Port Tobacco times, and Charles County advertiser. (Port Tobacco, Md.) 1845-1898, 1871-01-27
Our Washington Correspondence.
WASHINGTON, d. c., Jan. %, 1871.


The bill which passed the House 90 Friday
last, giving to the District of Columbia Ter.
ritorial form Of Government, does not seem t.
please the Radical Chronicle or the Demo.
cratic Patriot Of this city. A communication
in the Patriot objects, among other things, t,
the President having the power to appoint
the upper House-the Couucil-and that the
election by the people Of the lower House il
merely mockery of the right of self-govern.
ment, as it could not protect the interests o.
its constituency against the Governor false
appointed by the President) and the upper
House. This objection is based upon sound
Democratic principles. The Chronicle also
objects on the same ground, but adds that "te
abridge the right Of suffrage 10 the Districts
where it was FIRST given to colored men, is a
damaging confession Of its failure" This i.
where the shoe pinches the Chronicle and
makes it howl about the right of suffrage and
the Constitution, which they have helped to
violate so often. A prominent gentleman Of
the District who was assisting in the passage
of the bill stated his objection to the appoint
ing Of the members of the upper House by
the President to batch of Radical members
when one of them said, "WelI, the truth is
the material which controls the District is not
fit to govern themselves and the appointment
of the Council is done in the interest of the
District, though it is repuguant to our ideas
of the right Of suffrage" His friends acquiesc-
ed 10 his statement. Here are Radicals who
gave the ballot into the hands of the negro
for purely selfish political purposes now fore
ed, not only to acknowledge their unfitness
for that privilege, but to virtually deprive
them Of it by legislation. and underbanded at
that. The negro will be found to be very
expensive pet elephant on the hands Of the
Radical party before they are done with him.
The Indian ring, whose rami6cations ap-
pear to extend from the Commissioner Of In
dian Affairs, Gen. Parker, if the charges Of
VIM Welsh, one Of the Indian Peace Com
mission, be true, through nearly every official
and agent 10 the employ of the Government
on the frontier or in the Indian country, is
being brought to its trumps by the most ter
rible exposures of its corrupt practices as a
sample of its doings Mr.. Welsh states that
one contractor was paid over one and quar-
ter millions Of dollars in few months, nearly
all on private contracts. Freights were paid
by this contractor at from IS to 800 per cent.
above what the Quartermaster of the army
had contracted to take all Indian goods. On
the 10th Of August last be was authorized by
Commissioner Parker to purchase two or three
million pounds of -four without limit as to
price. The most Of it was purchased at So
20 per hundred, whilst the Government paid
S. so hundred for it. If boughtin August
it could have been shipped to Grand. River
under the Quertermaster's contract at 81 90
a hundred pounds, but under the private bar
gain the freight was Sc 90 per hundred
pounds. This contractor united with others
in furnishing Texas cattle CD contract at
three and lightweight hundred cents per
pound wtile that which he furnished private
" in June and August was paid for at six
cents per puund. Commissioner Parker who
has constituted himself champion Of the ring
will have no easy task to explain away such
Senator Wilson, of Massachu-
sets, comes forward with bill to make six
new Offices, with a salary Of $4,000 each, to
visit the Indian country and protect the in
terests of the different tribes. Is not Mr..
Wilson satisfied with the labors of the Indian
Peace Commission who serve without pay :?
or does he come to the rescue of the Indian
ring in order to save them from the results of
the above exposure?
: The Southern Radicals are hard at work
here trying to influence members OF Congress
to the most extreme measures possible; the
hanging Of every Democrat South would be
hailed by them as an act of strict Justice
This is a good time for Southern Governors
here just now; we have Governor Smith of Ala
hama, and Ex-Governor Parsons of the same
State. and Governor Holden of North Caro-
lima, who are lending the light of their wis
dom to the conspirators who contemplate put
ting the South under military rule. Recon-
struction puir ct simple will not work to adj
vantage. so it is generally conceded that an
amendment to the enforcement act, proposiDg
that Congress shall apply the terms Of regis
tration for all State and local elections, and
sustain it by military force, will answer the
purpose designed, or bill to declare that the
electoral vote Of no State shall be counted for
President in which any violence or intimida-
ton or so-called outrages have been practiced
preceding such election. This is the bill to
suit, as it will be so easy to organize outrages
in all States which are doubtful and then leave
out sufficient number to elect the Radical
candidate. This looks like Butler. he is the
boy o-do things boldly and have no doubt
that, he suggested the idea.
By the way, on Saturday, Butler was being
investigated with regard to the disposal Of the
funds Of the National Asylum for Disabled
Volunteer Soldiers, of which he is President.
Secretary, Treasurer and general provider.-
Col. w. II. Weigel, formerly of Buffers staff,
testified to things very damaging to General
Buffers manner of doing business, and was
met with an intimation from Butler that he