Staunton spectator and vindicator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1896-1916, 1904-09-02
WASHINGTON Letter.
From our Regular Correspondent.

Washington, d. G., Aug. q Most
Of the White House clerks are on =.
vacation now and there ia no visible
activity around the Executive premises
| except the silent coming and gong Of
tourists. The single clerk still on
duty at the white annex has little in
formation of value to politicians but
Yesterday announced that the Presi
dents letter of acceptance will not be
issued till September II and possibly
| Is Judge Parker & letter will greet the
public week later. This is quite in
accordance with the purpose of the
Democratic national committee to have
very short, sharp and lively campaign
not beginning till October.
The solitary clerk who sits behind
the Federal inkstand as above men
toned, announces with an air of boast
full superiority that the Republican
committee has closed contracts for 625
tons of white paper to be used for
campaign literature. Five Chicago
paper jObbers have the contracts and
some twenty paper mills are busy turn
ing out the stuff in it's immaculate
form of harmlessness. The Tribune
correspondent figures that the paper
when it has become offensive with ink
and gall. would be sufficient to lay a
paper sidewalk all the way to CalifOr-
mia, or Patagonia, the quantity in
creasing with each repetition. Demo
Gratis do not pretend that they are 60
ing to use more than hundred thousand
acres of paper, but they mean to glut
the U. 5. mails with it during Septem-
Der and October.
The famous old Long Bridge, which.
for generations have been the only con-
nectiOn between our northeastern and
southeastern states, has permanently
retired from business. The new double
track bridge built at cost of $3.50, COO
has been opened this week. 1t is half
mile long and marvel of engineer
ing skill. A brilliant coat of red paint
brings the great steel structure out in
bold relief, contrasting it with the blue
river and sky and the green of luxuri
ant foliage. The old bridge crouches,
friendless and tOttering in the shadow
of its successor, doubtless remember
Ing, before it plunges to oblivion, the
proud days when it extinguished the
commercial life of Georgetown, and
two generations later, when it bore the
tramp of million men marching to
meet the hosts of the South.
The passing of the old bridge and the
dedication of the new may be said to
be accomplished during these weeks
by the transit of the tens of thousands
of soldiers and thousands of commits
sary wagons moving to the mock bat
Tie of Bull Run around and beyond
Manassas. Three headquarters have
already been established on the ICON
tested ground the warlike appearance
of the vast area of hundred square
miles being broken only by solitary
Quaker who obstinately sits in the
middle of it upon his 800 acres and re
fuses to permit the hostile Iegions to
trepass on his land. The scream of
bugles and the thrOb Of drums are al
ready heard across the river, and Friend
Pearley sits triumphant in his door
way and laughs derisively to behold the
expenditure of a million and a half of
dollars to enable vast brigadeS and di
visions of parading men to fire blank
cartridges at each other, make thanking
manOuverS, and delight the imperial
fstic spirit of the American President.
Another great naval scandal has
broken out this week. Forty seizures
of dutiable merchandise have been
made in San Francisco, revealing al
wholesale smuggle of oriental goods.
There are more than one hundred cases
of goods in all. worth tens of thousands
of dollars, many of them consigned to
Commander Bull and Rear Admiral
Stirling. Probably Secretary Shaw
will simply reprimand the offenders, AS
he did the naval officers who struggled
into Port Rico, for the cases seem ex
actly similar. Secretary Shaw told
your correspondent that he should let
those offenders off with a reprimand,
while native Porto Ricaus were still III
jail and had been there for a year, for
Doing precisely the same thing.