The Baltimore County union., 1874-03-14
Letter from W0shtpgtOn.

w AohlNdIUNi ~ VI "h"iSu Otu, INA
The leading topic here at present is oneof loc.l |
and vet national interest allude to the inves. |
tigation of the transactions of the Board of Pnh.
lie Works in the District of Columbia, ordered bv
Congress in compliance with the petition of w |
W. Corcoran and others, and now pending be- |
fore Joint committee OF the two Houses So far |
very little progress has been made. Tbecounse!
representing the compainaus before the Commit
tee would seem to have lily prepared themselves |
with plans of procedure or the facts relied upon
to show mismanagement BY not TO say eorrup.
tien in, the territorial officials arraigned. To
use hunters phrase they appear to havs gone
| off ''half-cocked' and without proper prining.
| Iu the language of Henry Clay, certaia oc- |
casion, they will have to pick their fints ana 'rv
it again, taking better aim than they hasaI.. i. =.
to done at the foul before them. For my part
good management or bad, have long ceased 10
expect much from these Congressional ''investi,
cations" Your average Congressman is practi-
cally so loose in his standard of morals, as to-
render him poor censor morUm for other public
men. In fact, not knowing how soon his own
chance for 'pckings and siealings'' may come,
| he cannot well afford to erect very high stand
| ard of official morals and commit himself to
maintaining it. All such committees pretty
sure to prefer TO apply the white ewash brush to
the outside instead OF the dissecting knife to the
inside of the matter ia hand. 1t costs so much
than the latter.
| There is however, one fact of great Importance
brought out by the Investigation, incidentally as
| it were-for il was not aimed at primarily wiz,
that the people Taxpayers of this territory, while
| furnishing only about one-lhird of the pupils to
the public schools, contribute all the heavy ex
| penses thereof. This is crying shame to the
nation at large. That we should be compelled,
| ia addition to expense of educating our own
| oh tn a;co dc IN edu tho Obi Id
of the government officials not citizens and only
temporarily resident here, and even those of the
members of Congress themselves, 10 say nothing
| of the offspring of the "contraband'' class who
fed here for safety, have been attracted by the
public works at the Nations Capital and bear
the unwonted burden in patience any longer, is
to suppose US to little less than So, certainly
| not men OF the degree oS sefnshurg - a
| pected of mere morals 10 this view OF the e6h
| catienal situation so clearly revealed, that the
most oblivious Congressman cannot fail to under
| stand it, the proposition o. Mr. Hear to merely
| anticipate the payment Of three hundred thousand
dollars out of what will be due from the govern
| ment TO the District tor Improvements adjacent
| the public buildings aud grounds, is ali we'll
| enough so far us it will 20 II will serve 10 re-
imburse Mr.. Corcoran for his generous advance.
ment, without interest, o Two months pay 10 the
| school teachers who have had no more for sey-
| eral mcnths-t0 the national shame be il said
and TO restore the fund raised for other PURPOSES
| rregulary drawn upon previously for school
purposes. But il will secure justice from the ma
| ton to our people. Uncle Sam is rich enough
| to give good many farms in the aggregate from
| the public domain for the support of the District
schools as done for State institutions. Let this
be DONE Mr.. Hoar, while the other is pot left un-
done by your associates, in accordance with your
| timely resolution.
| The DaiLy Chronicle which has "A general
printing Office has come to The rescue of the craft
| typograp pbical here, against the Government
| Printing Office. Its articles have brought out
| personal retort from Superintendent and Secre-
| tary, charging the editor with borrowing print
| ing paper, which be, the Secretary, conesses he
| had no authority, and holding it as against an
alleged overcharged Indebtedness from The Gov
ernment office TO the Chronicle office--in which
| misunderstanding il is attempted TO be shown
Congress is to look for the dniniuS Of the Chr0Ri-
| cles expose of the management of the Government
| ofice--for the Secretary had the bad taste to
spread his pirate grievance before Congress
| But this will not avail Not content with the
influence OF from five 10 len cents per thousand
more for composition than is the rate in other
| cities (whereunto much work, which private
printers here ought to have, is driven as con.
sequence. the Government office has actually es-
tablished receiving flee at the Capitol for
speeches Of members y to be printed ''at cost,
(professedy) while claiming the bries, &c, Of
the Supreme Court, hitherto regarded as legti-
mately open to competition by the private print
| ing establishments here o. course, the employ
ing printers resent this as not only unjust but a
very small business. 4 good deal Of feeling and
numerous conferences Of those interested nave re.
suited. The end is not yet. Congress will be
asked to cut down the rates at be.Goy'i office
say to fifty cents per thoussnd-and stop this
poaching on the manorial rights OF the private
| printing establishments And Superintendent
Clapp should acknowledge the justice of the loud
complaints referred to abuses in his Office and aid
in reforming them. If be does not, many persons
who are willing to charilably refer them to the
faultiness Of gradually grown-up innovation o!
the printing Office, will blame him, thus shifting
| the blame from the system to the man This, as
gentleman oe sound seEse m +ssssttcrS 4GIesalIE5
| | trust be will do. If be don't, he may have
casion in sorrow to remember the warnings Of
his friends-that is If he really cares TO be kept
in position where his general management and
bearing are acknowledged to have been highly
creditable and commendable. THoRSToN.