Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1913-02-23
FIFTY YEARS AGO
IN THE STAR

D:, sally approved by the
AA"ASeu. north In The Star OF
February Ii. 1863. is the following:
1T was generally supposed that MIR.
Seward had touched the highest point OF
diplomatic ability in the Trent affair. But
the people seem more enthusiastic even
over his recent reply to Louis Napoleon $
offer Of mediation than they were on the
former occasion The loyal press. with
scarcely an exception. hailed Mr.. Sew
ards letter as the long looked for chart
! to guide the nation out Of the storm. 1t
gives new hope TO the despairing citizen.
while it inspires the soldier like a vic
tory. Our government is sustained in its
ancient renown and dignity by the mas
terly disposition that is made of its for
eign affairs. both by its Secretary and its
ministers abroad. The volumes of diplo-
matte correspondence already printed are
the best possible vindication of its JUS
tice. liberality and power They have
already been widely read and appreciated
by the patriotic and loyal everywhere.
The latest additions to that correspond
ence-the letters of Mr.. Seward. Mr.. Day
ton, etc.-are of the greatest interest and
importance and cannot be too generally
disseminated among all classes Of the
people,"
Frequently during the civil war occa-
sion was had to regret the lack Of trans
atlantic electric communi-
Need of cation, the possibilities Of
49, which had been briefly in
OooAe' dicated in the first futile
attempt to lay the cable. In The Star
T of February II, 1853, is the Following
comment on this subject:
Had the Atlantic cable been in opera
ton. as proposed by the War and Navy
Departments, the current delay in the
operation Of the combined Union fleet and
army now assembled on the coasts OF the
Carolinas would have been shortened at
least ten days. 1t arises from an acct
dent which rendered the cylinder OF the
iron-clad Wehawken useless for the time
| being The existence of the cable would
have saved ten days in the arrival OF the
cylinder, already on its way to replace
the damaged one. The cost of this cable
would be $1,000 per mile only. and 1t
would be as safe from rebel molestation
as the telegraph lines from New York to
Boston. And, further. at the end OF the
war the government could obtain for 1t
from the commercial classes more than
it's original cost The want Of its tacil-
tiles are as much felt In conduct
| ing the operation of our immense block
aiding fleet, now stretching for 900 miles
along the coast and. in those Of our
| armies on the same coast. as would De
| felt in conducting the governments mill
| tary operations In the loyal states. were
there no telegraph lines anywhere be,
! tween Washington city and the north and
west 1t could be entirely completed IN
| four months. While the House persist
emily refuses to aid the War and Navy
| Departments military operations on the
| coast, as urged by the prompt construc-
ton of this line of telegraph. they are
| gravely debating about constructing nom.
| inally for miitary purposes canals and
| railroads. destined. II undertaken, TO cosS
| the already overtasked Treasury some.
thing less than an aggregate OF fifty. II
| not a hundred millions OF dollars. to be
| available for military purposes some time
| between five and ten years hence. There
| brains. practicabiity and economy Ior
| you. with a vengeance.
:: :.
Throughout the war there was OF
course. an insistent demand on the part
of the soldiers In the
Prices of field for newspapers.
u.onr. Bundles OF newslnints
Newspapers. finding their way into
camp were eagerly seized upon and read.
however old they were. The soldiers not
being literally supplied with funds. the
question of price was somewhat impor-
tant In The Star of February IL. 1868.
is a news article on this point:
There seems to be considerable mis-
apprehension as to the restrictions put by
Gen Patrick on the circulation of news
papers with the Army of the potomac
So far as We can learn, the facts are
these: The dealers selling papers upon
the Rappahannock entered into combi-
nation to the effect that no papers should
be sold for less than 10 cents. alleging
that a profit could not be made upon
them at less, which was true of the high
err priced papers, but the effect was
that only the latter papers were furnished
to the army. Gen. Patrick ordered that
the papers should be sold at cents.
whereupon several of the dealers refused
to supply them at that rate. We do not
understand that Gen. Patrick has forbid
den the sale of any particular paper. al
though the order above mentioned may
have been intended to restrict the circu-
lation of mischievous publications among
the soldiers.
Apprehension regarding the financial Sc
curity of the government, which had
been increasing throughout
Bank Bill the winter of 1923, was
greatly relieved by the pass
1dSSeu. age by the House of Repre-
sentatiyes on the 10th of February, 1863,
of the bank BILL" designed to provide
a national currency. this bill having pre-
viously passed the Senate. In The Star
of February 81, 1868, is the following:
The cause of the country as involved
in the war has fairly triumphed over
both secret sympathy with the cause Of
the olgarchy and the fancied local in
terests which have been combating 1t, in
the House of Representatives.. in yester-
days triumphant passage OF the bank
bill We gave it hearty support, not be-
cause favoring a national bank policy per
Sc, but as embracing the only possible
means of rescuing the value of what Is
now necessarily the national currency
from its present condition. We believe
the enactment of the bill cannot fail to
create, from first to last. legitimate
business demand for perhaps thousand
million of government securities and that
that demand will SO counteract the labors
of the spectators in gold. and those of
the sympathizers with the treason Of the
times to bear down the value Of these
securities, as TO keep them at point
in the money market which will enable
the government to command, past perad-
venture. the financial means Of putting
down the rebellion. And. further, that
without this legislation it would have
heen utterly impossible to put 1t down
- a,a tima even if all our great armies