The Cecil Whig. [volume] (Elkton, Md.) 1841-current, 1875-05-22
LETTER FROM WASHINGTON.
WASHINGTON, d. c., May l., 1879.

press the opinion of every one outside Of
cepted theory that the beginning of SEES
sion of Congress is the Alpha and its ad-
journment the Omega Of every thing enjoy
able. But, believe me, life in Washington
holds little something excitable for us to
enjoy, even when deprived of the concen-
trated essence Of national wisdom. 1t is a
very sad time, no doubt, when you give the
last shake to the departing congressional
hand. But still Providence is very kind to
us. The song says:
Y on may break you may scatter our Con-
gress if you will,
But the memory of its members will hang
round us still,
Tor words to that effect; therefore, though
a cruel custom deprives us, during few
months of the year of all that is supposed
to make life endurabe, there are enough
of them hanging round here all Summer,
"lookng after things to keep up the
memory above alluded to, and prevent US
from falling into an abyss of despair.
Often when reading the parable of the
loaves and fishes the thought has been
forced on me that if the company enter
tanned at that time were like our friends of
the present day, much trouble would have
been saved in gathering up the "frag-
ments."
But life is still worth striving for and
although deprived of some enjoymeuts, we
are not to be pitied for dizziness, for as long
as Providence prevents the capital being
moved and we can hang on to our depart
ments, there will always be excitement
enough to prevent us suffering to any great
extent from that feeling, called in fashiona-
Die life ennui. 1t is Just about as lively
around Uncle Samuels mansions now as
the friskiest person could wish. People
who in the morning flourish as a bay tree
are cut down like dried grass before noon,
if not sooner. There is 6 section of the
day of judgment sort of ar arrangement
going on that is not very pleasant to delin-
quent office holders, particularly those con-
nected with the Revenue Department, for
Sec. Bristow's unearthing of the whisky
ring has been a regular flank movement,
and caused as much CONSERVATION in the
aforesaid department as it has among the
illicit distillers. The Secretary has dem.
onstrated fact that in many respects has
not much surprised the public-that our
whole system of collecting the revenue is
at fault, and that the defect is as much the
result of incapacity as rascality. Some of
the press of the country are trying very
hard to show that the whole evil is in the
repeal of the moiety law, but the Secretary
disposes of this argument in the fact that
his discoveries of frauds were made by the
regular detective force of the Government,
and without the necessity of sacrifice of
one half of the stolen revenues collected,
as was the rule under the moiety system;
and should he adhere to his present deter
mination of no compromise, his victory
will be doubly complete, and the effect
upon the guilty parties such that they will
hardly venture into another experiment of
the kind as long as he is at the head of the
Treasury Department; he has an open field
before him. and it is hoped he will give it
thorough blowing before he gets through.
Illicit distillation of spirits will be his great
est source of trouble, and l dare venture
the declaration that distiliers, as rule,
have given the Government more trouble
than any other class from whom it collects
revenues. There is no difficulty in collect
ing the taxes levied on other interests.
fabrics, or, indeed, all the trades, except
ing that of distilling spirits and manufac-
turing tobacco, pay their taxes faithfully,
while in the two cases named there is con-
slant trouble. All over the world the pro-
ducers of spirits are q trouble to the Govern
ernments under which they do business.
Why is it Probably some of the advo-
Gates of emo license" in Cecil can inform
your readers why this is thusly.
SHALL WE CoLoNIZE THEM?
not the above mentioned illicit distill-
ers," or the advocates of "no license, but
our " colored brudder." There are reports
of movement here to start colonization
scheme for the colored people as means
of affording them better opportunities Of
self-improvement, both in health and in
advancement, than is now afforded them
in this country. 1t is proposed to make
Cuba and San Domingo points for the
experiment, and that, in order to give en-
enlargement to the project, the latter should
be purchased and thrown open to this class
of immigration. 1t appears that the Presi-
dent assigns that his chief purpose for urg-
ing the purchase of San Domingo was to
carry out this scheme.
No doubt the motives of the President
were of the very best, but it is not thought
that the acquisition of this island would
have led to the immigration of many COL
ored people. They are not migratory
race-lacking the qualities of self-protec-
ton, they could never survive if obliged to
live together in separate communities
The colored man understands this, and he
will never be caught in any colonization
schemes. Here he is and here he will re-
main, preferring to run all risks under our
protection than any involved in outside
experiments. On this point his ideas of
civilization are sound.
NEXT.
1t is positively stated by the knowing
Democrats here that the next Congress
will devote its entire first session to the
business of investigation. All the bureaux
are to be torn open, every auditing office is
to he ransasked, and the disbursements of
the Government revised for the discovery
of fraud, the laying open of crime, and
the arrest and punishment of delinquents
If these investigations are made with judi
cial fairness, which of course they cannot
be, it will be discovered that less actual
fraud has been committed during the entire
administration of Lincoln and Grant than
was perpetrated in any one of the four
years of Buchanan's rule. No one has as
yet attempted to steal the entire navy and
the regular army of the nation, with navy
yards and arsenals, as the Democratic lead |
ers did in 1853. But by all means let us