Fort Worth daily gazette. (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1882-1891, 1884-07-14
WASHINGTON LETTER.
The Glasses Of Thieves, the Humble and
the Aristocratic.
The Thief of the Slums and Of the Gov.
eminent and
Inc Fellows Who Get Away With the
Public Lands. and
Those That Stole the Public Parks at
Washington,
Congressional Humbuggery- Blaine and
Ben Butler.

| WASHINGTON, July s.-Thief is III,
generic term Of tho several species
there are pickpockets, deadbems, petty
swindlers and borrowers who never
pay and.there are lock- picks and burg.
lars any many varieties Of confidence
men. There are thieves who will
rob none except bankers. They
scorn the theft of small
sums. There are professional
majestic thieves who will only rob cor.
porations, counties, towns or states.
ana yet another great body Of adroit..
est thieves who gather riches by plun-
dering the federal treasury. The star
reuters were of this class. The vast
ness OF sums appropriated does not
nilect the question of guilt Thieves
they are, one and all, who live with.
out toii, preying, through the inter
vehtion OF government, upon tillers of
the SOL who dig the money out of the
ground.
The "animus furandir and the
"cepit ct asportavit" of Blackstone
are confessed, and yet because sums
stoieh are Immense the Jury not
only fails TO convict. but i'm
stupid admiration of the grandeur of
the knavery would crown the felon
with distinguished honors. We wot
OF n brilliant fellow who plundettd n
bank, appropriated its assets amount-
ing to 5000 600 or more. He sent
countless widows to almshou,es or
perdition ana orphans by the score TO
utter restitution, and yet, because he
was rich, cities and states honored this
man. lie executed a stupendous con-
tract Tor raj ways, making them pay
nin thrice greater sum thnn
required by the original stip-
u'atons. Ihen he wheedled
president OF the United States into n
scheme involving the expenditure of a
hundred millions or more. The con
gress of the United States wns i'm.
weighed into approval and though sly
or seven millions disappeared aud
there was nothing TO snow for IL
except an uninhabitable morass. the
very people reduced to abject penury
ny his devices still threw up their hats
ana proclaimed him the subllmest
oeneiactor OF the age and country.
The mississippi no longer competes
WIN the railways. II no longer
regulates freight rates of the
continent, thus subscribing every pur-
pose OF railway commission. 'Phe
Vailey Itself - given over TO buffalo
gnn's, bullrrogs and catfish, aud VET
such - the stupendousnes of The
'steaP' that II gilds monumental rob-
oers with .glittering gold and the limo.
cent people only wonder and admire.
-, ANOTHER ILLUSTRATION.
Inc banks makeSIS 600 900 annually
by borrowing the credit of the govern
ment, for which they pay nothing.
a republican congress went further.
and relieved these banks of taxation
ana 10 make the monopoly perfect
taxed the circulation of state baniSs ia
per cent. Since the government might
issue this national bank CURRENCY
directly, as well as indirectly, through |
me banks, and the people derive no
advantage from the banking system |
costing them SlS,OOO,000 annually. |
when they could not enjoy without
tIls cos,, there would seem TO be no |
more valid reason for the perpetuation
o. the war system of banking than
Tor that of the war system
that the banks and other nowarfnI
combinations Of capital, like The rail
way corporations, operating as one man
upon lawgivcrs, have greater potencv
In government thnn the peopIe them.
selves who created and maintain this
AN ILLUSTRATION.
During the war Tom Scott. Tbad
stevens and Simon Cameron gov-
erned pennsylvania aud were most
potent In Washington. SCOTS Penn
'ylvania rond secured federal char.
,er under which his Pennsylvania Cen.
raj entered Washington. NOT only
his, Luz IL secured the right
u way through IA wide district OF fbe
;lty OF Washington. Not only this
lut II carved in twain the great mark
iedicnted to the muliitudes of tbe civ
md to strangers gathered hero f,on,
vi the states. In This park the peonlc
If the United States are all paI avn
ms. Here the order Of argument
,ased on a law fiction, was reversed
y the primal law Of the country. and
ne right OF eminent domain was IN
ne people and not In the government
ieorge Washington and the founders
u me republic and Of the capital had
declared this mile square 10 he the
property of the common people.
iut the congress. which was Simon
cameron and Thad Stevens, without
qualm OF conscience ceded the land
0 which they had no shadow of right
. the great railway Corporation
very year vast multitudes OF tho
mon and OF the capital demand
Trough every montb-piece of opinion
ne retrocesslon of this central park TO
ne people. But this single railway
orporation has greater potency In the
apital than the people of the wboIe
'untry. and OF the city, ana the poIitI-
ANS bending reveTentIy in the
resence OF the monstrous railway and
Ct fearing the people, eyades action
the question. II the house at any ser
on, pass u bill requiring the evacuation
the park by the railway, the meas-
re Ii sure To fall In the senate. III The te
nate order the corporation 10 take nm II
; trackways across the park the bol,se la
'ncrously falls TO reach this senate ~
u and the corporation is I.aster nnd 10
Q peoples demand laughed al. A III
cal post-ofilce. building IL demanded 20
the capital. An old ro0kerv IL ca
nted for the uses of the people 10 this w,
half. They, therefore, huinbly Ask or
ngress. NJ the representative OF the wi
rporation and NOT Of the people. 10 wi
We this Pennsylvania central sta- RAJ
'n-house. sancuiied 90 Il Is by tho OF
'od OF Garfield and made historical tn
the flight OF Blaine, when Gar. bu
ID fell, condemned, assessed. pald col
and converted into a post.ofjice.
Il the blessed corporation TX not /