Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1916-11-26
FIFTY YEARS AGO
IN THB STAR

-r 1N XA0 M AN
A late fall race meeting was held on
the national course south Of the East
ern branch at this time fifty
Racino years ago and attracted a
great crowd Of people. One
GVent. Of the features Of the meet
ing was the trotting of Dexter. then
the most famous horse in America. In
The Star of November Fl. 1856. is the
following about the occasion OF Dexter's
appearance:
Gen. Grant was present with q fast
double team. Sir Frederic Bruce. the
British minister. attended by members
| Of his legation. made quite a cavalcade
on the road. and the Marquis de Mon
| tholon, French minister. was also pres
ent with several attaches. Postmaster
General Randall, Judge DIN. Gen. Della
field, Hon. Sam Randall and Hon. John
Morrissey of New York" "a noted pugi-
list Of the day. were on the ground
The latter divided honors with the
trotting horse Dexter. Wherever he NOV
ed there was a sensation and the cry
There he goes; that's him. Morrissey
was dressed in a genteel suit of black.
nice stove-pipe hat, neatly trimmed black
side whiskers and looked quite respecta-
BILE. With the exception of slight de-
preston on the bridge of his nose, the
result of an accident in the course Of his
celebrated debate with Yankee Sullivan
at Boston Four Corners. he has nothing
to distinguish him in appearance from
tween Dexter and Fawcett was announc-
ed to come off at o'clock. but an hour s
grace was accorded to the unfortunat e
crowd cut off from the course on their
way by the raising of the navy yard
bridge to let some vessels through" The
race itself was scarcely more than an ex-
ercise for Dexter
After the very high prices that pre-
vailed during the war the fall of rates
for all necessities felt here
Falling about fifty years ago was a
national relief From time
AAAces. to time in the columns of
The Star during the latter part of 1866
appear notes of the downward ten
dency In the issue Of November % is
the following:
I'VE have recently from time to time
noticed in our columns the decline in
prices Of breadstuffs, meat. drygoods
and other articles and cautioned DEAL
ers to be careful in their transactions.
The general breakdown has caused
somewhat of a panic in the New York
money market and no one can foresee
the end We have now word specially
for holders of -four. Intelligence from
Russia. our rival in the production OF
grain. shows that the crops in the neigh
borhood of Odessa are very full and that
there Is large quantity more than usual
for shipment. AS Russia supplies Europe
with grain in part and sells lower than we
can. 1t follows that there will be but little
demand upon the United States for bread
stuffs next year. In this view of the case
it is time for holders of flour to put down
their prices. as the sooner they yield to
the pressure the better it will be for
them and consumers. 1t Is well known
that our grain crop is unusually large.
particularly in the west
increase in the pay OF the government
clerks had it's
Move for More Pay counterpart in
;, an effort that
1o1 IAe S4eAhS' was being made
just half century ago to the same end
In The Star of November "a, 1866. is this
item on the subject:
THE committees appointed by the diff
ferent bureaus of the War Department
to take into consideration measures for
securing an Increase of compensation
met last evening at the Washington
building, corner OF 7th street and Penn
sylvana avenue. Committees from other
departments were also present. but it was
decided that they would hold q meeting
mittees represented at the meeting were
from the Offices of the adjutant general,
commissary general Of prisoners, Freed
mans bureau. Quartermaster general.
surgeon general. paymaster general. COM
missary general and the ordnance bureau.
Mr.. ]. Sayles Brown was appointed chair
man and A. p Schurz secretary. 1t was
decided that In the movement for obtain
ing the increased compensation the clerks
Of the War Department would act in
dependently of other departments: and 1t
was further determined that what should
be asked of Congress would he additional
compensation of 20 per cent to date from
the LIST of July, 1865. The following nam
tive committee to lay the subject before
Congress: c. S. Bates. paymaster gen
erals office: J. S. Brown, quarterma ster
generals office: A. II. Paine. adjutant
generals office; J. Jones. office of the
conmissary general: George White. ord
nance office: J. p. Kearney, Freedman
bureau. and Frank Wilmuth. surgeon gen.
erals office. 1t was decided that all per-
sons. including detailed soldiers perform
ing the duties of clerks IN the War De-
partment. should be included in the move
ment The meeting then adjourned"
1t is not often now that the old
style organ grinder with his monkey
is seen on the streets
Crpan Grinders of Washington. but
Block Streets public years snt asq insTs
were not uncommon. Still they always
attracted attention. as an item in The
Star of November "a. 1866. indicates.
Two men were arrested on charge of
hlockading the sidewalks They had
an organ and n monkey that performed
on a table "The performance of the
monkey attra cte-l such crowds of boys
and negroes on the sidewalks that If
was almost imnossihle for persons to
squeeze through. Justice Bates fined
them S. eac oh. They had not enough
to SQUARE the accounts. but left their
watches and about four pounds of pen
MES as collateral"
Talk of impeaching President John
son was in the air at this time fifty