Fort Worth daily gazette. (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1882-1891, 1889-07-07
WASHINGTON LETTER.
Sample of the Communications Received
by the Secretary Of Agriculture.
A Demand for More Stringent Pistol Law
in the District of COlumbie-Loyers
of Sunday Excursions
Special Correspondence of the Gazette.

| Special Correspondence of the Gazette.
WASHINGTON, June 90. -Though it is
the dull season here, there are so many
gatherings and conventions of every kind
that life could scarcely be said to stag.
nate at the national capital. For
months past it has been the temporary
abiding place also of a small army Of
men engaged in one of the most fascin-
ating yet uncertain of pursuits-the hunt
for public efice. With regard
! to only that portion of the
| aforesaid army concerning whom the
! GAZETTE IS readers are. interested, there
| is but little that is new TO tell. On the
! whole the Texas contingent has not only
exhibited csmmendable patience, but
has behaved with admirable tact. ThaJ
| have not been, as a rule, noisy, bOastful
or too persistent. In regard to
| appointments a somewhat queer or
| der has been followed. 1t was natural
| to think that such leaders as Quincy, De-
! Gress and Campbell would have been
| given places before others of less proml-
nenee. But that the reverse has hap
| pened does not iRaDly that these men viii
| be ignored. On the contrary, Wright
| Quincy is safe to get the Galveston collec-
torship. Campbell will come in for
good place, and sooner or
later that smooth and polished gentle
| man. J. G. DeGress, will be fully recog-
nized. OF course the strain and anxiety
of suspense of men in the attitude Of
those named is wearing in the eXtrem.
Those who have never experienced it can
scarcely appreciate just how severe the
ordeal is. How much longer the admin
istration will take before filing cut
the quota of Texas appointments, no
man can predict. But Texas has by no
means been made an exception. Some
OF the other Southern states have not re-
ceived any more patronage thus far, and
one or two Of the territories have scarcely
been touched The New Mexico crowd
are kicking vehementlY at the delay in
reaching them and do not make
any secret of their dissatisfaction
OF the Southern states Mississippi
has, by long odds, Jared the best. The
politicians of that state pooled their
issues early in the day, and by unity
on one man for particular Office won
every time.
Something was said in a former letter
to THE GAZETTE about the loose system
of penal laws in the District of Colum-
bia, and comparison made with the
laws of Texas, much to the advantage of
the latter. Just now the people of Wash
ington are excited over a shooting
episode in which a prominent business
man and sporting man were the prin-
cipals. The former did the shooting and
doctors say that the other cannot possibly
recover, though he has chung tenaciously
20
The case has created intense interest
and the people are beginning TO say that
they need a more stringent pistol law. A
fine of $40 will condone the offense Of
carrying concealed weapons, which is far
more general here than in the South
west, and until heavier penalties are ex-
acted murderous reneouDters, such as
the one alluded to, VIII not be infrequent
at the capital.
Washington people are fond of Sunday
excursions, and the president IS no ex-
ception to the rule. He doesn Z care a
copper for the talk that is made about
his Sunday trips, either. Well, it i;
pleasant to get aboard a Potomac steamer
for run down that splendid stream on
the only day of the week when
tired and caTe-oppressed humanity has
any chance for an outing. After passing
Alexandria, a quaint ancient and sleepy
old Virginia town of 10, 900 people, eight
miles below Washington the river resorts
are numerous. At all OF them one can
get d good dinner cheap, after which he
can play tenpins, smoke a cigar on a
grassy lawn, or enjoy the day according
to individual taste, and then in the cool
evening hours start on the homeward
trip. A few of the boats are provided with
bars which are generally well patronized,
as there is a Sunday law in Washington
which prevents the thirsty from. crafty
ing their appetites unless they are
on terms. /, of intimacy with the
man on the inside Though q
city of 100000 people, this is
greatly on the country town order in its
general characteristics. The people go
to bed early, and there is quietude on
the streets after the midnight hour that
is decidedly rural.
Uncle berry Rusk, the genial and pop
ular old gentleman who win go down to
history as the first secretary Of agricul-
ture, gets some funny letters from every
part of the country. Some of
his correspondents have an idea
that the department is
kind of depot Of supplies to be gratuI-
tously distributed A Kansas man wrote
not long since asking the secretary to send
on, at once, good work horse, pair of
mules, Jersey COW, a wagon and set Of
harness, and wound mp with the conso-
latory statement that the writer would
not ask for anything else this year as the
department, doubtless, had a great
many demands on it. The letter was not
intended, as many might think. for fun,
but was quite serious, and only one in
thousand of similar cranky communica-
tious