The Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1877-1885, 1884-03-29
WASHINGTON LITTER.
[From our Regular Correspondent.

WASHINGTON, D. c., March 81, 1884
Senator John Sherman, of Ohio, who is
much much of a canddatef or the CHIC 90
nomination than is his brother Tecumseh
is of the opinion that Ohio will be carried
for the Republicans this fall as easy as
rolling off log, if only the right man
be put forward. What mental reservation
or secret evasion possessed Mr.. Sherman
in making this conditional prediction can
best be coniectured Ply the logic of events
that accompanied Mr. Sherman's candid
acy four years ago. He said then as he
says now, that "an enthusiastic and unit
cd party was of more consequence and
more to be desired than the working cut
OF any mans ambition, be he never so
popular or were he dccked with tie calb
OF unQucsticned availability" The slyness
with which Mr. Sherman has always
manipulated our macnine politics, isman-
ifesting itself now when he says that,
"believiug that the convention when it
meets should be free. uninstrucled, AMI
III shape to do the very best thing for the
whole party, | have couEselcd my friends
to that end, and do not find that con
dition of things to justify my being can
didate that found four years ago" Put
ting this and that together, then, we are
to assume that Mr.. Shermans candidacy
can be relied upon in an emergency; which
emergency he and his friends foDdly hope
may overtakc the Chicago convention
before anybody else rakcs the pool,
England having pulled our nose and
Cutfed our ears in the ODOnncll business,
Chill was emboldcncd to do the same
thing when we protested against the IN
| warranted imprisonment of half dozen
American citizens in that God fOrsaken
country. Both Of these gross insults We
| pOckcted, as a matter of course, and 50
| here comes Turkey, a nation 50 poor that
it picks its living from the swill-barrels
of Il semi civilization that lives and dies
| from opium eating and slaps our face
with the same complaceGcy that has
| characterized the impudcnt assaults of the
| others. The cause of the Turkish dis
gruntlement arises from our protest
| against the cXaCtiOns of the Sublime Porte
in levying an exorbitant duty upon our
| petroleum in face of the treaty upon Tn 1T
subject If we were sure that our navy
would not 90 to the bottom before it
| could reach the Orient, and if we could
| be guaranteed that it would not be blown
out of water should it get there by the
two war ships that Turkey purchased of
US Years ago, it would not be bad idea
for the American Government to resent
this last insult, and show to the other
nations abroad that it will not allow u
sick man to knock chip from its shout
der, whatever it may take from muscular
chaps like John Bull.
That grave, reverend, and digniied
body. the United States Senate, spent an
hour in secret session with closed doors
on Monday afternoon. The matter under
dcussion was not the ratification of a
treaty with some great aud powerful
naJion. nor Was it to discuss some solemn
question affecting the diplomatic relations
with foreign powers. nor was it to con
firm the appointments of minis tiers plen-
ipotcntiary and ENJOYS eXtraOr dinaIy tC
the kingdoms and empires of the old
world. int it was to discuss the resolution
offered by Senator de ciaring that foul
OF the pages upon the Senate floor were
bounced by the Sergeant at Arms %ithou
proper cause Of course this proceeding
. will shock the moral sense Of that portion
of the community who think the mission
| IL,
sort of thing, but did not Mr.. Flanagan
Of Texas. ask what We were here Tor, i
+, it were not the offices? Indeed if there Is
anythinI that will stir the Government It
, its foundations with more facility than al
b attempted expulsion from office Of one O
I the ordinary Washington barnac!cs, hav
- Hot yet learned what it is. Tue fellow
= are to the manner born, rs it were, AM
we can no more get rid of them than W
q can shake off the Indian contractor or tn
man with French spolation claim
J The debate in the senate upon lr
BIairs educational bill has brought on
some of the old time discussions npol
/ the status Of the negro as an element il
our political economy In connection
. with Ibis phase of the question Of tn
ilileracy OF the South, its discussion de
II yclopcd the fact that while the perccntag
+ of illitcracy among the whole popHlalio
e was very large in 1880 that of the white
>, alone reached about % per cent, 50 tina
the money proposed to be appropriate
was to be distributed in rs large propOl
ton for their benefit as for that of til
negroes. 1t is doubtful if the bill can b
passed at this session, if at al. because c
the intense prejudice that exists anon
=. ilaEy senators both Northern and South
n crn, against the idea of the govcrnmcr
becoming the foster parent of the educ;
tional interests of the people of the state
which alone should be responsible for tn
education Of their own citizens. Near
while a great many people who N
interested, and some who are not, woul
like to know what is being done with tt
enormous Peabody fund, which, in til
hands Of certain trustees was to he use
for the purpose of maintaining colore
% schools? Dom PEDRO.