The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1883-12-08
OUR WASHINGTON LETTER.
From our Regular Correspondence


elements of the poor old Democratic
party. and it will not be surprising if
we shall find that seeds of future
trouble have been soWn. 1t is an I'M
doubted fact that Mr.. Carlisle more
nearly represents the sentiments of
the great majority of his party than
any of the other candidates, but there
Weresome powerfulinfluences brought
to bear against him, and the fight
meant a good deal more than merely
the choice of man to preside over
the House. Several candidates for
the Presidency were interested in it,
and there were railway corporations
and other large interests behind, to
say nothing of the troublesome tariff
question underlying it all. But the
raid of the ''solid South" upon all the
positions to be disposed of, from the
Speakership down, was an ilIustra-
ton of what we might expect to see
in the future should the Democratic
party ever succeed in electing a Pres
ident. That these hungry represent
tatives of "a war-impoverished section
did not make a clean sweep is not
their fault.
Fhe friends of Gen. Fremont, one
of the fathers of the Republican par
ty, and its first candidate for Presi-
dent, are considering the propriety of
doing something to place him above
the necessity in his old age Of toiling
for his daily bread, Precisely what
they will be able to do 1 cannot say,
but an attempt will probably be made
to reiDstate him in the army as
major general, and put him on the
retired list. l learn that many Dem
ocratic Members of Congress would
rot object to this, for the powerful in
fluence'of the Preston and Blair fam
lilies, his friends believe, will be in
his favor. For the sake of his noble
wife, who as is well known was the
daughter of Thomas Benton, l nope
the movement will be successful,
The notorious Major Nickersor,
who has been hiding in Canada for
six or eight months to avoid arrest
and cOurt-martial, took a very pecu-
liar way to hand in his resignation.
Instead of sending it in the regular
way ne sent it TO eX Congressman
Farwell, of Chicago, with request
that he hand 1t to Gen. Sheridan,
which he did and the General turned
it over to the Secretary of War. In
this letter the interesting major said
he resigned to save the army from
scandal. This caused a smile or two
at the War Department, but recog-
nizing the Majors great capacity for
piling up scandal the resignation was
accepted with thanks, and as there
is no way to prevent it he draws his
pay up to the date of that action.
DIR. Mary Walker still continues to
be one of the "charactel about
Washington. Since she was dismiss
sed from the Pension Office last sum.
mer she has wandered about town
pOking her nose into this or that,
sometimes picking up items for the
local papers. He Tor she) dresses in
black suit, frock coat ana unfash"
ionabIy large pants, wears diminu-
silk hat and carries a slender cane.
She tor it, astonished visitor to the
Interior Department the other day
by striking the cigar which he was
smoking out of his mouth, and deliY-
ering lecture upon the enOrmity OF
the practice of using tobacco. The
gentleman assalled, surprising the
doctor from her attire to be a man,
addressed her in very vigorous Ian"
guage. concluding with the intima-
ton that if he did not believe the per
son who had assaulted him to be half
woman he would administer a
sound thrashing.
When the fathers projected the es,
tablishing of the national capital
at Washington so long ago as 1880,
they saw many visions and dreamed
many dreams that even our wonder
full progress has failed to materialize.
They laid out the city substantially
as Washington is laid out now, but
the city that they laid out is by no
means the city in which the capitol
is located. The plat adopt in 1890
covered territory that was then a
treeless. swampy patch, reaching
from the Eastern Branch of the Po-
tomac mile west, south and north.
1t was the home Ofthe mosquitoes and
malaria the year around, and TO go
through it one would suppose it
would be the last spot on earth to be
chosen for the site of great Nations
capital. But it was big thing upon
paper, and real estate men pulled the
wool over the eyes of many Virgin.
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