Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1907-09-08
FIFTY YEARS AGO
IN The STAR

Half q century back practically all Wash
ington suffered from fever and ague,"
particularly the lower por-
Malaria tons of the city near the
A,.,a.. river. Nothing was known
then of the part played by
mosqu- in transmitting this disease. and
various were the cures and methods of
prevention proposed and exploited. In The
Star of August 81. 1857. is a letter from
reader on the subject of the sunfiower
preventive, that theory having been adj
vanced some time previously by Lieut.
Maury of the navy. The writer referred
to a prior publication and continued:
This remedy was very simple, being
nothing more nor less than planting near
sucn unhealthy spots patch Of sunfiOwers
or other vegetable of luxuriant and rapid
growth, to act as absorbent of the pots-
onOus miasma supposed to cause the ague
Some one. wishing to improve upon Lieut..
MS plan. proposed clover as simple and
cheaper substitute for the sunfiower, 1t be-
ing supposed that cover would be equally
efficacious and would moreover furnish
when in bloom food for numerous hives Of
bees whose honey might be made source
of considerable income. 1t was stated In
the article that the experiment would be
tried at the observatory, and 1t Is under
stood this promise has been fulfilled Lieut..
M, therefore. Is respectfully requested to
give the public the benefit Of his expert
ence in this matter
1t has been lately stated that Secretary
Garfield, in the course of an inspection trip
through Of the bu-
Departmental reaus of his department.
n;,,,,1,,o counted 800 empty desks,
and later instituted an in
qu!ry into the cause of such a general abb
sence from duty. This circumstance lends
interest to the following paragraph. from
The Star of September 1. 1857. indicating
that departmental discipline half a century
ago was rathe- slack:
Gentlemen connected with some of the
departments complain of the bad name
given to their respective offices by few
of their fellow clerks generally noted as
small polite ans who in the habit Of
setting at defiance the plain and wel-un-
derstood rules nominally for the govern
ment of all employed In such positions, es
pecially with reference TO absenting them
selves in Office hours without leave. If
the heads of bureaus will strictly re-
port those who imagine that they have
a right to especial p .ivileges which relieve
them from the necessity of obeying Office
regulations, there would soon be small
cause for such complaints in future. There
is not Secretary now in the government
who would care snap of his finger for
any supposed weight of personal political
services the part of any one violating
such rules, or any possible array of polit-
ical influence to maintain one in position
undo. the government here who fancies
himself at liberty to disregard the rules
by which all are necessarily bound VINO
elect to remain in government clerical posi-
lions in Washington"
~
In The Star of September .. 1851 is
letter from a Washingtonian so;ourn-
ing at Rockbridge Alum
travel Springs. Va. which is
r,o++ar worthy of quotation as
example of the epistolatory
style of the period:
Leaving Washington at 6 am. we pro-
ceeded to Alexandria and thence by the
Orange and Alexandria and Central rail-
road to Marlborough distant about 100
miles from Alexandria and six from this
place. By means Of the iron horse, speed
Ing on his way, we arrive at Gordons-
vile about II o'clock, distant about
eighty miles from Alexandria, this por-
ton of the road passing through re-
markedly level country. At Gordonsville
we changed cars and having taken our
for starting and we were off again, and
very soon we perceived a remarkable diff
ference in the character of the country,
it being now succession of hills and
valleys. Speeding on, arrived at the
base Of the Blue Ridge mountains. Here
We stopped, dividing the train and at
taching only two cars to each powerful
locomotive we moved on again and COM
menced our journey up the mountain
and as we slowly proceeded along in our
fearful ascent we cast our eyes out to
the left and discovered that We were
moving along on the very brink of
precipice, extending down hundreds of
feet into the valley below. Cast your
eyes to the right and there, for hundreds
of feet, uprises the remaining portion of
the mountain. And now We have arrived
at its summit. we here behold a piano.
ramic view that beggars description-the
beauties of nature displayed in all their
splendor. This~view is truly grand
All signs pointed to a great political
upheaval fifty years ago. and so tense
were the public nerves that
Political intrigues for the capture OF
1.A., the presidency In 1860 be-
gan before President Blu
chanan had been six months in office. In
The Star Of September 5, 1887, il an edi-
torial on this subject:
washington Is full of rumors concern
ing progressing intrigues for the next
democratic national nomination, In vari-
Gus quarters of the country. The truth
Is, the patronage of Congress Is regarded
by the friends OF more than one aspiring
gentleman as affording the means of can
vassing for the presidential nomination.
So not few bona f1de public mon are
already pervously anxious that their
friends may get possession Of the most
important congressional offices next
Candidate of
this. that and the other interest in the
dauoocra tic marty freely talked over. Xhila