The Baltimore County union. [volume] (Towsontown, Md.) 1865-1909, 1886-11-27
Correspondence Baltimore County Union.
LETTER FROM WASHINGTON.
Thanksgiving at the Capital-Dr. New
man on ex-President Arthur-The
Police Scandal-Some Damag-
ing Rumors, &c.

Ing Rumors, &c.
WASHINGTON, D. c., November oath, 1886.
Messrs. Editors To morrow is THANKSGIVING
when all the departments, public schools, banks
and other business places will be closed. There
will be services in nearly quite all the churches
The pulpits will resound with the blessings and
divine prOvidences towards our nation, which will
be declared the most highly favored on the globe
The streets here holiday always present
gay and festive appearance, as all the clerks and
employees released from the departments and
take the opportunity to patrol the streets. And
the females that make their appearance on the
there are very large number of them employed
in the departments, who, like the others, only get
away from their desks at such times.
Rev. DR.. Newman, of the Metropolitan M. e.
Church, has selected for his subject for to morrow
mornings sermon "The history and progress of
the nations contrasted" On last Sunday morn
ing he preached on the subject of x-Presdent
Arthur's death, selecting for the basis of his
marks the sixty years judgshp of Samuel over
the children of Israel when that people clamor-
ed for o king In the course of his remarks he
said that all Republics tend towards Empire, and
that perhaps our nation, which is but little more
than hundred years old, may follow in the foot
steps of all previous Republics-the small Repub-
lie of Switzerland excepted. He said the jewish
commonwealth was about five hundred years old
at the time of Samuels reign, and although under
the best and purest of governmental systems-a
theocratic democracy-and the wisest and purest
of Cooled rulers (though his magistracy was alb
solute) the venerable and stainless Samuel, yet the
nation cried out for kingdom. And SO it may
be with our Republic-it may yet in perhaps not
longer time lose the blessings of our free insti-
buttons and change its form of government to that
of an Empire.
He spoke in very high eulogy of President
Arthur and dwelt on the purity in his administers
ton Of the national government as we'll as in all
the other Offices which he had ever held. He also
eulogized him for his intellectual attachments,
which, he said, were not insignificant, and of his
unostentatous and gentlemanly demeanor in all
the walks of life All our Presidents he said, with
but three exceptions, educated men, graduates
of colleges. He said that he happened to be a
member of the English and American Ecumenica
Council of the M. E. Church in London, when the
death of President Garfield and the accession of
Arthur to the Presidency was announced, and that
| Immediately some well 'intentioned English men,
bers of the Council arose and offered resolutions
of coincidence and sympathy to the American ma
ton upon the death of the President and the ac-
cession of Arthur to the Presidency. This latter,
he said, based upon the disgraceful reports that
had come to London from America to the effect
that Arthur, Senator Conkng, ex- President Grant
and others had something to do with the killing
of Garfield, was looked upon by the Londoners as
public calamity to the American people, but he
said he had the privilege and duty to arise and
contradict the impressions thus derived and to tell
the British members of the Council that while their
sympathy and coincidence on the death of Presi-
dent Garfield were gratefully received by the whole
American nation, yet their sympathy with regard
to the accession of President Arthur could not be
received, as Arthur was pure, patriotic and ele
waited American citizen, who acceded to the Pres
dency in q constitutional manner, and would as
periodically as any other citizen of our country
carry out the laws and preserve the institutions Of
the land This speech, DR.. Newman said, was
published throughout the continent of Europe and
had much to do with correcting the impressions
that prevailed there with regard to the disloyal
or destructive embroglio that was supposed to
exist here. DR.. Newman closed by saying that
Arthur was as pure, patriotic and gentlemanly a
President as ever occupied the White House, and
had gained the respect and esteem of the whole
nation in remarkable degree before leaving it.
We have had in this city sensation in the form
of so-caled police scandal for the last two or
three weeks, but the impression of the general
public is that it extends much farther than mere
police scandal, and that great many people out
side of the police maor and the lieutenant against
the latter of whom charges were preferred by the
former and have been under investigation by the
District Commissioners, are involved in it. The
scandal arose from public statement made by a
lieutenant of the Metropolitan police, named
Arnold, to the effect that Major Walker, the chief
of the police, who was appointed by the President
but few months ago in the place of Major Dye,
had given instructions to the police to watch Con-
gressmen when they returned here and report any
misdemeanors or compromising circumstances
they might be caught in, the object being to get
the said Congressman under the control of the
police in matchmaking manner, in order to COM
pei them to make such appropriations for the Dis
trict government as the head of the police and the
city department might desire. Upon the state
ment of Lieut. Arnold becoming public, Major
Walker preferred charges against him to the Dis
trict Commissioners. Butthe investigation by the
latter has not panned out to either the liking or
credit of Major Walker, and has elected a great
many things and involved the names of q great
many persons who were not thought of as being
connected with tin fact seemingly well-laid
scheme for private speculation at the expense of
Congress and the country has been developed
This was to get Congress to make an appropria-
tion for the extension of Massachusetts avenue,
northwest out across Rock Creek several miles
into the country, where the recently bought prop
erty of the President is located. The property
lying along the line of the extension Of this avenue
is said to belong to real estate syndicate which
expected to reap great harvest from the i'm
provement. The President having bought and
improved property in that section of the Dis
trict had already caused great many persons to
Is
enhanced in value, but this last scheme of extend
ing the above avenue in a direct line out to the
neighborhood of the Presidents house was the
boldest scheme that has ever been conceived here
by real estate spectators.
But the principal interest of the scandal con-
sists in the means that were to be employed to get
Congress to make the appropriation for the above
improvement-the Matchmaking of Congressman
and the men employed in the scheme. The Pres
ident is said to be very much annoyed by the
scandal, and it is said that some of his most init
mate friends have advised him to get rid of his
newly purchased property at any sacrifice which
and scandal. Commissioner Wheatley is said to
be the intimate friend of Maj or Walker, and pub
lie suspicion points strongly towards him as being
concerned in the corrupt scheme, and Wilson, the
Presidents trusted Marshal of the District, who
negotiated the purchase of the Presidents proper
ty, also is implicated by name in it. 1t is even
stated that Wilson, who had charge of the i'm
provement of the Presidents house, refused to
give the work to carpenter until the latter had
promised to buy the lumber for the improvement
| from Wheatley, the Commissioner, who is in the
lumber business. Just what will be the outcome
of the Commissioners investigation cannot yet be
stated. But to the philosophical or observing
| mind one lesson can easily be deduced: That
when the Republican rascals" were turned out of
official positions all the rascas not kept out,
or such Matchmaking or scandalous scheme as
| this would not have been originated. ANON
| Fiyipor 11T, for G0pnraca