The Eaton Democrat. (Eaton, Ohio) 1875-1903, 1885-03-05
WASHINGTON T T
From Our Regular Correspondent
WASHINGTON, DC,
March 9 1881

NIdfCH Z, 1000.
How Washington juries are organ
lied to acquit is so well known
throughout the country that com
ment upon the Washington court
martial msy be superfuous. The
case of General Swain was as fairly
convicted of a fragrant crime as the
record of any court in C~hristendom
could demonstrate. Yet instead OF
stripping the epaulettes from the
shoulders of a convicted thief and
kicking him out of the service, as
he ought to have been kicked out
long age, this weak solution Of mill
tary a~ristocracy, in the shape of a
court-martial, imposes a punishment
Of half-pay retirement actually be-
yond the period when the law itself
would have retired him on hall. pay
had he preserved good record. And
this mild sentence, which is actually
a reward and an encouragement for
knavery in every part of the military
service, had to be forced from this
court by the protestation of the Pre-
sident. IL the civil courts, Demp-
sey and Klrkwood, whose frauds up
on the Government were established
as clear as the MONDAY sun, were
fully acquitted by q jury whose ac-
ton compelled a most deserved rep
rimand from the court itself. In
these cases triplicate accounts and
their corresponding vouchers were
made out,presented and paid, to the
amount of more than seventy thous
and dollars. lam not n of those
who despair of the Republic because
of these things, but where by the pre-
ordained determination of men crime
is to be lostered and its punishment
averted blythe manipulation of juries.
what becomes of our boosted bull
wark of trial by jury in the protec
ton of the public interests and the
promotion of the general Welfare?
The constitution of Mr.. Cleveland'e
cabinet is yet a matter of most intense
speculation, especially among the
politicians, and it probably will con
tinue SO until the list of portfolio:
is officially announced after the in
a%uguration next week. The an
nouncement of some names that Mr.
Cleveland is said to have fixed upor
is no sooner made than they r made
to give place to others which Mr.
Cleveland is known to have fixed up
on. The long and short of the whole
business may be summed up, as
wrote you before, that Mr.. Cleveland
himself does not yet know of q single
man who will become a member o
the Presidential family, because h
has made no decision, nor will h.
make any before he comes to thu
Capital on the Sd day Of March
The general talk now is that MI
Garland, upon whom everybody hat
positively fixed upon as the Attorle,
General, may not be in the cabine
at all; and so with Mr.. Bayard ant
others who are said to have hat
the ear of the President elect. |
seems a little queer in these day
where brevity may very properly b
considered the soul of wit, that week
should be employed in preparing tn
inaugural address when the address
es all of Mr.. C~leveland's predecessor
were so exceedingly short. The Sc
cond inaugural of General Washing
ton was an interminably long Stat
paper, but the country was in a stat
of trouble and turmoil which ha,
eliminated III the Whisky Insured
ton in Pennsylvania, that require,
more than the usual elaboration.
PHONo.