Year: 1878

From our SPECIAL CorrespOndentl


| WASHINGTON, d. c., July %, rs.


The feeling of discouragement and
discomfort on the part of hundreds of
worthy, honest laborers of this city he
cause of the scarcity of labor at Lying,
or, indeed, at any rates, has been taken
advantage Of by other hundreds of lazy
worthless vagabonds who wouldn't work
at any price, to draw them into an un
natural alliance with the latter and into
an attitude Of hostility towards the con-
situted authorities, that Friday culmin
ated in an attack on few men at work
for rates less than those prescribed by
the commune. Encouraged at their
success in forcing these few laborers to
desist from work, the tramp and vaga-
bond element was early on the ground
Saturday morning to enforce the order
that had been posted in conspicuous
places to the effect that any laborer
accepting work at less than $3.50 per
day, would be shot or stoned to death.
But the police authorities never acted
with more promptness and efficiency.
A force of more than 100, well armed,
were at the menaced point Saturday
morning. The very first demonstration
made against the men who had gone to
work contrary to the order shove
named, was the signal for an attack that
soon dispersed the crowds; and the
would-be rioters were followed up and
routed every time they sought to rally
and make stand. The cowardIy sneaks
who have done nothing but deliver in
cendiary harangues on the street comers
here during the past six months, testilies
their devotion to the men they had ex-
asperated up to the point of lawless
act of terrorism, by skulking to the rear
out of harms way. But several Of them
have been arrested. They completely
wilted at the first grasp Of the law show
ing them to be anything but the daunt-
less spirits they had pretended, who
could be implicitly relied on to lead an
emute. They are just worthless, craven
spirited tramps. They mistook the for
bearance which led the House of Rep
resentatives to allow them to utter their
threats within its hearing ON the east
steps leading into the Capitol when the
House was in session, for fear; and the
tolerance of the officials here since, for
cowardice. They are the sort of wretches
who knock down and otherwise assault
women who are at safe distance from
male defenders They are Of the class
who beg from door to door assuming
only the most humble mein till they
find domicile only tenanted by women
and children, when their real character
becomes apparent by some act of wan
ton destruction, indecent assault or the
butchery of these helpless victims. We
have hundreds of that class here. Sym
pathy is with the law-abiding, but now
enforced idlers. They are worthy Of
everything that can be done for their
relief But sympathy for the creatures
who have been permitted for months to
indulge in the most sanguinary threats
towards every member Of society who
by industry has succeeded in accumula-
ting something would be criminal; and
there is little felt for that class here BY
"nipping it in the bud" as was done, we
were likely saved a lamentable scene of
blOodshed, murder, arson, pillage and
nameless crimes whose contemplation
must bring an involuntary shudder To
every decent man and woman. Nothing
is more cruel than the mob under such
leadership as the men who aspire tc that
distinction at the National Capitol


There has been little change to note
in the case of the imprisoned revenue
officials IN South Carolina, since the
matter first became public. There is no
doubt expressed that the Government
will use what force is necessary to bring
them before Judge Bonds U s Court,
for its action, though Judge Kershaw and
all his white line associates, even that
great and good man" "himself-@concili-
ated" HamptOn-stand in the way.
There can be little doubt from the at
tendant circumstances, that the Ku Klux
officials of that pestilential little COM
munity Of blatant boosters, including
Kershaw, have determined to test the
disposition of the Government to assert
its supremacy and to defend its officials.
Their action in connection with the al
most uniform approval of Jeff Davis lale
secession drivel, all over the South, is re-
garded as significant if not ominous-
From anything known to the public
there is no grounds for supposing that
Hampton has done aught to discourage
the spirit Of notification rampant and
defiant all over South Carolina; and if
Kershaw keeps his word and is backed
up by the white people as the Charleston
papers assert will be the case, there
seems no way Of avoiding an armed col
lision- In the absence ofspeciic knowl-
edge relative to the latest charges against
Capt Eads, it is fair to remember in his
behalf that every man occupying tho
prominent place he has for the past feS
years, has a multitude of the most ma
licious enemies who scruple at nothing.
Judged by his works Eads is a public
benefactor so far as the general purport
of the testimony Of experts goes; and ne
should not be condemned unheard-


maxwell.