South Branch intelligencer. [volume] (Romney, Va. [W. Va.]) 1830-1896, 1884-05-02
Letter from Washington.
From Our Regular Correspondent.
Washington, d. c., April %.

'"1h"S'oh, ~. W. ApEit 20.
One the pet specimens of military
ofiicialism and Washington snobbery
~ Col. ID. @. Swain, who, because he
knew less about law than anything
else. was made Judge Advocate Gen
eral OF the United States Army some
two or three years ago. Last week
MIR. Bateman, banker here, com.
planned to the Secretary of War that
Swain had been guilty ofsome fiuan
cial crookedness that needed looking
into, and as the relations between the
Secretary and Swain had not been
particularly atsectionate. the latter was
called upon to explain at once
Swain made his explanation, and this
was so much more offensive than the
charges that Bateman had made a.
gains. him, that the Secretary turn
ed the matter over to the President,
recommending q court of inquiry.
which was Immediately ordered The
gist OF the charges is that Swain de.
posted SO 900 with Bateman. drew up
on 1t until he had checked it all ont
or Batemnu's hands and then nego-
tlated the security that Bateman had
given him for the money, thus get.
ting Slo,ooo for his investm ent OF half
the money. 1t seems that Swain S
chief employment since he has been
in the service has been that Of Shy
lock, loahing out his own and other
peoples money as in the case of Bate
man, taking cut hroat chattel mort.
cages and closing in upon his victims
whenever there was the default of n
day i'll meeting their oblig. tons
There Is also evidence against Swain
touching bic completely in the dupli-
cate and tripl;cate pay account bust
ness, which If followed mp will culmi
nate in something more thar u simple
dismissal from the service.
a frigid GOODNESS has suddenly
sprung mp between those two great
men with boom--Logan and Lin.
coin. Had il not been for logan,
Lincoln would never have got place
in the Cabinet OF Mr.. Garfield. and
had it not been ior Lincoln, Logau's
boom would not now be in such q
fearful state Of disgruntlement Lo.
gan wanted his Egyptian friend Green
Is. Raum. and his orator.cal fdes
Achatoa, Emory Storrs, to occupy
seats in the Chicago Convention, the
one to work MP tho military enthusi-
asm among the boys, and the other TO
place his name in nomination before
the Convention IN q manner not TO be
ouidono this side of Bob Ingersoll.
Both Of these gentlemen we're quietly
laid upon the shelby the abominablo
half-breeds OF the Sucker State, and
their selected seats in the Convention
will be occupied by men who will 90
tor Logan with an it, for Lincoln
with 4 'but,' aud for Blaine with a
whoop. The once happy Republican
family of Illinois, which had 10 Med
Ill for It's daddy and Long Jones for
ITS wet-nurse, is all torn up nov, and
SO badly torn up that the fiery and I'M
tanned Logan swears that he will dis.
own the whole kit of them.
hat The mission oil the Grand Ar
my OF tie Republic is not political
one Is probably true, because they
have always protested that il is not, but
for political organization must
say that 1t cats larger figure in the
shaping of the political affairs Of this
Nation, SO far "a Congress is concern
ed, than is consistent with lis protests.
In the Senate on one day OF last
week there were no fewer than fifty.
two petitions, remonstranccs and 9th.
er documentary proceedings emanat.
ing from that organization III differ
elt parts OF the country. and am
told that It was dull day for that
kind OF matter, too. Most OF these
petitions were prayers Tor more pen
sion bills. and conseqr emily more pen
sioners and more millions out of the
Treasury III addition to the hundred
millions now drawn. There were
some for the equalization of bounties,
a measure that has twice passed the
Senate but fortunately not reached i'm
the House, which would draw from
the Treasury yet another hundred mil
lion OF dollars annually. Under this
sort of pressure, which the average
! Congressman could not resist il he
would, and more Of them would not
resist IT they knew what would be.
come OF them if they did, it becomes
quite apparent that tho G.. A. II it it
! has not much to do with politics, it
has a mighty sight to do with pollti.
clans.
In the Dakota imbrogl:o where the
/ Republican political leaders are run.
ming two conventions in the same hall,
| notice the portly figure Of Major A.
w. Edwards, whose connection with
tho Protection Life Insurance Com
pany at Chicago few years since left
Il memory so fragrant that it hangs q.
round his victims still. Edwards was
/ indicted, tried, convicted and would
nave been punished had it not been
for the political misgivings Of the ad-
ministrators Of the law az { o the pro.
| pricty of depositiug q man in the peni.
Tertiary who had once been its war.
den. Proyo.
I