said. about the matter of
extradition proceedings. The state
department issues a process at the
request of u government with
which the United States has
extradition treaties, which process
directs any judge of United States
court or court of record, or any United
States commissioner. to cause the
arrest of the person with eXtraditable
crime, to examine the party arrested,
and report the result to this depart
ment. From the time the first process
is issued until the report of the judge
or commissioner is received, the
state department has nothing to do
with the matter whatever. When the
report is made, it is carefully con-
sidered by the secretary, and ii he
deems the evidence sufficient. he issues
the extradition papers. If he deems
the evidence insufficient, the proceed
ings cease.
The British government unques-
tionably wants Sheridan. He is
a writer of considerable force, and
the way he has showed up the
wrongs of Ireland, on this side of the
Atlantic, is calculated to anger the
Gladstone government. The evidence
against the editor is not sufficiently
strong to implicate him, and ii the
circulated rumors are true, probably
Gladstone wants to get out of the
complication as speedily as possible.
The uptown hotels are preparing to
CLOSE FOR THE SUMMER MONTHS,
That is, the fashionable ones that are
mostly used by public men and the
wealthy visitors that come here in the
winter. The idea prevails outside of
Washington that all of the hotels here
close during the summer months, but
such is not the case. The great
majority of them are open
and do thriving business. The
departments are if anything more
busy in summer than in winter, for
then all the attention of the lobbyist,
officeseeker and politician is directed
against the different secretaries,
whereas in the winter season the CAPT.
toll is the all-absorbing point. All of
these gentlemen require hostelry ac-
commodations. In the last few days
several additional lobby delegations
have arrived in the city. They have
come to worry the treasury depart
ment about the tariff bill.
JUDGE REAGAN
is still in the city. He has been I'M
well, but is now able to appear on the
streets, and will probably soon leave
for the Lone Star state.
PATENTS
Have been granted to the following
Texas inventors: Edward A. Frank
lin. Brennan, patent for glove hold
er; John A. Hampton, Houston, fol-
hay and cotton ties; Z. l.. Mowry
Milton, for cotton chopper.
L. S.
The Governor and the Penitentiar.