The Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1877-1885, 1884-08-20
WASHINGTON LETTER.

WASHINGTON, D. c., August Is, 1894.
After about eight years of continuous
complaint, the post office department has
been brought to a realizing sense of the
scandalous business that John A Logan
has during that time been guilty Of in
keeping Dan Shepard and Others on the
government pay roll in the Chicago post
office Shepard has been sort of man
of all work for Logan during the last
dozen years or more. and through Logan's
influence has been kept in as secretary of
the republican central committee of Il
linOis, as clerk of Logan's military COM
mittee in the United States senate, as
secretary of Post master Palmer at Chs
cago, with salary attachment of s., 500
a year. and | don't know how many other
pos IONS. 1t is said now that Gresham is
aboat to drop Shepard from the pay roll
of the Chicago post Office, but it Is dollars
to cents, that it is only to give the fellow
some better grip in order that his work
for Logan may be more effective, Logan's
hand in this species of political dealing.
and the recent promu lgatiUn of the list of
nephews, nieces and relatives who have
got their tentacles upon the Treasury.
form a pretty good demonstration of his
| ideas of civil service reform.
| see that Blaine has got Emory A.
| Storrs, the Chicago Euripides, to help boil
ster up his damaged reputation down in
Maine Who that remembers Storrs and
his desperate efforts to defeat Blaine S
nomination in 1880, will wonder at this
change of sentiment But Storrs is a law
yer whose tongue is kept running in exact
proportion to the number of ducats re-
ceived therefor. Storr was stalwart
among stalwarts so long as Grant was in
| trim for a nomination, and was expecting
to get the attorney generalship, first in
the event of Grants election, and second,
when Arthu became the successor of Gar
field. He slipped up on both expectations
and now goes back to the half breeds to
lick the hand that smote him. And of
such is this epoch of political poltrOonery
To Judge Ingraham. of New York, and
the people of the United States indebted
for the first judicial recognition of indi-
vidual rights above those of corporate
monopolies. The telegraph companies
everywhere, acting under chartered priv
ileges from State legislatures, have hith-
erto taken full possession of both sides OF
every important street in every important
and unimportant city and town in the
country. They have not only planted
their poles in the streets and in the door
yards of private property owners, but
they have taken and held undisputed pos
session of the roofs of dwellings and bus,
mess houses until they have been recog
nized by common consent as entitled tC
all these encrOachments upon private
right, without saying by your leave or ex'
tending thank you. Judge Ingraham
upon case brought by one of these com
panes against private person for inter
fering in the erection of one of the com
pares' poles, judicially declares that the
fee in the streets is sacred trust for thu
use of the public distinctively, and which
the legislature cannot grant to any body
| OF COTDOIdJlUu Vi DOulCS, ludG etuubllIs
property owners are fully justified il
treating such telegraph wires and pole
as impediments to the use of the streets
and any citizen may go to work to ge
rid of them in the same manner tina
would justify him in Kidding his propert.
of any other nuisance.
Some more of the rascally manoeuvre
by which the Government is swindled il
the purchase of sites for its public build
ings are being developed in the case o
the Brooklyn Federal building. 1t seem
that the same Michael ]. Dady who ha
been instrumental in handing over tn
Washington sewer contracts to a New
York firm has his finger in the Broolyr
pie an in attempt to bride the District At
torney, and in getting delay in the pur
chase of the ground, to make room for
deal involving another site, so that Dad,
could have sight for the money he ha'
expended in hunting it up, and in thu
scheme laid for his grand swindle.
PHoNo.