The Eaton Democrat. (Eaton, Ohio) 1875-1903, 1885-01-29
WASHINGTON LETTER,
From Our Regular Correspondent
WASHINGTON, DC,
January 26. 1855.

l
January 26, 1885.
The vagaries of President Arthur
continue to develop and he finds u
Republican Senate ready to strike
hands with him in the preparation
of such absurdities as putting John
Davis upon the bench OF the most
important court in the country
When the President appointed young
Sperry Governor or Dakota it was
thought that he had gone daft, and
that project would have been carried
out had not Sperry had sense enough
to realize his incompetency and re
fuse the place. Then there was the
appointments of Frank Hatton to the
Postmaster G~eneralship, a piece OF
business that was q travesty upoa
the exercise of executive power, and
a positive detriment to the public
service. This appointment of Davis
is of a piece with many another that
the President has made responsive
to the demands of his hangers on,
such as Ffelinghuysen, Chandler
and old Benny Brewster.
1t is not often that l have had a
good word to say in commentator
of the public officials under the pres
ent administration, but some of the
members of the grand old party who
find themselves unable TO use Major
Clarke to carry out some of their
political deviltry, having already
commenced war on the Commission
er of Pensions, I want to say that q
more conscientious public. official
than Major Clarke does not exist.
For the first time in the history of
The Pension Office the work of that
bureau is being done intelligently,
accurately and to the eminent salts
faction of the whole public. Major
Clarke has worked himself up against
the jealousias of his competitors for
place, from a simple clerkship to the
head of this important bureau, and
the more his administration of the
duties Of the office is attacked by
these chronic place hunters who
have all failed to make use of him,
The more likely will he find favor not
only with the general public but
with those who will insist against
any change in the official head of the
bureau under q new administration.
An astute newspaper correspond
ent here mentions the name of Capt.
John Ericsson for Mr.. Cleveland's
Secretary Of the Navy. THIS looks
like putting young blood into the
new administration, indeed. Capt.
Ericsson is now eighty n years old.
but nevertheless probably as vigor-
Gus as many a Cabinet officer OF
modern days. I have always thought
somehow that this country has never
appreciated the great service that
Capt. Ericsson has performed for us,
ncr have we shown ourselves CRATE.
full to him for the personal sacrafce
he made for us in building and lit.
ting outthas gallant little cheese box
that revolutionizad The worlds ideas
of maritime warfare, when she knock
ed out the huge "Merri,nac" in about
tie first round. Had the people had
the opportunity on that March
morning in 1862 they would have
showered such honors upon Ericsson
as no mortal had ever received, tol
he had demonstrated the fact thai
we were invincible against any foe
upon the water with the Monitor,
and the army at the West had shown
itself abnndaatly able to take care o.
itself on land. Capt. Ericsson has
been at work In all these years, since
the war closed, in %perfecting other
maritime engines of destruction, the
last of which is the Destroyer
from which five hundred ponds o.
dynamite in one mass can be thrown
under water with the most accurat,
aim, and with perfect safety to tbs
vessel from which it is hurled, Fol
coast defence it is as perfect rs hu
man ingenuity a devise, and would
be irresistible against the attacks OF
the combined navies of Europe
There is no humbug about this, an6
because there is not it is. not likely
that Congress will look upon, The
scheme to aid Capt. Ericsson in build
ing his vessels. with any sort of com
placency. PHpNo.