The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1884-01-12
OUR WASHINGTON LETTER.
From our Regular Correspor dent.l


WASHINGTON. D. c., Jan. Z, 1884.
First Assistant Postmaster General
Hatton, who is presumably navigat-
ing the Western end of Mr.. Arthur's |
boom, has gone thither to be absent |
two or three weeks. What he pro-
poses to accomplish, or whether he
proposes to accomplish anything, is
a mere matter of conjecture, but put
ting this and that together, we have
the right to guess that Mr.. Arthur is
exceedingly DESTROYS of getting some
of the Western Presidential candi-
dates out of the way. Having already
ridden himself of Senator Ben Harri-
son by putting Judge Gresham into
the Cabinet. his next step is across the
line into Illinois to smother whatever
enthusiasm there may be gathering
there for Mr.. Logan. Meantime
Judge Newton Pettis, of Pennsyl-
vania, whose sagacity brought about
the nomination of Abraham Lincoln
in 1860, is also out West talking up
the availability of Robert Lincoln as
the Republican standard bearer for
1884. 1t is just possible that Mr..
Arthur's preference, next to himself.
would he for the nomination of Mr..
Lincoln, as that would he hailed as
an unqualified endorsement of the
administration but the President is
not the man to be committing any
overt acts in this direction yet awhile
In view of the increasing popular
ity of the New Year receptions at the
capital, there promises to be some
thing of a social revolution in pros
poet, caused by putting the Senators
far down in the programme in the
order of reception. Time was, and
that not long ago, when the members
of the upper House OF Congress were
considered socially as superior to Cab
met ministers or the members of the
Diplomatic Corps or anybody else in
ferior to the President himself. 1t
was not until the time Of Martin Van
Buren, that Senator'S began 10 be COM
PEELED to take back seat, and Cabi.
net ministers, whom Mr.. Van Buren,
conceived to he much nearer the adj
ministratiOn, were called to the front.
This senatorial Ostracism was the
origin of many quarrel which not
unfrequently eliminated in pistols
and coffee upon the field of honor.
And the Senate yet so far feels its inn
portance in these matters of official
etiquette, that it is beginning to work
itself up Ivy degrees to the social stand
ing it had in the days of Madison and
Monroe.
Of course Congress will this session
take note of the developments made
by tie Huntington letters. and order
thorough Investigation of the meth
DDS by which the Southern Pacific
Railroad legislation was secured. and
doubtless it will result as all other in
vestigations have resulted--ln moth
ing. The response of Secretary Teller
to the Senate resolution asking for
documentary evidence relating to the
transfer of certain land grants from
one railroad company to another,
covers great deal more Of eOrrespon.
dence and other senatorial literature
than the Senate Called for, and inf
nitely more than some of the Sena-
tors desired to bring out. 1t woald
appear from this correspondence that
the Influences to effect the passage of
the Southern Pacific land grant bill,
were essentially the same that had
wrought successfully for the North
ern Pacific, and it consisted Of a lob
by that had for its membership some
of the most prominent Senators and
Representative in the Congress that
passed the measure! The fact that
the Supreme Court had decided that
the lapsed land grants could be revert
ed to the Government by appr0pri-
ate legislation by Congress, and the
other Iact that the General Land Of
flee, under an opinion of Attorney
General Devens, had acted in direct
conflict With that decision shows that
the railroad influence did not cease
with its manipulations of Congress-
men, bot extended into the Cabinet
and other official quarters necessary
to be reached. When, if ever, the
men who have been guilty ofcorrupt
practices in this land grant legisla.
ton shall be found out, the public
will be astounded at the array of
names that may be developed, and
when it comes to a measurment of
the magnitude of this fraud upon the
Government, with that of the star.