Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1909-12-26
FIFTY YEARS AGO
IN THE STAR


c%.xr. the time came to select a
site. The statue that was
eventually placed at Pennsylvania ave-
nue. and sd street was subject of warm
discussion. In The Star of December 10.
1859. is the following letter:
1.-THE difficulty in selecting q suitable
location for the equestrian statue Of
the father Of his country appears to me
to be. in fact. that the manifestly most
proper position has been assigned to a
statue Of son, and rather than suggest
removal. none other than apparently
suburban locations are mooted for the
father. Why continue the blunder? Is
1t sacrilege to say that the statue OF
Washington would appear best in the
center OF Lafayette Square. surrounded
by statues of Jackson. Scott. Taylor,
Greene and other worthless to whom the
republic owes so much? History and pos
terfty put men in their right places, it
matters not where their statues stand.
and when did our nation more need his
even marble presence in their very midst
than now? Would 1t not plead for a
restoration of that union and brotherly
love- that made US as a nation all We
are or can hope to be?''
peddler, with his long tin cans and, in
the early days, his bugle.
Oyster made his rounds in the
uroL.+.r. City Of Washington. Fifty
years ago. however, the
oyster men were among the most pic
turesaue characters of the capital. Yet.
they were not universally regarded as
Generators, or as contributing to the
public health. In The Star of Deem
Der p. 1850, is the following warning:
The supply Of oysters in Washington
up to this time in the current season
has been better than ever before, yet by
no means commensurate with the de-
mand, which steadily increases. The
larger dealers supply the public with
oysters by the gallon at price at which
they are almost as cheap. pound for
pound as beef. That is to say, at q dollar
a gallon. We. however, feel it incumbent
on US to caution families against buying
shucked oysters from street hawkers at
less prices In nine cases out of ten,
when so offered. they are shucked from
the refuse OF the different cargoes
brought up the river
The Speakership contest in the House
continued unbroken. fifty years ago, to
the new year. A pub
South LEGATION in The Star
Amer;cor.v Of December %. 1859. is
- interesting in this con-
nection, particularly for the designation
Of representatives from the southern
| states as South Americans" This is, in
part, as follows:
But for the virtual refusal of the
South Americans Of the proposition of Mr..
keitt that they should formally name
some democratic member, or that a COM
mittee OF thirty democratic members
should name some gentleman on their
side to be voted for by themselves and
democracy, Speaker would doubtless
have been elected yesterday. So long as
both these parties persist in bringing
forward gentlemen Of their own side to
be supported by the other side. as in the
case Of Mr.. Gilmer. no election can be
or Mr.. McClernand can easily be elected
| il Mr.. Etheridge, Mr.. Gilmer and Mr.
Davis Of Maryland will consent to act
with the rest of their own party in en-
deavoring to settle the controversy. Mr..
McClernand Is not mixed up in any way
| with the question on which Messrs.
Etheridge, Gilmer and Davis profess to
hinge their determination to oppose the
election Of a democrat. Mr.. Millson, too,
| is less objectionable. on account OF his
anti-Lecomptonites, than any other DEM
ocrat. The country will and should re-
gard continued opposition on the part OF
the three or four South Americans to
hold out against the choice Of one of
these two gentlemen as virtually aiding
the republicans in the present crisis of
our national affairs to spite the democ-
racy."
The republican central committee, pred
ecessor of the national committee, met
| in New York at this
Republican time fifty years ago
conv.r+;cn and issued call for a
0oAseAsAoA' national convention OF
7 the republican party. to be held at Chi
cago the 18th of June. 1890. In The
Star of December %. 1883. is a paragraph
reprinted from the New York Courier
describing the meeting:
Everything like abolitionism and John
Brown sympathy was strongly repudi-
ated. There were Ave slave states rep
resented, Virginia had q representative
In Alfred Caldwell, accompanied by Mr.
Underwood. another prominent Virginian.
and both gentlemen strongly urged that
Wheeling, w. Va, be the place elected
for the convention. This was supported
by some other delegates. but opposed by
q majority on the ground that it might
be misunderstood by Virginians gener-
ally. ST. Louis. Baltimore. indianapolis,
Washington, Chicago and Buffalo were
also advocated. The delegates from the
slave states were as follows: For Mis-
souri, Mr.. Jones; Virginia, Mr. Caldwell;
Delaware, E. D. Williams of Wilmington:
Maryland, George Harris, merchant OF
Baltimore; Kentucky, Cassius M. Clay;
District Of Columbia, Lewis Clephane."
~
Washington merchants were seriously
troubled fifty years ago with counterfeit
money. a large quantity of
Counterfeit which was in circulation.
80 Items like the following
M0Acy' from The Star of Decem.
Der "a, 1859, were not infreQuent:
John Hammond was arrested this
morning for passing counterfeit five
dollar note of the Western Bank OF Bal
timore on q young man named Freeman
of Fauquier county. Virginia. The note
was passed to Mr.. b. for lot of poultry.
and not liking the looks OF 1t he showed
lie to Mr.. Semmes, q grocer, who, in the
presence of Hammond. pronounced it q
lcounterfeit Mr.. F. told Hammond to
give him a good note or return the tur-
KEYS. to which he replied that II he did
not take that he would not give other
money or return the poultry. Hammond
nut his name on the note to indicate his
responsibility for It, This morning he
was taken before Justice Dom, who held
him to security for court"
The CONTROVERSY