, 1874-04-06
The NATIONAL CAPITAL,
1Mvcstlgati0ns---Gen. Howard and
Tho Government Printing
Ofncc.
lnlation---Parallels with the Brit
ish Panic Of 1926.
The Plea of South Carolina.

The Plea Of South Carolina.
From Our 0ten Correspondent.
WAan1No1oN, April l, 1874.
Tho uao Of Investigations is ono Of tloao sub~
iccts whloh riso to tho mind after thcy grow
weary on tho oyo. Thogo nro now several OF
thom into Judicinl frauda in tho South; Into
Indian contracts; Into Gen. Howard; into tho
management of tho District Of Columbia; into
motetios, Post Agents, several banlsa. nna
what not. Last Congress thoro wore many ot.'-
ers, led on by Judge poand's memorable Credit
Mobilter Committee, nn1 followed BY several
mudlarls CommittooB Which stirred up tho pool
without effectug any curos. Tho proper way
to investigate is by regular Committees OF
Congress-, originally put togolhor for tho
comprehensive purposes Of which tho spe-
oial inquiaition required ia d normal
part; but II can become d profession to got tho
Chairmanallip of aonlo Special Committee by
moving ,for,it. and thon slip of home on tho
svingo Of aanaatfnn, and ho rnfnrnad to Eanurnau
like Citzon Mnrat orIsomo othor selt-constitut-
cd Shook.
Is being investigated by Court Martial, The
proper body to try O military man. and such
Commissions seldom do injustfoo, dealing out
the law OF military honor. nm wholly uninforu-
ed about his character. Hc Ia sort OF military
Colfax, as I understand 1t, who Inns undertaken
tho role OF Hayolock with imperfect civil and
neutrality-suspicious.. God forbid that wo should
judge men, and tho Court that Is to try this man
needs no reinforcing. It appears that he
has obeyod some kind Of fnnaticism, and dristcd
OF to philanthroplos, generally involving gooa
deal Of money, many officials, and eomo OF tho
clements Of running for tho Presidency. At any
rote ho has made both opponents and enemies,
most OF whom could do no mora than keep him
moving and suffering, until the Secretary OF
War pulled up his accounts, showed thoro to be
large doflclte, and reported him to Congress-.
,CongrosB consigned him to Jury outside OF
civil protonsos Of juHtice and tborc he is, attont
upon his character and fate. The Froedmcn's
Bureau is ono Of tho appoudicca of Reconstruct
tion;--an ordor Of Jesuits to propagate Freedom
and sustain tue party; like ite prototype, 1t ro-
mo,nbored politics more than tho faftb, and has
been expelled from many OF tho States whom 1t
undertook to have sort OF molahillroyalty:
with twenty or thirty brauches,..tho paront
branch under Howard's oya, in Washington, and
Tic others scattered amongst tho negroes, from
Now York to New Orleans: It has boon at ono
recent panlca showed It to have lot out its mon-
back-atay OF bonds In tho Treasury makoB 1t al
ways apparently prccariouB. Tho long distance
of most of the depositors from thia bank. their
crodn]ity and slowueas iii hearing nows Of ru-
mors or warnings, give the conceru an adVan-
tago oyor white peoples banks. It is reported
ito havo sa,ooo,0o0 lont out on Washington City
roal eBtato.
TIE GOVERNMENT pn1NTrNd-opF1cE
is being investigated more on general appear
ancen than on knowledge. It Is an olcphantino
parvonu, grown up from mere cub which ate
ginger-snaps before the audience, to do tho sub
Lime trick Of transferring o dollar 4 from: on me
pocket OF tho spectator to a,distant Rhoit, and
not knowing how to taie 1t down again. Tho
Printer belongs to That band OF matchloss
purity which sings:
Iwant TO DO Dop?rtment, .
' And with tho Cabtnet stand.
harp within my hand. ,-,.- r.,
Tho Joint Committee on Printing docs this 1r!;
vestigation, lod by Senator Anthony; and it vii
bo as we'll dono Us IT, tho work had bson 1ntrust-
ed to q lot of chaps left over from tho Fo6ulsr
sss wepm. / suspect au It % oanr's oioieat one1ae te
at hays soo been any assfoty Or Of boots prco
an,,. none being required, foil into o hind Of
headlong negligence, by which, like Alullott
and others, ha computed on tho grounl-loor,
and ran into the seventh heaven I oI expense; Z;
nav. encourage every proposition mAdo to him to
Improve riyer-bar, build palace, or print an
Agricultural Report? 6onc do it from m over
weenins desire to bo Thought necessary; others,
to nile in so much work ahead that they will feel
eecure in the custody Of it for Years; othors.
again; from the wild, creative TroponRity; and
still others, because, perhaps there will DO an
. honest taro md tret in 80 much mountainous
enterprise. Like tho man with the razorB who
: sold tnom under cost, but grew rich by tho great
number be rot or Civil Service based on
prudeuoe az wei! as efficiency would dissuade
Congress from many wild and almost. nselesa
!, expenditure but hero lB al instance OK now
they do It.:
The Commissioner of Agriculture, generally
selected because he makes good ice-crenm, re,
eolvos Tint Ae must Issue stunning edition O.
waye splootod because ,he publishod politica
nowBpaper in one politicians interest for years
mud asks for ho'p. They both fly around and
call on tlat member OF the Agricultural Com
1nombcr Of tle Printing Committee whose sou
ask for 100000 "Agricul.urals j" falling II
t4hat, to drop to 100000 copies; and to die d
the bntoahoe ct Congress- it sh he lsst
fairly to work. Perfectly eanguino md pell
me}l, flying around valo1ously, voting for th
mans bill, supporting that ono in pure exubor
ance Of cheerfu!nosB. and expecting all to- 5oit
their point, issue cords st ugly booha. of adva1
tage to none and, presto tho yo1r end
upon, . deficiency all around. Now IT look
suspicious. A financial obb comes to the coun
try. The cry is Economy and Reform, just aB !
has been since the beginning OF tile world
When the morninE-atars sung together and the
Sons Of God shouted for joy, there was directl.
anuoys tho Secretary of tho Interior, and thi
Treasury too; they call on tho Public Printer
It leaks out. nnd . man ncross tho way oxclaim
:" Corruption 1" Then the dog is mad TIL
Printer looks oyor his books, and they will no
post. He drops on his estimates for the cominy
yoar, and this proyokoa suspicion. Tho countr
reader hears TINT there IL another investigation
and ho folds his bandana over hia head an
sinks away to alumber, snoring: !" o Lordl hoy
1ongW
THE POPULAR GOD.
It In little notable that Congress-, while in
vestigating with ayidity, does nothing else wort
knowing. Tho House OF Representatives Ia to
Initiating tho currency in q large minority, an
all tho grent special investigators arc on TIN
side. No other question Inns been noticod dul
ing tho sessions and | felt, at the first, that
there was any haroBy III the country on in