Orleans independent standard. [volume] (Irasburgh, Vt.) 1856-1871, 1870-06-21
Letter from Washington,
WASHINGTON. June II. 1870.

national capital. Ol IuC arrival Ol every
railroad train and steamboat, hundreds of
new stars of greater and lesser magnitudes,
fresh from their homes in the different
parts Of the country, make their appear
ance in our streets either in hacks, omni-
buses, or on foot with carpetbag in hand.
Washington, for its size, is the most cos
the greater portion of the year, from the |
appearance Of pedestrians on Pennsylvania |
Avenue, one is led to exclaim, truly this |
is a city of strangers" Yet it has a (esti-
mated) permanent population of 10000,
an increase during the past decade of near
ly one hundred per cent and therefore we
may safely presume that in no time, except |
on Inauguration days, does the transient !
population exceed One-thirG of the adult |
population Of actual citizens.
At this season of the year there are nu-
merous arrivals of Southern people on their
way to Northern summer resorts, and they
generally tarry few days in Washington
in visiting Congress and the sights in the
different departments, which afford oppor-
tunity for your correspondent to become
reliably informed as to the true condition
Of the several Southern states, and the
wants and expectations of their people
concerning the Congressional legislation
for them. And would say, the southern
people generally of both parties are well
satisfied with what Congress has done for
them, especially the reconstruction part,
only complaining that the retrenchment
policy of the President and Congress has
shorn from them much needed government
aid for internal improvementin their states
They argue that our government does not
take into account that by virtue of the war,
their country became devastated; that no
improvements by government aid has been
made in ten years that their state govern
ments and their people are poor, &c
Their schemes for taking money out of
Uncle Sans purse are numerous. They
want government aid for building railroads
and canals, building and repairing bridges
docks, &c. They want the government to
establish, seemingly regardless of cost,
thousands Of post roads and post offices to
accommodate their people. They want
government aid to repair the leveea of the
Mississippi river, which are at present in
most depIorable condition; and thus re
claim rich lands, aggregating SO, 900 square
miles, on which in sugar and cotton alone,
Senator Harris, of Louisiana, argues, can
be raised three hundred and fifty million
dollars worth annually, and thereby save
our government on import sixty million.
Of dollars in sugar and molasses.
One Of the means lately adopted by the
) lobby opponents of bills and measures be-
fore Congress in which the credulous might
believe money could be used in advancing
their passage, Is to cry stop thief" or il
+ other words to cry bribery, and then &c
c some opponent in either House to offer ;
!, resolution directing that committee be APP
: pointed to investigate these charges of cor
ruption, and with power to send for per
: sons and papers. This at once delays &C
c ton, and at the same time, tends to moul,
c the minds, whether true or false, of boil
Y Congress and the people adversely to tn
bill in question: which almost invariabl,
insurcs defeat. The now pending inyesti
t CATION of the charges of bribery in the Sal
h Domingo treaty and the Cuban cause, ar
It instances which illustrate. The friends 0
r Cuba, including Senol Lemus, most EN-
phatically deny that any bonds or none
y ha, been paid any one for urging Congres
&c sional Interference in behalf of the Cuba
II insurgents; and they, therefore, character
, ize the whole affair as an attempt of tn
Spanish government, through their minis
y ter and friends here, to throw discredit o
: the Cuban cause
s. 1t will be interesting to your soldie
readers to know that there is bill in PREF
aration and will be introduced by Genera
. Logan, in a very few days, providing ths
. any ex-soldier of the t. 5. Army who de
~. sires a tract Of 100 acrs Of land can obtai
i it by simply authorizing his representatiy
&c to locate it, after which he will be above
N two years to make arrangements for Sc
q Ting upon it. This bill, fit passes, is
= most important one for it secures to ey'
u ry ex-solder, who will only work, a farl
"a from our public domain without the r.
V. striction Of the homestead act
W Red Cloud, Spotted Tail, Little Bear,
!. cetcro of the Indian delegation have crea
> ed more than ordinary interest among tt
y sight seers at the capital. Red Clou
i'll chief Of six nations, is more observed tina
IN any Of the rest, because, perhaps heis mo
~ to be feared. The President, Secretal
Cox, and the half breed Commissioner Pa
ker, have shown them the utmost attento
and have done their best to satisfy the
10 that our government intends to do the ia
ne thing by them. But so far their visit he
IN has done but little good. The Indians fe
that they have no concession to make
=. the Government, and from their interpre
II ers | learn that Red Cloud is determin,
TIL to insist on the Government complyiI
i'll with his numerous requests before he W
&c promise to encourage his braves to peac
able pursuits, till the ground, and gradua
~ ly become like white men.
as I heard Secretary Cox say that he (hil
Id self was in an embarrassing position;
he could only ask them to accept the inc
table, ana promise his cooperation wi
Ia. Red Cloud and others in making the BE-
= oft.
Woods, the would be assassin of t
~ Hon. Charles H. Porter, NJ. G. from V
I'M ginia, in charge Of an officer arrived
ro- Washington from Richmond this morni
ist and taken before the bar of the House
q, the Sergeant at Arms Mr.. Porter "
most cruelty beaten, and on his arri,
lal here on Monday, some of his friends hal
bis ly knew him, both eyes being blacker
led and his head otherwise bruised. No oil
-, provocation for this brutal assault th
that Mr.. Porter was a Union man and v
'nu cd the Union ticket in the Richmond II
is nicipal election. 1t is sincerely hoped Il
ne. the House will mete this Woods the pl
ishment he deserves.
The national game of base ball is exc
fro ing great deal of attention in the city
:, this time, and although the weather
' been unusually unpropitious for the
OF three weeks training almost every
many of the clubs from the northern eli
have been here and played games when
oar er the rain ceased long enough to give
on innings. Cincinnati, Chicago, New Y
Philadelphia, Baltimore and Washingt
'oi boast of having the principal clubs;
ontsidn of this citv there arc those not