The Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1877-1885, 1884-04-30
WASHINGTON LETTER.
From our Regular Correspondent

One of the pet specimens Of military |
offlcialism and Washington snobbery is |
Col D. Swain who, because he knew |
less about law than anything else, was
made Judge Advocate General Of the Uni |
ted States Army some two or three years
ago. Last week Mr. Bateman, banker
here, complained to the Secretary of War
that Swan had been guilty Of some fnan
cial crookedness that needed looking into,
and as the relations between the Secretary
and Swain had not been particularly
affectionate, the la tier was called upon to
explain at once. Swain made his explain
alton, and this was so much more often
sive than the charge that Bateman had
maze against him, that the Secretary
recommending court of inquiry which
was Immediately ordered The gist Of the
charges is that the Swain deposited So,
600 with Bateman, drew upon it until he
had checked it all out of Bateman's hands
and then negotiated the security that Bate
man had given him for the money, thus
getting $4,000 for his investment of half
the money. 1t seems that Swaim's chief
employment since he has been in the ser
vice has been that of Shylock Ioaning
out his own and other peoples money as
in the case of Bateman. taking cutthroat
chattel mortgages and closing iii upon his
victims whenever there was default of
day in meeting their obligations. There
is also evidence against Swain touching
his completely in the duplicate and triph-
cate pay account business. which ii fol-
Low 4 up will eliminate in something
more than simple dismissal from the
service
A frigid GOODNESS has suddenly sprung
up between those two great men with a
boom-Logan and Lincoln. Had he not
been for Logan, Lincoln would never have
got place in the Cabinet of Mr. Garfield,
and had it not been for Lincoln. Logan's
boom would not now be in such a fearful
state of disgruntlement. Logan wanted
his Egyptian friend Green B. Raum, and
his oratorical ttdes AcbHtes, Emory Storrs,
to occupy seats in the Chicago Conven-
ton, the one to work up the military
enthusiasm among the boys and the other
to place his name in nomination before
the Convention in q manner not to be out
done this side of Bob Ingersoll. Both of
these gentleman were quietly laid upon
the shelf by the abOminable half breeds
of the Sucker state, and their selected
seats in the Convention will be occupied
by men who will 90 for Logan with an
''if," for Lincoln with "0ut," and for
Blaine with a whOop. The once happy
Republican family of Illinois, which had
10 Medill for its daddy and Long Jones
for its wet nurse, is all torn up now, and
30 badly torn up that the fiery and IN
tanned Logan swears that he will disOWn
the whole kit of them.
That the mission of the Grand Army of
the Republic is not a political one is prob
ably true, because they have always pro,
tested that it is not, but for non pOliti-
cal organization must say that it cuts a
larger figure in the shaping of the politi
cal affairs OF this nation, so far as Con
gress is concerned than is consistent with
its protests. In the Senate on one day of
last week there were no fewer than fifty
two detitions, remOnstrances and other
documentary proceedings emanating from
that organization in different parts of the
country, and | am told that it was dull
day for that kind of matter, too. Most
of these petitions were prayers for more
pension bills aud consequently more pen
sioners and more millions out OF the
Treasury in addition to the hundred mil
lions now drawn. There were some for
the equalization of bounties, a measure
that has twice passed the Senate but for
tunately not reached in the House, which
would draw from the Treasury yet another
hundred million of dollars annually. I'm
der this sort of pressure, which the aver
age Congressman could not resist if he
would, and more of them would not resist
if they knew what would become of them
if they did, it becomes quite apparent that
the G. A. r. if it has not much to do
with politics, it has a mighty sight to do
with politicians.
In the Dakota imbroglio where the Re
publican political leaders are running two
conventions in the same hall, | notice
the portly figure of Major A, W. Edwards
whose connection with the Protection
Life Insurance Company at Chicago a
few years since left memory so fragrant
that it hangs around his victims still.
Edwards was indicted, tried, convicted
and would have been punished had it not
been for the political misgivings of the
administrators of the law as to the pro-
priety of depositing man in the peniten-
tiary who had once been its warden.
PHONO.