Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1884-01-08
CREAM OF THE SPECIALS.
What the Washington Correspondents
Have to Say About Persons and Things
in General.
DIAGNOSING THE PREsIpENr

What the Washington Correspondeuts
Have to Say About Persons and Things
I'm General.
DIAGNOSING THE PRESIDENT.
At the consultation held at O'Clock
/ this afternoon in the Presidents library.
/ which was attended only by correspon-
4 dents of number of the leading newspa-
/ pers, the alleged distinguished invalid oc-
I cupied his usual seat at the old oak desk
winch once ornamented the House of Rep
resentatiyes. He bore with great tortitude
the lnqusitlon of those who came to figu-
/ raINelY ieel Of his pulse, examine his
I tongue and question him about his habits
/ MS hours and his aspirations. Upon cross
I examination he admitted that New Years
/ receptions were good deal of a bore:
I that he had stayed later at the Davis re-
ceptIon than was required by the Constitu-
ton, but pleaded the company OF an Asso-
clate Justice in eXtenuation of any alleged
eXcesses last night. He said he had rot
rid of good deal of superhuous flesh.
slep soundly, worked harder and more
hours with less fatigue than for years.
The feeling of tiredness which sometimes
made official duty irksOme had vanished.
DO L understand you to say." asked
the President OF a correspondent, ''that
you were ordered to find out all about the
nature of my illness, my present condi-
tion, and whether / am as seriously iii
as resported! Are you a physician -
or another he asked: ''Then the fact
that L have been in public every day
or nearly every day this week, that |
have been here at my desk more constant
ly than usual, is not evidence of good
health. Who invents these stories? How
do they originate? Why are they circu-
| latedp were three conundrums asked
IN rapid succession and passed without
answers.
''I on are charged with being i'll and
hiding the fact from the public" said an
lmpudent correspondent. The President
laughed at the charge, but could not deny
that secresv was one of his strong char
acterlstics. "You are sure you have not
heart disease, apopleXy, paralysis, sun
stroke or any other disorder that may
surprise the public without moments
notice, now or six months hence?'' was
asked and answered with the blandest of
smiles, Not that l know off,
As the correspondents arose to go the
President shook each bv the hand, wished
them many happy new years, all the COM
pliments of the season and bowed them
out with gracious smiles. That is all
there is to the report of the Presidents
illness and the effort to keep it secret,
story which probably was started by
descendant of Paddy Miles boy.
CIVIL SERVICE REFORM.
X. ID. Beckwith. one of the recent ap-
pointees under the House, is a cOlored
man and straight-out Republican of
Virginia. He held a position IN one of
the departments and was dismissed it is
said, at the instance of Senator Malone.
Last fall he canyassed Virginia against
Malone and now he has place provided
by the Democrats.
TAFFY FOR CUFFY.
There is some significance to be at
tached to the banquet given last night to
y. Thomas Fortune, editor of the New
FORK Globe. Mr.. Fortune is a cOlored
man of force and ability, and he has fire.
quently of late spoken fearlessly and
truthfully about the condition of the
colored race in the South. He
has more than once advised his
colored friends to cut loose from
party, devote themselves in ac-
quiring an education and vote for the best
men to govern them. The leading cOlOred
Republicans at first tried to set down upon
Mr.. Fortune, but not succeeding they are
trying to win him over to their side by
praises. Hence the banquet. 1t was
quite respectable and tony affair, and
the Independent journalist and progress
sive cOlored gentleman doubtless felt
highly complimented.
A QUESTION OF TESTIMONY.
Biblicists will be much interested in
the advanced steps taken by the bench of
this District in reference to the reception
of the testimony of unbelieyers. 1t will be
recalled that during the progress of the
star route trials objection was made
to admitting the testimony of S.
W. Dorsey, on the ground that he
was not a believer in the Christian
religion. Judge Wylie, who was
presiding, overruled the objection and held
that the testimony was properly admissi-
bic, with the option to the jury of deciding
as to its reliability, just as in any OCher
case. To-day in the Circuit Court, in the
case of Cohen & Co. VS.. n. w. FitZ-
gerald, before Judge Macarthur,
this point was again raised The
opposing counsel were the silver
tOngued orator of Maryland, r.
StOckett Mathews, for Cohen, and Col.
Robert G. Ingersoll for Fitzgerald. The
eminent piety, the exalted virtue and the
scrupulOus regard of Mr.. Mathews for all
OF the ten commandments are not less a
subject of common nOtOriety than the alb
| s)lute theoretical disregard of Col. Inger-
| soil for revealed religion. Mr.. Fitzgerald,
who is said to be an unbeliever, was
! put on the stand. Mr.. Mathews claimed
that he should not be permitted to testify,
| and. in one of those impassiOned torrents
of figure and metaphor for which he is
| famous, painted the deprayity of a man
/ lOI DcllcNlug III Tue WTdIu 10 COllle. ana
! the dire effects to the social and legal
| fabric which would inevitably result
| from giving the least credit to utterances
| from such a source. Col. IngersOll replied
| and contended that the mere fact of a
man not implicitly accepting the tradi-
tiOns of the ages should not bar him, as
contended for by the opposing counsel,
| that the mans reputation for truth and
| prObity should alone be taken into con-
sideratiOn, and that the common law ex-
| cluded the testimony of no man because of
| his religious belief or disbelief, and that
| it was the province OF the jury to distin-
! guish as to the value of testimony from
| any source. Judge Macarthur sus-
| tanned the view of Col. Ingersoll, and
| followed the precedent set by Judge
| Wylie. He did not think, he said, that
any such questions could properly be
raised to exclude the testimony of any
man. Chief Justice Cartier, Of the Su-
| preme Bench of the District OF Columbia,
who heard the opinion of Judge MacAr-
| thur, was understood to concur in it, and
the discussion of counsel and the opinion
of the bench were listened to with much
! interest by a large assemblage of mem
| bers Of the bar.