The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1874-02-14
From Washin gton.
IOU1SItNA

| quite as lovely as they seemed a week AGO
Carpenter after sleeping on it, concluded
that he had gone too far IN exposing the
atrocity Of the Kellogg swindle to back down
entirely, and on the 9th introduced in thc
senate his promised bill to order new cleo.
ton in Louisiana, and declares that he shall
insist on the senate showing its hand on the
question. That may lead To another debate
and then, if senators begin to unload them.
selves Of the iniquity, the President threatens
he will also unload, by sending to congress
his long talked of message, which he was
with so much difficulty persuaded to with.
hold for the sake OF" the party" Conkling,
Morton and the rest are still in the hottest
kind of stew over the matter.
BOSS SHEPHERD.
y most remarkable and surprising unwill-
lngness has manifested itself on the part of
loyal" senators to be placed on the JOINT
committee ordered TO investigate the affairs
Of the District of Columbia. 1t is more than
intimaed that not only several senators, but
the President himself is unpleasantly mixed
up with Boss Shepherd and his jobs and
speculatiOns and the revelations of the com
mittee, if it does its work honestly, will be ola
particularly dsagreeable and unsayorv and
scandalous sort. So when the chairmapshm
was offered to senator Frelinghuysen, he re-
specially declined it. Then it was offered 70
Conkling and he declined; and then Morton.
Morrill, and others declined it in turn. To
tho Iph n1 n,la
the senate was concerned, Sherman moved a
reconsideration of the vote by which the sen.
ate had agreed to rails the joint committee;
but before that question was decided Senator
Allison happily consented to go on the com.
mittee, and the Investigation will therefore
90 on.
RAILROAD REGULATION,
The house was Unexpectedly brought face
70 lace with the question of railroad regula-
don On The 9Th, by resolution offered by
Smith, Of Ohio, declaring it to be the opinion
of the house that the constitution imposes
upon congress the duty, and confers the
power to regulate commerce between the
states, and to prevent the imposition Of I'm
be by railroad or any other method. The
resolution was passed by a large majority
40 to GA. The eastern members, however,
affect TO regard the vote as harmless piece
of buncombe, and Of small consequence.
AwHIsKY RING.
Now that the Boss Shephard committee is
organized and under way, another investiga-
ton committee is needed for a whisky ring
The ring conslts of the Pekin, st. Louis, and
some Ohio distllers They send vast quaint
ties of whisky to New York to be exported
But instead of sending the whisky to Europe
the whisky is drawn out. and the barrels
being filled with water are sent to Europe
Thus the ring robs the government ofmillloDs
of money. The head of the ring is said to be
johnson Mcdonald, supervisor of internal
revenue, one of Deano's pets and faVorite Oh
the Presidents,
FINANCES.
Everything continues at loose ends on the
subject of the finances. 1t is evident that all
efforts at materially cutting down expenses
Will prove abortive, and rs the members lack
the nerve to increase taxation, the only other
recourse gives buoyancy to the hopes OF the
infiationists These held Il caucus on Thurs
day morning, among others in attendance
being Logan, Morton, Merrimon, Oglesby,
Ferry, of Michigan, Gordon, Allison, West,
Alcorn, Clayton and Hitchcock. part OF
their plan was revealed in the senate proceed
ings Il few hours later, in the substitute oif
T.. ,ln h,y Mr MprrinlOD
to legalize the $44, 900 900 reserve and to raise
the national bank circulation to S4O,OOOOn
THE INFORMER BUSINESS.
The discussion OF the Butler-Sanbom JOB
in the house has brought out statement
from Secretary Richardson as to the expens-S
of the informer business in New York ami
Boston. In the Phelps, Dodge " Co. case, spec
Ial A gent Jayne, who Is the great organizer %
the corps OF spies and iniormers, received
$6J,.lS and an equal sum went as Spots "
the Collector, Naval Officer, and Surveyor d
New York. In about three years and hail.
beginning March l, 1869. Special Agent
Jovne has made SOB 900 in this honest indus
try. Col. Frank Howe, u humber professor
of the irnoble art and two associates, So'
s1t15O The total amount OF revenue recoV
cred in the >. 800 cases ">pottcd' was S4,SlV'
3gl. and of this sum the informcrs and Gus
tom House officers left only Sl,9l4,1+6 for the
National Treasury In Boston ;hey were
still more greedy, and took the leanine share
of sos, 249, leaving Uncle sam 10 be content
with 1904
il hnin.y asked "A wpOl deal
lately, what has become al the famous Win