Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1883-11-20
GEN. HAzEN's FAILURES.
ais Unfortunate Connection with the
Proteus Case, and Other Washington
News.

Correspondence of the Morning NeaOs.
WASHINGTON, Nov. ls.-Gen. Hazen, Chief
OF the Signal Service, is either very incompe-
tent or very unfortunate. Everything he
manages comes to grief. His war record is
yery grieyous thing to him-it
must be. Since the war he has
been engaged in great many public
endeavors. of which he had entire supervis-
ion. All of them have failed. 1t is but JUS
tice TO him to say that it has never been fully
proven that he was absolutely responsible for
these failures. But nothing succeeds like sue
cess, and Gen. Hazen has never
been successful. An habitually
unsuccessful public man must come
within the pale of public criticism.
Certainly Gen. Hazen has been within that
pale often enough. Hislast venture the Pro
teus expedition, is about as discreditable to
him as it could possibly be- The Proteus
Court of Inquiry is developing many things
which go tO show his incompetencv. He fitted
ont the vessel himself. taking that prerOga-
tive entirely out of the hands of Lieut.. Car
hngton. VINO was TO be in command. The
evidence taken shows that the fitting out was
about as faulty, absurd and nonsensi-
cal as even the most accom-
plished political naval officer could
have effected during a campaign, when
the only object of the work heing done was to
secure Republican votes through the brlbe of
remunerative employment.
for Arctic work; her boats were unsea-
worthy, and equipped without any knowledge
of seamanship; and the whole more suitable
Tor voyage on a summer sea than for the
Arctic ice and the TigOrs of an expedition
toward the pole. And then General Hazen
appears in q very poor light in giving his
testimony. He is fatty and openly contra
dicted by his subOrdinates and by Lieut..
relish the idea Of being made
scapegoats even to secure future favors from
HaZen. In that HaZen once more appears be-
fore the public in pitiable light. There is
one thing of more than usual interest con-
nected with this PrOteus inquiry, as a naval
officer to-day told me. He said: ''If you will
recall past inquiries into disasters you will
find that IN nearly every instance there was
loss of life. The result of these inquiries have
been invariably to place the blame on the
officers who perished. In the PrOteus matter
it is different. There was no loss of life. The
blame for once must be placed upon the
living. There is great deal of hard
feeling both in the army and navy about Gen.
Hazen. 1t is due to two leading causes-one
whatever, and the other because he is a fa-
vOrte of that factor in American preferment
known as "intoOence."
SEVERAL REPUBLICAN MEMBERS
of the next House have been known to ex-
press in the past few days an opinion that
troubles in Virginia and Mississippi, which
resulted in blOodshcd. This is but one
of the many evidences of the extreme anxiety
of the Republican party TO go back to the
bloody shirt and the cry of ''solid North
against the ''sold South" In view of the
many recent friendly and enjoyable gather
ings in common between eX-Confederate and
eX-U MON soldiers, there Is an lncongrulty
about this. But you have heard of the
drowning man who reaches out for
straws. The Republican members whom
earnest in what they say. They intend To try
and secure an investigation Of the Virginia
and Mississippi affairs by the House this win
ter. They say that they will introduce resO-
lutiOns calling for such Investigations. They
look forward with great pleasure to a return
to the good old days of '73, "A, rs and years
in the immediate vicinity thereof, when out
rage mills were turning out their griss at both
ends of the Cabinet. | understand that simi-
lar resolutions will be introduced in the SEN
ate. 1t is not very probable that there will
be much Democratic opposition. 1t is i'm
portant to the Democratic party that the true
Virginia and Mississippi facts should receive
a bath in the keen sunlight of publicity.
THE DAMAGES AWARDED
to Hallet kilbOurn in the first trial of his case
against Scargant- at Arms Thorn pson for false
Imprisonment on the order of the House for
refusing to give up the books of the notorious
District of Columbia real estate pool, were
500, ,000. This verdict was set aside as being
excessive, The second trial was followed by
a verdict for 100000 damages. This verdict
has also just been set aside as excessive. Mr..
kilbourn says, however, that he will 90 ahead
with another trial, and expects to get
bigger damages even than 100000.
Mr.. Kilbourn is an awfr ly
sanguine man, but is somewhat inconsistent.
When he first entered his suit he said that he
did not care for any expected money in the
shape of damages. He only wanted to vim
dicate the privilege of every American citi
zen to attend to his own business. That was
all. He regarded himself as a sort of safe de-
posit OF the American eagle. including the
Goddess of Liberty and the other acces-
n in
the land of the free every man is
his own boss. He regarded himself as an
american edition of the English Hampden.
He has twice before a jury of his peers vindi-
Gated his principle, but-mOst strange incon-
sisteGcy!-still seeks the shekels. There is no
doubt that any jury would give him damages.
There is no doubt also that when he gets his
damages they will not be excessive. When
there is final result Mr.. KilbOurn, who is
very wealthy, will look over his bank account
and the checks he has gwen his lawyers and
find that it would have been much better for
him to have rested upon the abstract principle
of having properly adjusted the American
eagle.
THERE is SOME SIGNIFICANCE
in the quarters that the leading Speakelship
candidates have selected from which to direct
the conduct of the fray. Randall and Cox
are up town. Randall Is at the Ebbitt House,
on f street, and Cox is working at Wizards,
throw Of his Pennsylvania opponent. Car
Isle way down town at the Metro
pOlitan. The significance lies IN this:
Wizards and the Ebbitt are patron
lied by Northern and Western members
principally, while the Metropolitan is popu-
lated mostly by Southern and Southwestern
members. This selection of principal head
quarters is but a sequence of from where the
different candidates expect to get their prin-
cipal support. The two p-tOWn candidates
Will not, however, neglect the Metropolitan
habitues, nor will Mr.. Carlisle and his friends
fail to do work in the Randall and Cox strong
holds. The activity, energy and confidence
with which Phil Thompson is working for
Carlisle Is about the only very well developed
feature of the contest as yet Phil can give
you more reasons why Carlisle is certain of
election than there are verses In the deca-
lOgue.
THERE Is A NEW PAPER
to be started here. Its first number-it win
be weekly publication-will appear with
Congress. Its title will be the Hdtchet. Its
head Will represent the celebrated occurrence
of the cherry tree, with George and his Pa in
the foreground. The Pa will be represented
as saying to George: II would rather you
had told a hundred lies than nave cut that
cherry tree" 1t will be principally anec-
dotal. and its aim will be spice. variety and
liIe. 1t promises to be an unique and inter
prising hands. There is need Of a good
weekly here to dispel the dullness Of our pre-
sent once every seven days hebdOmadal jour
mails. POTOHAC.
The Crown Princes Visit.
PARIS, Nov. 19.-Le Temps, in referring
to articles in the German newspa-
pers on France, in reply to the COM