The Huntington argus. [volume] (Huntington, W. Va.) 1872-1905, 1883-04-12

would have been no complaint.
Brown was entirely too conscientious.
He ought to have known that his
first duty was to his chiefs family
not to the department. Every office
holder in Washington entitled to a
messenger uses him (the messenger
as a private servant. There may be
exceptions, but I do not know Of
any. Take the Supreme court
Every one Of the nine Judges has his
body-servant paid for by the govern
ment. The servant hangs around the
Supreme court few hours every day
but he devotes himself to the house
hold Of his particular Judge, and he
knows better thmn to refuse to do what
ever he is directed to do. Nearly every
bureau and department has its horses
and carriages. They are used by the
officials families for shopping and
social purposes, and big livery bills
are thus saved. These abuses run
through every department Of govern
ment. Congress is by no means ex-
empt. Every chairman Of COM
mittee has his clerk or secretary paid
by the government. What does this
clerk? Why, he attends to the cor
respondence Of the member and looks
out for his private letters, his seeds
and his documents, and draws his
salary from the government.
In an antique furniture store on
Ninth street there is a very ingenious
brass cannon, small but perfectly
made. 1t is breech-loader, made by
a well knswn gunner of the war time,
Frederick. 1t will shoot a two ounce
ball distance of mile. An inge-
niously arranged hammer, which can
be made to fall by pulling string at
safe distance from the cannon, is
used in discharging the piece. This
cannon was once the property Of little
Tad Lincoln. 1t was one of a pair
made for the boy by Frederick. The
second cannon was perfect msdel Of
the celebrated Dahlgren gun. The
second piece was bought by Mrs.
Dalhgren the other day, but not I'M
til Secretary Lincoln had called at the
store and verified the property as
having once belonged to his brother,
Tad Mr.. Lincoln says that his
mother would not let little Tad keep
them, because she regarded. them as
altogether toe dangerous weapons to
be used for playthings. She gave
them away to the man who subse-
quently placed them on sale in the
antique store.
Crowds attend the Star-route
trial and the courtroom becomes 50
sitting at times that even Judge
Wylie is forced to complain. Dur
ing the winter many ladies attended,
among them Mrs. Dorsey and a num-
Der Of her friends, but they have
rather thinnsd out of late. New in
terest was awakened this week, how
ever, by the additional indictments
found and the appearance of Dorsey
on the stand The capitol is under
going the first of its semi-annual
cleanings; the second occurs just be-
fore Congress meets. The next house
of representatives will have to be
slowed away like the proverbial sar-
dimes in box. The old desks in the
house will be retained, but a new car
pet will be necessary. The dead-let-
ter office is carrying newell and en-
tertaining plan into effect. A muse-
UNI is being arranged of all the queer
things that lie there for years I'M
claimed. In that room the public
will be admitted, but sight-seers will
not be allowed to poke and pry and
peer and peck into every hole and
corner of the office, as they now
do.
The National Museum in this city
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