Year: 1874




burglary trials and the interminable gossip
about local affairs in the District of Columbia,
must be proof against nausea. 1t is smaller
theme, considering the space it has filled,
than any other that has occupied the pub
lie mind even in this ''day of small things
when any trfle which has spice of scandal in
it serves the purposes of the newsmongers.
Nothing perhaps could more clearly mark the
declenson of the popular taste, certainly moth
ing could more forcibly evince the decadence
OF journalistic propriety than the flood of slang
and rubbish, with which the wires have been
soiled ever since some genius of the quill con.
ceived the idea of writing down the Washing
ton municipality. The name Of Shepherd
decorated with a prefix borrowed from the
slums, has been repeated more frequently and
associated with greater number of theoretical
and speculative dispatches than that of any
statesman or scholar of the century Lesser
lights are represented as revolving around him,
but they are of insignificant account compared
with the great central luminary. He is in
vested with marvellous attributes and al
though most frequently mentioned as a shock
ingly bad man, he is universally conceded to





cabinets, and Congresses with absolute sway
and exercising supreme control over the ex.
ecutivc. The doings of DO other public man
are SO carefully watched, so minutely chron-
icled by the denizens of '.Newspaper Row.
From the wonderful things that are related of
him, it would be impossible for anybody who
believed them TO resist the inference that be.
sides his natural endowments he possessed the
gifts of ubiquity and yentriloquism.


10 precisely what circumstance Shepherd is
indebted, for having been raised to the doabt-
ful eminence from which even retirement
from Office has not sufficed to dslodge him, 1
am uncertain. 1 am under the oppression,
however, that there was nothing personal to
him in it. 1t is pretty generally known that
on the accession of General Grant to the
Presidency, certain New York editor, whose
paper laid claims to decency then, and was
possibly as consequence-nOt very profitable,
had set his heart (I use this word in purely
anatomical sense) on securing the best federal
office disposable. BIS prayer having been de-
MED, his rage became ungOvernable, and he
has been 'hinying language ever since.
There has been no word in the vocabulary
too coarse or vulgar for his phillipics. Among
the methods he adopted of gratifying his
motive was employing spies to nose around the
White HOUSE and the departments, TO watch
at noles, hide in closets, mount guard Mt
Of sHf Do anything in the way of
terial for piquant paragraph. For fsisS s5 ma
son or other he took the notion of making
shepherd the objective point of his diatribes
1t HAY be because it was easier to attack the
President indirectly than directly. Gen.
Grant has no personal frailties which make
him assalable. The scouts, however keen of
scent and impudent in prying, could find moth
ing which would serve as warp or woof for
fabric of vituperative attack on him.


Shepherd, on the other hand, was vulnerable
at several points. He was the master of q
great system of internal Improvements which
carried with it patronage, contracts, and their
attending train of jealousies and disappoint-
ments. Then again he was constantly disturb
ing the tranquility Of the tax payers, by in
creasing their burdens, to beautify the national
capital. But above and beyond these consider
ations, he represented class between which
and the ancient regime Of secession and slav-
cry, there has existed an implacable feud ever
since Lincoln went to Washington in Scotch
cap. The old Bourbon exists there as we'll as
farther south. In fact, be is rather more of a
Bourbon in the ideal life of the District than
he would be in the actual life of the plantation
He regards every new conner since 1860, as an
upstart, and holds Black Republican in in
tense disfavor. Social life at the capital has
improved wonderfully within the last fifteen
years. Many Of the members of the govern.
ment and the Senators aud Representatives
have palatial establishments, and entertain lib
orally and elegantly. There is much less rela-
tive patronage of the bar room and the gaming
table, much more Reorganization Of the drawing
room and the dinner table, than there used to
be. But the man of the olden time, who has
sat by all the while, and witnessed these
changes. has still refused TO accept the evil
dence Of his senses, and persists now quite as
strongly as he did at the outset, that the gories
of the Republic are OF the past, and can never
be restored until the ''nigger" is remanded to
his former condition. A great deal of. this
spirit crops out in the trial for conspiracy which
has lasted so long and ended so inconclusively
Alexander is type of the effete dynasty. Har-
rington symboizes the new dispensation. ItIs
uOt al cstsy W aIIlNe Ut ~ ilSpdsSlOudtt
judgment Of the merits Of the case. The jury
found it impossible to agree, and the matter
will doubtless remain beclouded by that haze
of uncertainty which comes Of conflicting testi-
mony, and unreliable witnesses. But the whole
subject has become offensive through the waste
of ink of which it has been the occasion.


What part Shepherd took in this drama does
not appear, but it would have been as much
out of the question for the scribes of the Row
to omit his name in the narrative of the pro-
ceedings as it would have been for Mr.. Dick to
leave King Charles out of his memorial. In
deed, the unfortunate Ex-Governor seems des-
tined to be always equally conspicuous and i'm
penetrable. Whether he is an honest man or
the reverse, is one Of the insolvable problems
upon which mankind is likely to be divided as
long as he is remembered. 1t must be admit
ted that the weight of testimony is in his fa-
vor, though the bulk may be the other way,
The Presidents endorsement in the shape of q
demonstration, was enough to weigh down a
myriad of unsupported allegations. The Sem
ate to be sure, refused in significantly en-
phatic way to confirm the nomination, but that
action was doubtless dictated in a large meas
ure by considerations Of policy. There was an
obvious propriety in placing new crgauiza-
tion under the control of a fresh commission,


The failure Of the exhaustles, inquisition of
a joint committee, sitting for the whole of q
long session, to elicit any evidence impeaching
his integrity is too noteworthy circumstance
TO be overlooked. 1t is true that some Of the
Senators who sat on that investigation, are
supposed to have recorded themselves in the
negative op the vote of confirmation. Never
theless, the chairman, MI. Allison of Iowa,
within two weeks after the adjournment of
Congress wrote the following letter:


"DUBUoUE July g. 1874.


am sorry that Shepherd was temporarily
sacrificed, as he has done so much for the city.
He can afford to wait however, as no stain Is
cast upon his honor or his integrity by the inyes-
tigation or the report.


Very truly yours,


A..