The daily phoenix. [volume] (Columbia, S.C.) 1865-1878, 1870-04-09
Correspondence OF tho Phoenix.
WASHINGTON, D. O., April 6, 1870

has closed it's labors on the cadetship
business, has just, as was anticipated,
"white-washed" the matter in most ella
borate style. Whittemore and Deweese,
of the House, together with Commander
Upsher, of the Navy, and Gen. Scheoff.
of the Patent Office, were the principal
sufferers. It is stated that the books of
the Adjutant- Generals Office shows As
cases at West Point and 30 at Annapolis,
in which the parents reside out of the
District from which the cadets were ap-
pointed. While Logan recommended
Gen. Scheof for removal, against whom
there was no evidence of bribery, he has
screamed his own friends in Office, who
admitted, by their own lips that they had
received and appropriated money which
wes paid for appointments.
The Indian question is still widening
and deepening in interest. A bill has
been introduced which will soon be be-
fore the public, which proposes radical
and permanent cure Of this chronic dis
temper. This bill was prepared under
the supervision of Western man, of
long experience and strong good prncti-
cal sense, and it is said, will be support
ed by Butler, Iawrance. Logan and
other prominent members of Congress.
This bill provides nine Commissioners,
who are to have charge of the whole
work and remain in Office ten years; three
of these are to be Indians. It makes
two grand. divisions of tho work, and
proposes gradually to draw all the In
dians into less space and instruct them
first OF all in pastoral pursuits; it also
proposes the speedy disuse of all the mi
0f 81, Il
the military posts. This will put
$50. 900, 900 into the Treasury from the
sale of the offal. Then it proposes for
one-quarter the present cost, to support
the Indians until they can be made self
supporting. It provides in detail for all
ordinary and extraordinary conditions
necessary to complete work.
The House is still considering tho
tariff bill, and each day swclls the gi-
gantic proportions of the debate The
speeches already delivered occupy nearly
300 columns of the daily Globe. It is
sincerely to be hoped that in this mighty
struggle. the country will be benefited
more in reduction of taxation than it
costs to print the speeches on the sub.
ject.
The last dying effort of our Mayor
Bowen, who has been repudiatcd by nll
hands, both white and colored, was made
on Saturday last. He visited the Presi-
dent aud requested him to interfere in
his behalf. aud compel the Government
employees 10 come up to his support
The President, of course, declined in
very decided terms. Bowen is now ut
the end of his line, and the people feel
that he will never get his just deserts
until the other end Of the limo is cast
over the limb of some sequestcred tree.
Or mounts, rs Fisk says, "to where the
woodbine twineth."
The very grave and important ques-
ton as to whether or not the General
Government possesses constitutionnlly
the power TO assume control of the cansc
of popular education, nt least in those
States which fail to provide adequate
facilities for the education of its youth
in the fundamental or common school
branches, has engaged the attention Of
Congress more seriously during the pre-
sent session thun ever before. This spe-
cial interest seems to have been first
awakened by the elaborate and eloquent
speech of Colonel Prosser, OF Tennessee,
on the promotion Of education, setting
forth in the strongest possible terms The
fearful and increasing ratio Of illteracy,
not only in tho South. where such stute
of alfairs is to be expected, but also in
the North, East and West-udvocating
the necessity of Congress providing some
means by which popular education may
be secured throughout nil the States.
Later, Judge Hoar. of Massachusetts,
one of the Committee on Education, in
troduccd n bill to establish .'N.tiooal
System OF Education," it's provisions,
however, only to apply to those Suites
which shall neglect to provide education
for their youth, which bill wns referred
to tho committee for consideration, and
u few days ago was reported to the
House, with the sanction of the commit
tee, and Mt the request of Judge Hour,
was assigned as special order for the
first Tuesday in December next. In the
meantime, the House shows its appreca-
tons of the needs of the country by in
creasing the appropriation for the Bm-
reau of Education from Sc. O00 to SIS COO;
and also proposes to transfer the Eluca-
tional Department of the Freedmen y
Bureau to the Bureau of Education. A
few days ego, very interesting discus
sion occurred upon the bill, aud Judging
from the strength Of the vote by which
the House refused to lay it on the table,
it will pass. It was advocated by Judge