The Pascagoula democrat-star. (Pascagoula, Miss.) 1878-1920, 1886-12-31
ABUSING WASHINGTON.
-
Some of the ScandaIOus Charges
Made Against the Father
of His Country.

Zen. Washington was prOOaUiy
as much abused as any President
who has ever acted as tue Chief
Executive OF the United States.
Al one time lie said that he had
been abused worse than 81 common
A! pickpocket, aud he was charged
With all sorts Of crimes during bis
administration, says the Cleveland
Leader. The Philadelphia aurora
was, perhaps, the most bitter.
When Washington left the Presi-
dency it had a jubilant article over
the close of his term, ia which it
said
s.If ever there was a period Of
rejoicing this is the moment. Every
heart in unisiOn with. the freedom
aud happiness of the people ought
to beat high with exultation that
the name of Washington this day
ceased to give currency to polite G.
al iuiquity aud TO legalized corrup-
ton. A new era is now opening
upon us-an era which promises
much to the peop'e; for public
measures must now stand upon their
own merits, and nefarious projects
can no longer be supported by a
name. 1t is u subject of the great
est astomIshment that a single indi-
vidual should have carried bis
designs against the public liberty
SO tar as to have put in jeopardy its
very existence. Such, however,
are the facts, and with these staring
us in the face, this day ought to be
a Jubilee ia the United States"
John Randolph, of Roanoke, at a
dinner once proposed the toast /:
"GeOrge Washington; may he be
id" This, however, was too
strong for the company, who were
enemies of Washington, and he had
to add the proviso, 'if be signs
jays treaty." before they would
drink to it.
In 1895, "a Calm Observer" in
the New York Journal, accused
Washington of being a thief. He
stated that he had overdrawn his
accounts, and that he owed the
treasury $I,O37. Another writer
accused Washington of hypocrisy
and declared that he wanted to be
a king. A third criticised bis car
rage and his ~aristocracy, and, Ia
fact, all the opposition newspapers
denounced him in uumeaSured
terms. Congress went against him
during his SECOND term and refused
to celebrate his birthday, though,
they had been accustomed to do so,
aud when he refused to return tor
a third term they charged that he
could not be elected.
1t will be Surprising to the people
to-day to know that Washington
was once charged with murder. IL
was during one of his presidential
campaigns. The Philadelphia AW.
rOrd made the charge. 1t stated
that Washington had during one OF
the battles of bis early lite, shot an
officer who was bearing a flag OF
truce, and that in the papers relat-
ing 70 the affair he had acknOwl.
edged the act Of assassination.
Peter POrcupine takes mp the
charge in his letters and proves il
to be false. The fact, however,
stands that the charge was made.
Speaking OF Washington, | see
that some OF the goOdy-gOOd news
papers OF the country r very iu-
diguant at the statement in Quack-
enbo's history that Washington at
one time ate peas with u knife. l
do not doubt but the statement is
true. The whole literary United
States at the time OF Washington
however, seemed to be a mutual
admiration society, aud there is
little unfavorable gossip about the
White House dinners. / found the
other day. however, Maclay's Diary,
giving his experiences during bis
term as Senator of the United
States when Washington was first
President. Maclay dined with
Washington a number of times,
aud scattered through his diary are
little bins of gossip about these
dinners. AT two Of them he de-
scribes Washington as amusing
himself during all the dinner by
playing the devils tattoo upon the
table with bis fork. He says, speak
ing of one of these dinners F"The
President kept a fork in hand when
the cloth was takenaway, l thought
for the purpose OF picking nuts
He ate no nuts, but played with
the lOrk, striking on the edge Of