Evening star., 1911-08-27
FIFTY YEARS AGO
IN THE STAR

The war brought great activity to
rival and departure OF
Heavy troops on their way to the
front. but in the use of the
1IelSnt. city as shipping point
for all manner Of war munitions. In
The Star Of August 10, 1851. is a
description OF scenes at the railway
station and docks and on the streets:
Never has our city witnessed such a
tide of cattle. horses and freight as is
now pouring into Washington by rail
and water. Immense cargoes of mill
tary stores, etc. arrive daily at our
wharves from Philadelphia and New
York, while the stream that pours in
at the depot is almost ceaseless. One
burden train has barely got out of
the way before another comes thunder
ing in. and it is frequently the case
that the switches are so filled up that
trains are compelled to stand upon the
main track and discharge their loads
at considerable distances from the
depot, and then. without turning the
engine. back the cars to Baltimore.
Droves of horses and cattle, parks of
artillery. munitions of war, grain, hay
and all the requisites for the support
of a grand army flood through the
wagons crawl in among the mountains
Of freight and ambulances are 'bobbing
around in every direction. Yesterday
thirty carloads of cattle came in one
train: a large drove of horses. together
with freight, arrived. Notwithstanding
the bad weather..
Congress having passed a new law to
reorganiZe the police force Of the Dis
trict of Columbia
Superintendent there was much in
.e D.,: terest during the lat
" oAAoo' ter part of August
1861. in the process of change then in
progress. One phase of the matter Is
reflected in the following printed in
the issue of August 30, 1861:
Quite a number of strangers to the
District Of Columbia are said to be ap-
plicants for the position of superin-
tendent of the new District police
among them persons who have been
members of police forces elsewhere
All such are being backed up on polit-
ical grounds by chronic politicians
from wherever they come. The idea OF
the interference of such persons in the
purely local matters of this District in
wolves the coolest impudence ever man
ifested in the matter of office begging
proverbial as that is for giving rise to
the exhibition of more cheek than
aught else conceivable. What is re
uuired in a superintendent of the police
of this District is some one of high
character who knows the people and
matters of the District we'll and enjoys
the confidence and commands the re-
spect of all its citizens
For some time after the opening OF tn
war suspicious were entertained In wash
ington of the loyalty o
Newspapers certain newspapers printed
in the north, and watci
0o1Aou. was set upon them to pre-
vent them as far as possible from com
municating valuable military information
to the southern authorities. The Star
of August % 1861. described the great
agitation caused by an act of the govern
ment and the manifold rumors thai
spread Immediately. 1t explained tn
situation as follows:
THE authorities responsible for tn
proper conduct of the war for the res
toration of the Union have at Length
come 70 comprehend the fact that the.
may no longer safely permit the coun
try's enemies with arms in their hand
to be openly aided and abetted by enc
mics with pens and type in their hands
worth more to their cause. in the way
raising recruits, money and popular sym
pathy for their treacherous schemes, tnal
an additional army of fifty thousand vel
appointed troops. So they have de'
termined hereafter to protect the publlt
interests against the great danger IN
volved in the treacherous use OF the puo
lie press in the present crisis. Order
were given to prevent the circulation O.
notorious traitor New York newspaper
where their treachery might do most ms
chief, in the border states, and all tn
New York papers of yesterday wer'
found to be so packed together that l
required time to separate the wheat iron
the chaff So the whole were detained
one night in Philadelphia, and after tax
ing out the bundles of the Day BOOK
News and traitor so-cailed rensl9u
this morning to their several destina
tionS.'
Arrests on the score Of disloyalty We're
being made frequently in Washington
during the early stage OF
Mayor the war. The most sen.
sational arrest Of this
dIIcSIcu. character was that Of the
mayor of the city. James 6. Berret, who
was held under suspicion because OF ar
incident which occurred in the organizing
meeting of the newly created board o.
police commissioners. Mayor Berret de-
clined to take the oath of office, on the
ground that the oath which he had takel
as mayor of Washington rendered the
subscribing to any new oath unnecessary
being a member of the board only by
virtue of his office as mayor of Washing
ton. The matter was referred to the At
torney General of the United States by
the Secretary of the Interior. and the
former reported on the 22d of August
1861, that In his judgment the mayor was
required to subscribe to the oath. At the
second meeting of the board the mayor
in view of the Attorney Generals opin'
ion expressed willingness to take the
oath prescribed by act OF Congress, bur
not the oath prepared by the Department
of the Interior Partly in consequence o1
this incident the mayor was placed under
arrest on the night of Friday, August 2S
by orders from the War Department
The mayor was quietly removed from the
city and sent to Fort Lafayette. New
York harbor, as a military prisoner.
SAME old RESOLUTION.
have risen the sun rose and have washec
out at the pump.
have perched to gaze on nature on an ant
infested stump,
aI,1 MIN nnE