Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1883-07-21
DORSEY'S RECENT EXPOSE.
Garheld's Glory Sadly Dimmed by tn,
Star Reuters Story.


Star Reuters Story.
WASHINGTON, July 20.-Dorsey's re-
cent expose of star route matters in the
New York San, and his detail of various
jobs, bargains and sales prior to the cleo
tion of 1884, and the breaking of pledges
after Garfield had been elected Pre- sident,
has naturally attracted a good deal of
attention. There are some new things
in what Dorsey prints, and they are quite
interesting too. A good deal of what he
says has been known here a long time,
and without the sequence of minor de-
tails which Dorsey gives, has from time
to time found themselves into the public
press. The News has printed heretofore
IN its Washington correspondence much
of what Dorsey has seen fit to retail,
and circumstantially. 1t is not
so much what Dorsey really says as the
collateral effects it has brought to bear
upon the character of the late James A.
Garfield. In the minds of the millions,
Garfeld was saint. In fact he was far
from it. Dorsey is pulling down Garfield
from the high pedestal upon which he has
been placed as martyr. Dorsey has set
tongues wagging and all sorts of stories
are now told of the late President. 1t is
bad taste of course to do such things, but
people have been talking ever since there
were people and will continue to talk
as long as there are people. In
short the whole animus of Dorsey
seems to be to ruin the
Republican party and the memory of
Garfield, both of whom he considers with
a good deal of reason to have ''gOne back1
on him. He seems to be in a very fair
way to blacken Garfield's memory. His
aid was not wanted to accomplish the
ruin of the Republican party. It is, how
ever, agreeably supplementary in the
minds of Democrats. When the jobbers
fall out the truth always appears. Dorsey
is not decent in his treatment of Garfield
he does not hallOw the grave. In time
it was inevitable that the people would
form a more correct idea of the
late President, but it would but for
Dorsey have been done with all decency.
The truth of the whole matter is that the
high pedestal upon which Garfield has
been placed was the result of the work of
Washington correspondents. When he
was shot the correspondents here knew In
a minute that the whole country tingled
with sympathy. They responded to that
feeling. They depicted all that was good
of Gartield-and much more-and said
nothing that was not in the nature of
praise. Many touching incidents sup
posed to have occurred during Garfield's
illness did not occur at all. 1t was I'M
fortunate for his place in history that the
country demanded that he should be
sainted. But the facts could not be kept
down forever and Dorsey hastens their
uprising.
1T Is NOW POSSIBLE
to make a somewhat trustworthy cal
culation as to how many vacancies will
occur in the departments here TO be filled
upon the recommendation of the Civil
Service Commission. Of course there are
no vacancies now, but, strange as it may
appear, they do arise from natural causes,
such as deaths and designations. A
prominent official of the Treasury Depart
ment has made careful calculation from
the records of all the departments. He
sums it up that there will average. if all
vacancies are promptly filled-which is
by no means a certainty-abOut six ap-
pOintments week in the whole govern
ment service in Washington. This is less
than one day for the civil service law to
apply to. 1t will doubtless, however, in
time work a great Improvement i'm
the service. The examinations which
have already been made here
have been conducted upon a square
and fair basis. 1t is true many Of the
questions asked those who were examined
have been OF character not in the least
connected with the duties expected of
them; but as Mr.. Lyman, the chief ex-
VI bnC eCOIllIulSSIOus dDlly Says,
''they show whether the applicant is a
man, or woman, as the case may be, of
general intelligence. 1t is not the person
who writes the best hand or is quickest
at figures that makes the most acceptable
employe. 1t is the person who is general
lY intelligent"
SAID A WELL-KNOWN WALL STREET
BROKER,
who is in the city, to your correspondent
to-day: "People have an idea that Wander
bilt does not spend money in proportion
tion to what his income is. 1t is not the
correct idea. L do not say that Wander
bilt is at all public-spirited or does very
much in the way of charity, but he is a
thoroughbred spender on himself and
friends. He never bargains either. as
many think. If he wants anything he
asks the price and pays it promptly. 1t is
no great credit to him that he does this,
but contrary to general opinion, that is
his way. he is man of some humor,
too. Irecollect one little incident con-
nected with his last visit to Europe
The day before the vessel upon which he
had taken passage left New York he sent
to the Chemical National Bank and
drew out $1,000,000. One of the officers of
the bank went down to see him off. He
inquired casually of Vanderbilt why he
took so much money with him for Euro
pean trip. ''Well, you see,'' was the re-
ply, 81 have heard that all the walters,
porters and others of that class over there
expect everybody to fee them!"
PRESIDENT ARTHUR
has of late taken good deal to horse
back riding. His is a pretty figure,
But he sits well on horseback and
manages good rein. His habit is to take
the saddle about half-past five O'Clock.
and come back at half-past seven or eight. |
He does not ride ''fashionably:o - in other |
words he does not shorten his stirrups and |
lean forward with his horse at a
hard trot. He sits in his saddle cOmforta-
bly,, and takes his ride in gallop, swift or |
slow, as they do in the South. He enioys |
himself, and does not get the very lights |
jolted out of him. The horse he rides is |
about fifteen hands high. He is a bay. and |
a kentucky blue grass thoroughbred. The |
President bought him about four months |
ago right from the farm upon which he |
was bred. He paid $1,000 for him. He is
pronounced to be one Of the finest saddle |
horses in the country.
OF ALL THE ROMANCEs
ever printed, the one just now in active
circulation about General Crooks raid |
into Mexico is entitled to the banner. 1t
is that the Apaches captured Crook and
dictated terms to him This in face of
the facts that there was fight, number
VI 1hulduS kllleu dHu MANY brought Dack
captors, and not a man of Crooks fell.
1t is so reasonable that the Apaches
should have captured Crook, and then re-
turned as prisoners of war with him. is il
not! That is the nature of the Indian. is
it not? Oh yes, they always do things
that way. This romance about Crook
started here. 1t originated among GER
tain set of army officers who lead the
"German," and serve their country in
soft assignments. OF course this class is
jealous OF the reputation which Crook has
achieved by hard fighting and constant
service with his command. Crooks fault
is that he is not dude. A soldier cannot
be faVorite with army dudes any more
than can citizen be favorite with the
civilian dude. 1t will take the dudes a
long time, however, to smirch Crooks re-
cord. They ought to try some more
plausible story than their little romance
about the Apaches having captured him.
The building of that story shows how
little they are accustomed to even the
theories Of active service.