Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1910-06-05

ouO 10 reau III the feS or the local papers
printed just before the war
Local of the efforts to bring the
Militia District militia companies
into a higher state of or
ganization. In The Star of May %, 1860
is the following:
''The praiseworthy exertions of those
among US who have of late endeavored
to improve the condition of the District
OF Columbia military have at length been
crowned with entire success, it affords us
more pleasure to say than we can eX-
press. In our local columns today the
reader will find the announcement Of the
election of the battalion officers Of the
first Light Infantry battalion formed.
than whom no better selection could have
been made. We hope very soon to be
able to announce the selection OF the bat
talon officers of the I'd Battalion conn
posed of the National Guards and Union
Guards: to be followed speedily by the an
nouncement of the election Of those Of a
third battalion, of which the National Rifles
VIII be the nucleus. The drill OF the last
named corps is at this moment as perfect
United States. On Thursday last. when
drilling Ill front of the city hall, they
astonlshed thousands in the perfection of
the manner in which they performed the
exercises OF 'Hardee's New United States
klhe Manual We may also add that in
their marching yesterday the Union
GUARDS presented an appearance quite as
soldlerly as that of the celebrated 7th
New York Regiment. The right spirit is
thus evidently awake among the District
or Columbia vollnteers.''
The officers elected by the 1st Bat
tauon were as follows: Major. James Y.
Davis; adjutant, r. c. Stevens: quarter
master. Edward Towers; surgeon. w. B.
burt; sergeant major, p. Fisher.
The Japanese ambassadors remained OBJ
JectS OF the greatest curiosity in Wash
ington throughout their
Japanese stay. They went about
V;s;+ore the city freely, and were
interested III all that they
saw. They made a visit on the Goth of
May. 1850, to the publication Office of The
Star, and were highly pleased with pres
entation copies of the paper. They were
greatly interested in the Smithsonian In
stitution. to which they paid several Wis
its. In The Star of May 81, 1860, the fol-
lowing is printed:
MIR. Heart, superintendent of the
public printing, is preparing a present for
the Japanese embassy, in the shape OF d
number of books, amounting to upward
Of thirty volumes, which are to be FORM
ally presented to the embassy before they
leave Washington. The series consists Of
four sets of the Commodore Perry Elk
petition to Japan. with accompanying
maps and charts; one set of the Pacific
Railroad Surveys, one set of the Mexican
Boundary Survey, by Emory, and one
set Of the Chlian Astronomical Expedi-
ton. by Gilliss. The books are now
being bound in most elegant style, in
elaborate gilt Turkey morocco. each
volume having the great seal of the
United States in gold on the cover. by
Mr. Edwin Jones, bookbinder, and will
be completed shortly for delivery. In the
general execution Of che work they Will
present to the Japanese the very best
industry and art
Washington was on the eve of a local
election fifty years ago. and great excite
ment prevailed Fears
Local We're expressed by both
,:. sides of fraudulent prac
AohA'AoS' tees at the polls. In The
Star OF June ], 1860, is the following:
IAN examination Of the poll list i'm
mediately after the last Washington city
mayoralty election disclosed quite num-
Der of ingenious schemes through which,
n preparing them, opportunities could be
afforded for fraudulent voting. mus IN
he list for one ward there were found
twenty-five names repeated seriatlm, as
being those OF parties entitled to vote In
Doth precincts of the ward. In other
cases numerous repetitions of the same
common names We're inserted, etc Inc
election being over, no one, 1t appears,
took interest in the matter to investigate
It to the extent of fixing the frauds; Tor
is a crime for any person to cheat the
citizens out of their elective franchise by
devising schemes by which persons not
legally entitled to vote here may SO
vote under assumed names. We call the
attention of the public of Washington to
these facts, because aware that arrange
ments have been made to prosecute to
the extent of the law any and all who
may essay to vote Monday next who
may not be lawfully entitled so to do,
as we'll as to punish. by due process OF
law. any public officer or other person TO
whom may be traced responsibility, direct
or indirect, for the insertion of bogus
names upon either of the poll lists.
The Washington city directory last pub
lshed is as complete as was ever pub
lshed of any American city-far more
complete and reliable than either poll
list prepared by the city hall officials
for the approaching election. Amy one
who desires to see the means by which
persons not entitled to vote here may
do so by the aid of the poll list if not
challenged and compelled to bring for
ward a responsible citizen to verify on
oath their right to vote, on comparing
the poll lists with the directory Will at
once discover that there is ample scope
in the lists for the repetition of the
game. We hear today that quite num-
Der Of naturalization papers that were
issued originally thirteen or fourteen
years ago are now being duplicated. Not-
ing foreign-born persons, not entitled, on
papers so reissued, is a Fashionable
means of fraudulent voting at the north,
and can only be prevented by rigid scru-
tiny on the part of the judges of the
election. We trust these few hints will
prove sufficient to induce the exercise
of proper vigilance on their part Monday
next.
ONE THING YOU CAN'T DO.