Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1916-03-12
FIFTY YEARS Ago
IN THE STAR

| IN THE STAR
The Mexican situation. growing
steadily worse at this time fifty years
ago, caused great I'M
News From easiness in the United
49, States. All the news
eAiSo' from south of the Rio
Grande was eagerly read. In The Star
of March S. 1866. is the following bud
get of dispatches:
"AIl the country in the neighborhood
of Tampico is entirely in possession
of the liberals. Communication with
San Luis Potosi has been cut off, but
PROBABLY will be reopened in conse-
quence of an imperial movement in
that direction. Quantriil, the Missouri
guerrilla. is reported to have turned
up in Mexico. Macmillan has created
the grade of field marshal: Gen. Mejia
is to be the first appointed. Twenty
millions of legal tender paper is to
be issued by the imperial government.
The Belgian troops refused to fight
under the imperial general Mendez.
who shot Gen. Artezo. they not caring
to be shot in retaliation. Marshal
Bazaine wanted every fifth one of the
onenders to be shot. but the empress
interfered in their behalf. The Bel
gians say they are willing to go home
in disgrace. but will not fight under
! Mendez. Bazaine is said to have init
| mated that he thought there must be
war with the United States.
When the government took possess
sion of Robert E. Lees estate at Ar
lington. in Virginia. it was
Freedmen's with the intention, eventu-
.,.u ally carried out, of max
A"So' ing military reservation
Ultimately, however. it was put to
three uses-as a military post, as a
national cemetery and as settlement
for freedmen In The Star of March 9,
1866. is the following paragraph relat-
ing to the last named item:
Lieut. B. B. Burgevin. superintendent
of F'reedmen's village, has been IN
structed by Maj Gen. Q. o. Howard to
divide the Arlington estate lying east
of the road into five-acre lots. to be
rented on written agreements to the
freedmen, the rent to be paid at each
harvesting of the crop. Fifteen acres
on the west side of the road is assign
ed to be divided and rented in the same
manner, about twenty acres to be Gull
tivated as a garden by the dependents
of Freedmen's village. Tools may be
sold or loaned to the freed people by
the auartermaster's department. and
Lieut.. Burgevin is directed to furnish
them with seeds. This estate is not
confiscated property. and therefore 1t
cannot revert TO the heirs at the death
of the owners, but it was sold for
taxes and purchased by the govern
ment for the purpose to which 1t is now
being applied"
Canada was in the grip of serious
Fenian scare at this time half a century
ago as reports circulat-
Eenian Ceara ed that large numbers
of Irish sympathizers
country for an invasion of the Domin-
ion In fact. some raids had already
taken place and the Canadian press
was filled with demands that this
government take sharp action to pre-
vent these expeditions. In The Star
of March II, 1866, is an article de-
scriptive of the Canadian excitement,
coupled with extracts from the Domin-
ion press, and proceeding:
rs the Canadian memory so short
and the Canadian character so I'M
grateful as to remember no longer
those dear friends from the so-cailed
Confederate states who were received
only short time since with the warmest
sympathy and regard and encoura ged
in. their dia bolical plots for the murder
of citizens, burning of cities. spreading
OF infection, robbing OF banks ana
other atrocities in the loyal states OF
the Union? The Canadian curses. it
appears, have come home to roost, and
there is nothing the people there now
dread more than to receive the same
treatment they afforded to u.s. john
Bull knows that we are quick to learn
and apt to ape British manners and
therefore breads the recoil upon his
own head of those admirable lessons
in neutrality which we were FORCED
to learn during four years OF bloody
and eventful war.
cial neighbors have much or little
cause for their great alarm; but if
their apprehensions are true then we
must accord to the Fenians great con-
fidence in their strength ana eIeat
contempt for their antagonists when
thew herald TO the world their num-
Sers, maneuvers and plans, stating
just what points in Canada are to pc
attacked and by what routes ana win
what force the ults are to be made.
Surely here is a magnanimous and gen.
erous foe. who scorns to take mean
advantage but advises his enemy as to
his every move. But suppose the pub
lica lions are mere feints to keep the
.Kanucks' on the qui vive and weary
them with false alarms; suppose really
formidable plans (and more formida-
BILE because secreD are adopted. con-
templating movements In unexpected
directions. with forces whose numeri-
cal strength is imposing but not
known and also act in accordance
with well matured plans OF strategy
and battle? If We can suppose all this
then we may imagine that the last
state of our Canadian neighbors VIII
be worse than the first.
With the approach of spring Wash
ington began to think in terms OF
base ball fifty years
Organizing ago. even M as NOV now n a.,
Ball Teams. not yet been profess
sionalized and organized. In The Star
of March IL, 1866. is the following
paragraph:
1.-THE base ball fraternity have al
ready completed their arrangements
for the coming season, and at least
fifteen senior organizations, including
the Champion. National. Jefferson,
Union, Potomac and Pioneer clubs. be-