Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1906-07-15
FIFTY YEARS AGO
IN THE STAR

AAN - AAAA ~ - AA4S
A judicial disposal OF the sumner-Brooks
assault case was somewhat delayed half
century ago owing to
Rep. Brooks the difYiculty Of securing
Fined 9SO0 the attendance Of wit
nesses and finally be-
cause Of the absence of Mr.. Sumner from
the city of Washington Finally. however.
Mr. Brooks was brought to trial before
! Judge Crawford on Tuesday. July 8, 1883.
and in The star OF that date appears a. tac-
count Of the proceedings. in which keen
partisan interest had been aroused the
Stars account says in part:
The district attorney appeared for hne
United States and John A. Linton. ESQ.
and Hon. Mr.. Orr OF South Carolina Tor the
defense. The district attorney read letter
from Mr.. Summer dated Silver Springs.
June 30. in which he expressed his inability
to attend on the day assigned for the trial.
The evidence being concluded Mr.
Brooks rose and the thronssd court room
listened In absorbed silence white he pro-
ceeded. In a few brief words. to address the
court. concluding as follows;
Tho nrst political lesson which my
ripeninx faculty fully eomprehended and
appreciated was the high moral and social
obligations OF every citixen to bow himself
to the majesty OF the Law. In o0sdacnce TO
the precepts OF my youth which are sane.
ticIed BY the experiencs and Judgment OF
mature rears submit my case to the dis
erection OF the court With entire confidence
that while you sir. AZ magtstrate perform
your duty to the whole country and your
self. you will remember that In every reg
uiated community public opinion distin-
cuisines between crime ana honorable re-
sentiment and tolerates the refuge which
man sometimes seek In the magnanimity OF
their Judges
Upon the conclusion of Mr. Brooks re-
marks. Judge Crawford proceeded to give
the following decision:
time subject of investigation In another
place, and as 1t Is not necessary to the dis
charge OF my duty that should remark
on the evidence adduced. which could not
do without touching on some OF the points
thar VIII probably be raised elsewhere. II
appears to me to be proper that the sen
tence OF the court should be pronounced
without comment. That sentence Is tnas
the defendent pay fine OF 500.
In a subsequent issue Of 'che Star 1t was
Noted that the amount OF the fine In which
Representative Brooks was mulcted by the
county criminal court for his assault on
Senator Sumner was to a penny the same
as the penalty imposed on Gen. Sam Heus-
ton by the District Court many years
previous for his assault on Mr.. StaHsbury
spoken In debate, beating him severely
with cane
y
In The Star of July Q. 1855. Is to be found
al editorial article with reference to q now
Obsolete congressional Gus
Congressional tom which In former years
Perquisites. marked the close of each
session OF the Houses:
1.-The action OF the House on Monday
upon the resolution providing for the ex-
pendtture Of something like $170.000 from
the treasury in the way OF donating certain
books to the new members Is worthy OF
amendment to let the new members take
any books they pleased, each to the amount
OF his share Of the aggregate appropriation.
That was voted down. Most OF the repub-
lican members voted for 1t; and then like q
| flock OF sheep jumping fence gap followed
each other in single file, hopping demurely
over on to t'other side, amid the laughter
| Of their opponents. Thus they defeated this
amendment, which should have been
passed, IL this custom of book donating Is
| to be kept up through all time. Our plan
| is to do away with all such perquisites In
paying members of Congress for their serv-
! Ices, and forthwith to place them on fair
| salaries. If they were paid each 5000 per
! annum the national treasury would be an
| enormous gamer in the end. Their present
pay Is insufficient to allow them to lay up
| dollar, IL they have families at home. and,
| as a consequence. establishments to keep
| up there, nine-tenths of them have. Most
| OF them are at the period of life when 1t Is
| their duty to be laying up property. They
| cannot fulfil that duty to those depending
| on them as at present paid except by spec
| ulating directly or indirectly on the action
| of some branch or other Of the government.
! We refer to those of them who enter Con-
| gress poor. It is our sincere belief that If
/ they have the courage to pay themselves a
1 fair compensation by law, public opinion
1 would applaud them for SO doing; IL but be-
cause it will not be long ere all realize that
| the change hare DrODOSp6 hadA fair to save
| many millions in the aggregate OF the
| years appropriations Of public money di-
| rectly from the national treasury and
| money from the pockets of classes OF
| thu people who bear the brunt of special
legislation such as Congress at times
| enacts.
|
| Half a century ago the postal facilities
were so inadequate that an enterprising
! rival established In
| Private Postal this city styled the city
Enterprise. Dispatch Post" which
| undertook to collect and
| distribute letters within the limits of
| Washington. In The Star of July 8, 1856,
| is a paragraph relative to this concern:
Our fellow citizens are rapidly coming
| to avail themselves of the many substan-
! tiaI conveniences and advantages growing
| out of the recent establishment of a we'll
| managed City Dispatch Post in Washington
| cfty. Daily the NUMBER or letters and conf
niuncations forwarded TO us through that
| medium increases. from which fact we form
| the conclusion stated above The great adj
| vantage which the Dispatch offers to those
| who send letters to or receive them from
others In Washington. is their much more
| prompt delivery than through the city post
| Office and at precisely half the cost. And
| further that the fact that the sender can
| in almost any locality find city dispatch
| box within a square Or so OF his residence;
| While IL essaying to send his letter through
| the city post office. he may have miles to
| walk before reaching the box through
1 Nothing embracing a greater improvement
/ upon existing conveniences of our city has
| gone into operation here since the estab-
| iishment of omnibus lines in the federal
| metropolis. In year or so, this fact will
1 be generally conceded"
B'RER BRYAN.