The National tribune., 1884-09-18
WASHINGTON GOSSIP.
ghe Weekly Collection About The Ma
tiOnal Capital.
ASPIRATIONS.


Judge Foiser was not in his tomb before eager
speculation manifested itself everywhere as TO
his successor. 1t is grand thing TO be Secretary
OF the Treasury, even until next March L. Many |
really great men IN this country would be glad 4
TO iii it for even a month, or perhaps shorter 1
term. In spite of our angry disclaimers we are /
all more or orless-generaliy more -worshipers OF /
money and our minds are impressed with an |
spulent. unctious intensely respectable atmos 1
pbere clinging about a man who has even an /
association with great amounts of money. A 4
Secretary of the Treasury gets the benefit OF /
association in the popular mind with the hun
Creds OF millions In the Nations strong boxes, /
and o pleasant aroma Of riches hangs about him /
for the rest Of his life, though he may not at /
times have money enough to pay household |
expenscs-as was too frequently the case with /
the first and greatest Of Secretaries-Ale lexander
Hamilton. The gossips first insisted that Sec
rotary Chandler was anxious TO exchange the 1
Naval portfolio for that of the Treasury. Then /
Inc story was that the President would appoint
one Of his personal friends among the polite
Sans he used to associate with in New York IN
The ante Presidential days, and Gen. J. II.
Sharpe was settled upon as the most likely ap-
poinfee Now. the inevitable Gresham comes
up smilingly as the man who can have the
Office by SO much as saying that he viii take 1t.
This was To be expected. There has not been
q single prominent 0tiice to be filed since Mr..
Arthur discovered Dir. Gresham in the wilds of
Indiana but that gentleman ms put III n
Strong bid for il. dc wanted 10 be nominated
for President and Wee President, and for Gov
ernar Of Indiana, and before Secretary Folgers
death he was believed TO be divided IN his
mind whether he would succeed Voorhees, as
Senator from Indiana, OF Judge Drnmmond on
the Seventh Judicial Circuit. There is moth
ing like reaching ont your hand for everything
that comes along
THE ARLINGTAS ESTATE.
a 7ra1 l,oe hoo, casS 1.~f Corsfb-
elm writers. about the magnifcence of the Ar
lington estate, which descended TO Robert E.
Lee through his marriage into the Washington
family. and was taken by the Government
during the war as a camping ground for the
soldiers, and finally As burial ground, and is
now one of the finest cemeteries IN the United
States. But its magnifeence only, as far as we
can Judge. consists ia extent, and its position
upOn the river Of which i commands line
view as well as Of the city OF Washington. The
ground itself Is sterile to the last degree. Lit
consists of large portion Of upland and OF a
l0ng sloping descent towards the plain that lies
along the Potomac. The upland appears abb
soluteiy too poor to raise wbire beans, which is
the Northern idea Of the most impoverished
land that one can conceive Indeed, the land
has realized such degree Of poverty that
natures efforts 10 cover lis nakedness with
moses and weeds have proved ab0rtive, and,
though il has apparently lain uneulfiyated
semblance OF vegetafion--lote even dog fennel.
One would expect greater fertility IN the plain
alongside the Potomac, but the wetaess OF the
ground ihere operates as uniavOrably TO plant
life as the barrenness OF the uplanGs, and the
corn now cr0Elng--or rather planteG-there is
50 stUnfed and meager that Western farmer
would not take the trouble 10 harvest il. In
side the stone wall that surround the National
Cemetery the flowers and vegetation indicate
considerable fertility. but this has only been
secured by most liberal fertilization, and
probably the Government has spent the price
of a good sized Illinois farm in glano and other
mznures. The house itself, which stands on a
commanding point overlooking the Potomac
and giving magnificent view OF Washington,
IS an old-iashi0ned brick structure, with ab-
surdly large brick columns IN front. and a gen
eral attempt AT cheap sbOwiness- Its hrst cost
was probably much less aud its comforts and
cOnTenienceE vastly less than those of
scores OF faTIn-hguses OF the better class IN
the Northern States 4 few years after the
war the Lee family made attempt 10 re-
claim the estate. which they could DO under
the Constitutional provision that no estate
shall be c0nfiscated for treason for a longer
time than the life time Of the owner, and quite
q discussion took place ali over the country
Northern sensibilities being strongly wrought
UP by the thought Of the graves Of 50 many
thousands OF her sons passing into the hands OF
the Representatives OF the leader Of the rebels,
10 do with no one knows what 1t finally re-
suited IN the Government making compro-
mise with the Lee heirs which gave the for
1ner permanent possession Of the property, the
heirs Of the rebel chIefiain setting price
which would have been impossible in an open
market
CONDITION OF THE CROPS.
The Democrats Of the District ratified the
nomination Of Cleveland and Hendricks BY
demonstration on the llth inst. There Was
large street parade and fireworks ia abund-
ance The speeches were made BIZ Congress
men j III. Murphy, Of Iowa and H. John Ellis,
Of Louisiana; Senator Jones, Of Florida; Gen.
Bradley T. johnson, Of Maryland, and others.
The Department Of Agriculture reports that
the condition Of the cotton on the lst of Sep
feInber was lower than on Aug. ], by reason Of
drought. which has been seyerest IN Texas
The average condition for the whole field,
which was e. III the preceding report, is re-
cuced To 81. The product Of Winter wheat is
above the average: is generally Of good quality,
except where injured by sprouting IN the shock
The aggregate viii vary little from 100000 600
bushels The corn crop is IN better condition
than ia any September since 1850. The general
aFerase II 81. il was 81 last September, 50 in
1852 and CD in 1851. j. promises to produce an
average yield Of 20 bushels for the entire
breadth, or not less than 5000 90 bushels.
The oats crop averages q yield per acre about
the same as corn. and makes an aggregate ex-
eceding 5o0,099,090 bushels.
MORE LASD DETECTIVES WANTED.
The astonishing disclosures about the giant
land steals IN the Far West mpels the Com
missioner Of the Land Office 70 make All appeal
5or more Special Agents 70 assist him IN unearth-
ing thets already committed and 10 prevent
the commission Of any more. This is a request
the Government should lose no time IN grant
ing him, for il there is one thing more than
another hat the people Of this country are in
tercsted ia, Il is the stoPpage Of this land lar
ceny. The whole corps % Special Agents now at
the disposal Of the Commissioner numbers only
%, and he thinks he should have So more, OF
one for every Land District He says that now
70 land thieves escape detection and punish
lnent where one is caught.
GEN. BLAXK's ILLNESS.
Gen. Geo. A. Blake was prostrated by a sud.
den stroke Of paralysis ct a hotel Ia this city
last week and still fingers in precaTiOus con-
cition. Gen. Blake is one Of the veterans Of
the old Regular Army He was appointed .
Lieutenant IN the ID Dragons away back in
1850 from Pennsylvania, and at the beginning
oi The war was 8 Iieutenant-Colonel lie die
not make much OF a figure IN that great con
test, ior when Il closed he had only risen one
grade, while all around were men who haC
lc2ped from Licutenanis 70 Major Generals
He was breveted Brigadier-General, with sew
erai Thousand Others. March u. 1865, and wen
on the Retired List in 1870 as a Colonel.
A NEW GUN.
~. Il L. -