The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1886-05-20
oUR WASHINGTON LETTER.

. e
General Rosecrans is having hard
time before the Senate Committee on
Finance in the matter of his con6rma-
ton. The opposition to his confirmation
is very strong, but it is possible that he
may pull through. On Wednesday, Ben
Butler made an argument against the
confirmation. The Register, however,
has warm friends espousing his cause,
and he has fled written statement in
which he does not deny being connected
with certain California land transactions,
but says that what he did was under
advice of his lawyers, and that he has
since been sustained by the courts.
The bill to restore large amount of
iewelry, silverware and other valuables
captured by the army during the war, to
their rightful owners, has passed both
Houses of Congress. Most of the valua-
bles captured by the army, and not plum
dered by the soldiers, we're sent to Wash.
ington by the commanding officers, and
have been stored ever since 1865 in the
vaults of the Treasury, where they have
remained undisturbed until short time
ago. Treasurer Jordan wishes to be
relieved of their responsibility, hence the
action of Congress. 1t is probable that
bills will be gradually introduced looking
to the restoration of other captured prop
erty.
The talk of the day in Washington is
the marvellous success of the new period
ical entitled, Public Opinion. 1t is a
weekly publication printed here, and
containing in epitomized form the current
thought or public opinion of the week,
on all live questions of the day as CLEAN
ed from the leading dailies and magazines
of this and foreign countries. Both sides
of every question is impsrtially stated as
found in papers of all political faiths,
and due credit is given to the paper from
which the extract is made. Members Of
Congress and all prominent public men
are found eagerly scanning its pages to
get the drift Of public opinion on vital
national questions being discussed at the
same time in all parts of our country.
The scheme is novel one, and all news
paper men here are wild over 1t. 1t is
too good thing to miss, and is the only
journal of the kind in this country. 1t
is noted in this letter to keep your readers
posted in what is transpiringi in the news
paper field at the Nations Capital.
On many of the streets of Washington
for five miles on stretch, the trees form
a perfect canopy over the broad sidewalks,
and an unbroken avenue of shade, re-
freshing to the brow of the weary pedes'
trian on a heated Summers day. The
total number of parks, or reservations as
they are called, in the District is 362,
aggregatiDg 1000 acres, exclusive of the
Capitol grounds which contain 80 acres,
During the past year large force of
men have been at work classifying the
immense number of trees and shrubs,
giving the different varieties, when
planted, where obtained, etc. In keeping
with the long established custom, Colonel
Wilson, superintendent of public build
ings and grounds, will submit his annual
report to the Secretary of War about
July 1. 1t will treat largely of the many
varieties of trees and shrubs of which
the the government is owner, and contain
much valuable information to horticultu..
rists which has never been in print.
The Government is at heavy expense,
not only in planting and nurturing these
trees and trimming the grass lawns of the
parks, but also in preventing vandalism.
Relic hunters and memento gatherers are
thick in Washington at all times OF the
wear, and the Government is obliged to
employ watchmen in all the parks to
prevent these people from destroying and
carrying away the plants and flowers, and
from even stripping bark from the trees.
Why. the tree that stands in front of the
house which Seward occupied when at.
tackled by the assassin, and the tree be-
hind which Barton Key took refuge when