Perrysburg journal. (Perrysburg, Wood Co., O. [Ohio]) 186?-1965, 1884-05-02
WASHINGTON LETTER.
trrom Our Regular Q ,rrcrpordcnt.l

WASHINGTON LETTER.
From Our rRcgnar ,rrcspondcnt1
WAsniSe1oS. Arril 2s, 1884.
A second edition OF the judicial farce
enacted Last year ieeuling in the acquittal
of the sinr route tlives, will he presented
TO mn admiring public next week IN the
trial Of William Pitt Kellogg for receiving
money in his capacity OF United States
Senator from Louisiana. ii II were not no
deucedly expensive, II would he amusing
to see how the Attorney General has gone
TO work to collect his evidence in this case,
which ns in all such cases Is principally |
drawn from snme thievish accessory, whose
credibility is Ms easily impeached as his
evidence can lie purchased with promises
Of immunity. In this case was Walsh who
wrote TO the President about "important'
papers IN his possession that would con-
vict Kellogg. Walsh and his papers were
in that safe haven (Cnnnda) where Gov
ernment criminals mostly do congregate'
and thither the President dispatched MIR.
Brewster Cameron, and one OF its SlOO
per d ny attorneys, Mr.. Kerr, 10 receive the
important papers. Upon their arrival at
NJ ontieal and conierring with Mr. Walsh
the latter suddenly discovered that the
papers were not 20 important in working
a conviction rs lie thought they might be,
and so, under suggestion OF additional
immunity, he has concluded to come ON IN
peison and give his testimony, which, in
the light of that given in The stnr-ronte
cases where it was picked to flinders and
scattered to the winds, is not Likely to add
heavily TO the Governments chances for
convicting anybody.
In this connection il may not be mop
perfume to say that the Attorney General
may have in view the possibility that
simple trial Of Kellogg, though it result
in acquttal, may deter other Senators and
other Members of Congress from accepting
money in an official capacity, but the in
Vulnerable trials and the many Congress
sionaI Investigations that we have had,
should have convinced Mr.. Brewster OF
his fnllacy. To show how crcdulous a
being the Attorney General Ia, it is only
necessary to call attention to his official
letter of apology for not conviclng the
star.route thieves, IN which he solemnly
e declares he saved to the country the two
millions of doila,s annually that the
thieves would have continued to steal had
= he not brought them to trial! Now every
h BODY knows that before Mr.. Garfield he
u came President, and therefore before Mr..
i Brewster was ever thought of in connec-
: tion with the Attorney GeneralshiP, the
8 s,ar.rouie thieves iell out among them
!, selves and gave each other away to the
r authorities with superlative alacrity. 1t
e was then that the stealing was stopped
: but nobody supposes, after the events that
:, have since trans,,ired, that there was ever
any serious intention on the part OF the
authorities to punish the thieves.
q While am not banking much upon the
d faithfulness or integrity of public officials
% in general in the matter of fencing in and
A lrespassipg upon the public lands, think
that the recent editorial upon that subjec
~ in the New York Times, so far as il fleet
N upon the Secretary OF the Interior, doe
s- that gentleman a gross injustice. Fo
n years thes squalters upon the public d
main have defied the Government, whicl
ne under practically obsolete law, the
by knew 10 he powerless to molest them, MI
-. called The Department OF Justice to ne
count for its neglect in enforcing such la'
Ia rs would be available 10 an individua
ed whose property might he trepassed upo
nc in like manner, but that department ha
-, its hands so full in making facilities fc
the star route thieves to slip through il
MI fingers, that il had no time to attend
Ias these big land pirates. The fact of til
he business Is that no amount of effort
restrain the fencing in of the public d
VI main will avail so long as Senators, Re
NJ resentatives and men in and out Of hil
,ey public station, who have got plenty
nal money, are interested in occupying the
-, millions of acres for their own purpose
'e' A good, healthy Congressional enactne
TO that would mean something, aud Depal
an. ment OF Justice that would also me-
40 something in its attempts 10 enforce sue
IN a law, are the only things likely to salts
wa the public sentiment THAI is ROW deman
'rt, ing that these fenced in lands shall
my thrown open to the actual settler. II
nm people are determined to see whether Il
for present Congress will have backbo
The enough 10 respond To their demand.
on. The citizens of Washington have lol
lhe enjoyed the credit of being public-spir
o. ed community, and they ARE so long
,re Congress fools the bills for every last e
ure terprise that.is undertaken here. Ii, how
acl ever, the people want something that Co
the gress has no right to provide, such as
nj skating rink, or an armory, or base'b'
lor park, they get ap grab-oag fair or som
lie thing of that sort, and by hook or cro'
ort they have managed TO get all of the
for things. To these will shortly be add,
noi an Opera-house which is to be built by
in military company, but never word h
mn been mentioned about the estnblishme
of OF public library, or any other publ
it's enterprise that would conduce to the me,
ast tai Improvement of its more than 2000'
ar population. And you May safely predl
30 that if this great city, the capital of Il
lee great country, this boosted imitation
, IL Paris ever dues get n library il will
are when Congress furnishes it.
in. Dom PEDRO.
wi faJ