The Washington times., 1894-03-28
CORRIDOR AND CURB.

York Herald concerning Mime. Ruthkay, the
widowed sister of Louis Kossuth, who came
to America for shelter, OF her two sons,
Albert and Louis, "both OF whom fought In
the civil war;" The Herald might have added
that the widowed sister Of the Hungarian
patriot also brought with her daughter. who
afterward married N. B. Collins, then a part
ner in the famous Collins ocean steamship
line. One of the sons, Louis. after the war
went to Des Moines, Iowa, where his sister,
Mrs Collins. was then living, and where he
engaged in the practice OF law.
In 1868 and 1869, when James s. Clarkson,
since chairman Of the Republican national
committee, was chairman of the Iowa Repub-
lican committee, he made Louis Ruthkay
secretary of the committee, and the intrepid
young Madgyr rendered especially faithful and
earnest service because of the interest then
active in that state for negro suffrage Mr..
Clarkson, then man of but 23, had led the
fight for this as editor of the State Register,
the leading paper of the state, in the commit
tee on resolutions in the state convention,
and afterward as chairman OF the state COM
mittee. Victory followed these efforts. The
people of Iowa gave suffrage to the negro q
years in advance of the amendment to the
National Constitution.
1t was hard fight and nearly divided the
Republican party, such Republican leaders
as Hon. John A. Kasson refusing to go on
the stump because of the negro suffrage
plank in the platform. and because Chairman
Clarkson had for the first time in the history
of American politics put q negro on the
political stump to speak IN the name and by
the authority Of political party: That
negro was Alexander Clark, man OF fervid
eloquence and magnetism, who made tri-
umphal tour of the state in the critical year
for his race. Clark, In 1889, was appointed
minister to Liberia by President Harrison,
and died in Washington in 1891.
1t is said that on the night Of the election,
when the returns showed that negro suffrage
had carried. and a vast crowd had gathered
in front of the headquarters of the state COM
mittee in Des Moines, Mr.. Clarkson intro
duced young Louis Ruthkay, "who had come
to America to find liberty, as the spokesman
in behalf of the men of Iowa, who had that
day been given their liberty by the sovereign
voice of this commonwealth Louis Ruth
kay, who had q tongue tipped with much OF
the fire that made the name OF his uncle inn
mortal, made a short speech that is still
quoted as one of the jeweled possessions oil
the intellectual people of Iowa. He was a
handsome man, of splendid statue and bear
ing, with much of the wondrous grace OF his
uncle. He was taken i'll soon after this and
died in the south of France under 80 years OF
age His widow and his aunt still live In Des
Moines, and the name of Kossuth has in Iowa
a meaning in local affection and pride.
''The recent decision of Judge Grosscup,'
said United States Senator last night, "was
heralded all over the country as knocking
out the interstate commerce law. 1t really
had no more effect upon that law than it has
on every law of the land, both state and ma
tional. This is emphasized in the recent mat
ter of the trouble at Cornell. 4 student re-
fused to testify. exercising his claimed con-
stitutional prerogative that it might tend to
criminate himself, just as Mr.. Newell, the
railroad president, refused to testify, because
it might criminate himself. and based it. not
upon the interstate commerce law. but the
same constitutional immunity which the
student of Cornell saw fit TO avail Of. With
equal force can a man who sees murder
or crime committed in a disreputable house
refuse to testify. on the ground that it might
tend to criminate him. He is in a spot where
he should not be.
"Should Judge Grosscup's decision go
without reversing" the senator went on, as
it becomes known throughout the land and is
availed of by criminals and malefactors. it
will have a serious effect upon all prosecu-
tions for crime. When witness does not
want to tell anything which he otherwise
would be compelled to, he simply says: My
answer. fear would criminate me- Judge
Grosscup has sounded the keynote to all
violaters of law: DO not tell on the witness
stand anything more than you want to-
1--WE can hardly believe that this was the
intent of the trainers of the fifth amendment
and are more inclined to believe that the line
market out by the Supreme Court in the
Counselman case that absolute immunity
being granted, person could not claim this
constitutional privilege. will eventually be
adopted. Instead of those who desire TO see
the interstate commerce law enforced being
the parties only interested. 1t is more particu-
larly those who wish to see other crimes
punished and pat a stop TO who are the parties
in real interest for method OF reaching those
Interstate Commerce Commission cases can
readily be devised by putting the law back
where it originally was. relieving the shipper
from being the guilty party"
Mr., Frank Laird, of Laird & Lee. the
Chicago publishers of Editor stead's book,
'If Christ Had Visited Chicago" was at the
Oxford last night wondering whether he
would be successful in inducing Postmaster
General Bissell to admit this publication into
the mails. There is printed in the back of it
list of what are supposed to be some OF the
wickedest places in Chicago. and the Post
master General naturally wonders whether
under the obscenity laws, so-cailed, the book
ought not 10 be excluded. Mr.. Laird seems
to be solicitous TO have it admitted. yet some
of his friends are ungenerous enough TO say
that it would be the greatest thing in the
world for this publication if it were excluded,
and that Mr. Laird knows this.
1t is reported in Wilmington that Senator
]. Edward Addicks. the famous gas mon
opolist of that town, will drop down in Mr..
Higgins seat in the Senate. Addicks
formerly resided in Boston, where ne made
it lively for the gas monopoly. until he him.
self became gas monopolist. He is thought
to be worth several millions. though thus far
his designs upon the city government of VIII
mington and upon the Delaware Legislature,
intended to secure permission to introduce
his gas plant into Wilmington. have failed.
He has been ambitious for Il long time to sue
ceed Senator Higgins.
Alleged Whitecaps Arrested.
FOREST CRY, Ark, March 27.-The arrest
of oil l,t-hf ofD Dali 10