The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1884-06-14
Washington Letter.
Regular Correspondence.

During the past week Washington mas
Welded to Chicago in political interest,
All eyes have been turned toward the city
ON the lake where some imagine the next
president has been nominated, No doubt
the next president will have gotten his
nomination AT Chicago, but has he been
nominated That is the question. The
excitement over the nomination has caused
people to forget, for an instant, the abund-
ant matter for excitement here No town
with Il dozen discarded or still hopeful
presiden ial candidates, moving about, can
be dull and when we have, added to these,
bank failures, defaultng government of
ficer, the House, Senate, and lobby in SEES
sion, there can be no lack of matter To
make n paragraph, point moral, or patch
up sermon.
Colonel Burnside, who took $40, 900 from
the T. &. Department has been long con
spicuous in society and politics here. His
accounts had not been audited for three
years 1t was known that he had lost
money in a stock speculation, and this sug
gested the propriety of an investigation OF
his three years unsettled accounts. A de.
felt of $4,000 was soon discovered Big
local sensation! Hurry Col. Burnside to
Jail But remember the Republican adj
ministration that neglectS 10 audit its ac-
counts for three years, that embraces
Burnside, Grant, Kellogg, and all the other
honesty and moral ideas. Is there no tri-
bunal before which this mammoth hypo-
critic and unspeakable thief can be brought
to trial? Yes, and it holds its quadrenial
session this year of our Lord 1894, and less
the tribunal shall prove to be less powerful
than the thief, as was the case in 1876, or
succumb TO bribery (soap) as it did in 1880
there will be general auditing of accounts
and some remarkable disclosures. If the
Republican office holders reluctantly raise
terrible stencil with homeopathic tooth
brush, what may not be expected when the
Democrats enter the American stables with
pitch forks and wire brooms?
Very few have yet left Washington for
the sea.shore and mountain side. Con
gress is still in session, and the fact that
here will be the great campaign center,
base of supplies, and source of soap Of the
star route party during the summer and
fall, will not allow any suspension OF inter
est in the res gesta ct dicta at the National
Capitol This city has grown to be amuch
more tolerable summer home than it was
ten years, or even five years, ago The
streets are shaded with young and luxuri
ant trees The parks and lawns with toun-
tains serve TO temper the summer heat,
into solid ground interspersed with lakes,
though not complete, has had an appreci-
able effect on improving the general
health There has been little or no com
planning of malaria in congress during the
present session Our Legislators must find
some other scape- goat for gluttony and in
temperance, malaria has been almost dis.
sipated.
The halls of congress are no doubt very
imperfectly built before the importance of
pure air was appreciated, and the condition
of congress was once said by Senator Conk'
| ling TO be like rats in an exhausted receiv-
err 1t is now proposed, by system of
pipes to supply our national Legislators
with air drawn from the top of the dome
of the capitol The air they breathe, the
meat they eat and the liquor they drink, is
by wonderful alchemy transmitted into
| legislation and government. How impor-
tant then that the constituents of their
physical as we'll as of their political life
shall be pure.
There are ominous signs of detection in
the Republican ranks here, and much unor-
ganized opposition to the candidates. On
the other hand there Is boisterous enthusi-
assn and talk of "hurrah campaign like
that which bore Harrison to the White
House. But those who rely on noise and
magnetism forget that the nation has pass
ed its childhood, and has reached the aye
of discretion.
Twenty Years of Agony.
The Baltimore Eve,iag Ne,rs says that for
tha bpnctit of the puhlir Mr. Walter Grmmell