Arkansas weekly mansion., 1884-03-15
VOL . NO. IL.
the motion for a new trial; but
they have not been pressed upon
Us, and there is no merit in any
of them. Judgment affirmed.
WASH lNGTON LETTER.
(From our Regular Correspondent I

(From our Regular Correspondent
WASHINGTON, ID. c., March IL. 1884.
Presidential prospects always furnish y
fruitful topic among politicians and CORES
pondcnts in Washington for many months
prior to campaign. And it was never
more SO than just at this time, when both
parties are all at sea in the matter Of can
didates. Probably there never was a time,
at least not in recent yessS.io near the
date of the nominating conventions. when
SO little capitalization of sentiment existed
Us to candidates. Not that there are no
candidates, but that there is much un-
certainty as to who is the right one-the
strong one. In the coming contest. which
promises to be a close one, 1t is universally
admitted that mistakes must not be made
in selecting standard bearers. AS matters
stand to-day the fight in the Republican
convention would seem to be between
President Arthur and General Logan, with
Senator EdmGnds a remote possibility.
MIR. Blaine, who has SO many warm friends
all over the country, and who has twice
come within few votes of the nomination,
is pretty certainly out of the race this year.
Baine's experience is a very forcible illus
tration OF the fact that the favorites do not
aiN dys Wlu anu tuat Tie lcsldcuCy is 100
big a thing to be ''set up" like a nest OF ten
pins. and when it is thought to be all ar
ranged that a certain candidate has u ma
jority it does not take long to find out how
easy it is to be mistaken. We ell remem-
ber how William II. Seward had ''set up
the Chicago convention Of 1850 and how
easily Mr.. Lincoln walked away with the
honors. Very few had ever thought of Mr.
Lincoln as a candidate. 1t was the same at
Cincinnati when Hayes was nominated.
Nobody in particular wanted Hayes, yet
he got the nomination, while Blaine, whom
several hundred delegates did wait, got
left as he did at Chicago in 1850.
1t cannot be said at this time that any
candidate has the pins all 'set up and il
would be difficult to say who is really the
strongest in public favor, though there is
unmistakably a growing sentiment favor
able to the renemnation OF President Ar
thur. Some of the wisest men OF the party
believe it would be the safest thing to do,
though undoubtedly General Logan has a
very large and enthusiastic following, com
ing largely from the soldier element Ior
.rhQm he has done so much. Those who
Pie'ef oenaiar Edmunds are also very nu-
"erous' ana meet them here from all sec
siFeness. so to speak, among them than
among frieuds of the other candidates. 10
behalf OF President Arthur IT, NAV he said
that his administration has been careful.
consistent ano clean. He has done much
| to harmonize warning elements in the mar
| ty, and has made no mistakes that worle,i
| injury to the public gead. Resides this i,
! is believed that with the Aerfect know,ed.o
| he possesses OF the political situ,tion and
methods in New York he wo>d no most
| likely of any candidate named toN ARA, ,h.,
State. Whether this will be theNaw or
the convention or not will probably def>,a
very much upon the position of the New
York delegates themselves. There are at
least q dozen other candidates who hope to
see n dead lock in the convention result in
bringing them out on the dark horse track
after the manner of the blessed Hayes.
| One of these is Postmaster General tircs-
ham. Another is Secretary Lincoln. But
under present circumstances further specu-
Iation is idle. To me i. now looks good
! deal like Arthur, with n western man for
the tail OF the ticket.
OF course the land grant railroads Will
not submit in lamb like compliance to any
Congress- onal enactment that is to deprive
them of several hundred million dollars
worth OF property, SO long as there is su-
preme court for them to fall back upon,
which tribunal alone is clothed with the
power to tell us whether the land is the
property of the railroads or no.. That
court has hitherto held that IL could not
interfere with the grants, and that they
! could be resumed only by the direct action
OF the Government, either by law of Con-
gress, or suit brought by its law officers.
This ruling was based upon suit brought
by n settler, praying for the Intervention of
the court to protect his homestead which
was on land which the road, haying failed
to comply with the conditions of the grant,
had no longer any right to hold.
| Next in Importance to the report OF thc
! Civil Service Commission itself, will be the
| responses of tho heads OF bureaus to the
| invitation given them to express their
| opinions as to the working of the law a
| eral departments. Inasmuch nine out
of ten of these appointments are actually
forced upon the departments, and some Of
them against the emphatic protest of the
officials In charge, it will afford some Curl
osity to the public to peruse the left handel
| endorsements that will accompany the
| Commissioners report. Individually, the
law has been voted n consummate piece OF
idiotic humbuggery by every one OF these
! officials, but when IL comes to the ex 'res-'
! sion of an opinion upon such delicate
subject, from the standpoint Of ofiicialism,
| it will be an equine OF another color.
| JUNTJs.
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