Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1911-12-10
FIFTY YEARS AGO
In THE STAR

port OF the proceedings.
Con1ress including the statement
that the galleries, Hobbies
MeetS. and all the approaches to
the two chambers were densely crowded,
indicating the intense public interest felt
in the proceedings. President Lincoln
did not submit his annual message until
the second day of the session, December
3. in the issue of which day 1t is printed
in full. In that message he declared
that he was anxious and careful that the
conflict for the suppression Of the insur-
rection should not degenerate into a
violent and remorseless revolutionary
struggle"
Very early in the civil war citizens Of
the United States who travelled abroad
had occasion to find a diff
Foreign ference in the attitude of
foreigners toward this gov
11eSt1So. eminent, owing to the
prevalence of the impression that a dis
solution of the American Union was at
hand. In The Star of December 4, 1861.
is a paragraph bearing upon this point:
"A very intelligent Maryland gentle
man. who has always been a democrat.
! and In the last campaign was an ardent
Breckenridge man, was in this city last
spring and was at that time one of the
most ultra-secessionists to be found. He
shortly afterward left here for business
tour through South America and re-
turned a few days since. He is now in
favor of preserving the Union at every
hazard. When asked what caused the
change in his views he replied that a few
years since he was through South Amer
lea, and. a citizen of the United
States, was everywhere treated with the
highest consideration and respect. This
time everything was changed. In every
little state of Central and South Amer
lea he was insulted and, when he spoke
of his nationality, was laughed. at and
tainted with the rupture here. You talk
of the United States said they; you
nave no country now; you who have been
so boastful you are no longer in a. con-
dition to fit out flibustering expeditions
I ana prey upon your weaker neighbors.
You will soon be as weak as the weak
est. Our friend was so forcibly struck
with the contrast between his position as
citizen Of the United States few years
since and now that his views changed,
| and = though formerly a strong states
rights man, he is now as strongly in
favor of consolidated government of
the stffest kind-anything strong enough
| to bind the states together
The liquor question was seriously
| troublesome to the authorities in charge
| around Washington dur
LIQUOR ing the war, owing to the
p..L, necessity of preventing
CAoU1eu. as far as possible the sale
Of intoxicants to soldiers In The Star
OF December 4. 1851, is a news paragraph
| telling of a characteristic occurrence
; in the course of the enforcement of the
prohibition:
Since the District regiment Col
TAFT. has been assigned to duty on the
line of the railroad from this CITY to q
point near Beltsville the order in rela-
tlon to selling liquor to soldiers has
been strictly enforced. Yesterday
morning an affair occurred at Bladens-
burg which fully convinced the dealers
there that the new guard was in ear
nest. Several officers of the District
regiment went to Bladensburg to look
| Tor some OF their men. and at Suits
| tavern met a soldier of q PENNSYLVANIA
regiment coming out with two canteens
around his neck. which were filled with
whisky. They took these to empty them
which caused a scuff1e. and the pro-
prietor called for his gun One of the
ohcers promptly drew his pistol and,
pointing 1t at the soldier. fired. the
ball passing through the mans cap,
and the burning wad, sticking in his
hair. burned his forelock and scared
was completely Frustrated with fright.
the man who called for his gun was
Threatened with death as soon as the
gun arrived, and he was as badly
nothing more would be done, and prom
| ised never to sell drop to soldiers
lagafn.'
In the Senate December 4, 1851, Sem
ator Wilson presented a resolution,
which was agreed to. instruct
District ing the District committee to
r, consider all laws in force re-
JUL. lating to the arrest of persons
as fugitives from service or labor, and
also the expediency Of abolishing slavery
in the District. with compensation to
loyal shareholders. In the course Of
the discussion on this resolution and
another which directed the liberation
Of certain negroes confined in the Dis
| trict Jail the condition Of that place of
imprisonment was severely criticised.
The Star Of December 8. 1851. said,
with reference to this debate:
| THE condition of the prison was very
| justly censured with great severity.
with as much as that with which the
grand jury for this county has CEN
past, in its customary presentments
with reference to It, In thus censur-
| ing it the grand jury has always taken
occasion to point out the fact that Con-
gress was justly chargeable with the
responsibility for the shameful evils
of which it complained. Not once,
but twenty times in the last decade,
| has the grand jury besought Congress
to make the necessary appropriation to
enable the marshal of the District to
make the Washington Jail somewhat
more comfortable and less deleterious
to the health of those confined in it
| than an Austrian dungeon But it
| has always so appealed in vain. Now
| that the attention of many senators
| is so zealously turned to the subject it
| is hoped that Congress will no longer
leave 1T in its chronic deplorable con-
dftion."
| In The Star of December 5, 1861, is the
| following brief announcement of the
project which resulted in the
Ford's construction Of the theater
in 10th street In which
IneaCer. President Lincoln was shot a
few years later:
"a number of gentlemen, We have
| learned, united with Mr.. John T. Ford OF
Holiday Street Theater in Baltimore to
| build a modern and elegant temple of the
drama in our city. The location Will be
the site of the place now occupied by
George Christys minstrels, on 10th street.
I1yh &c fro1I ctf