Lexington weekly intelligencer. (Lexington, Mo.) 1871-1887, 1876-04-15
OUR WASHINGTON LETTER.

| sale IN the OWc0 Ol Iuo Ouiteo
Attorney, in this city, was blown open WIFI
powder, and q lot of books and papers which
were done up In . bundle, were taken there
| from, and carried by enc of the burglars to
| the house Of Columbus Alexander, a prom
| inent democratic citizen of this city. A,
| the time OF this transaction the joint-com-
mittee OF congress was investigating the
Board Of Public Works and the District
Ring, with Boss Shepherd at its head. was
being closely pressed to the wall. This MT
Alexander wal at the head of . small band
Of citizens who dared to opposed the ring,
and vera IN the habit OF meeting together
for the purpose Of consultation each day,
and gathering facts to present to the commit
tee on the morrow. The ring knew this,
and their plan was to seize the papers on
the blowing open Of the safe, send them by
. man to AlsxaRder's house. and while he
and his friends were examining them, q
policeman WAS to bs informed, and the whole
party arrested at once The plan failed,
however, and ever since that time Alexsn-
der has been gathering facts for the present
investigation, which is being rapidly de' o.
oped. Whitley has, however, volunteered
to make . clean breast Of the plot on condl-
ton that he is pardoned, and In q few days
the whole matter will be laid bare to public
eyes. Babcock il implicated, and matters
lsok blue for him.
Secretary Bristow has gone to Louisville,
and the question rs to whether he will re-
turn is frequently asked. No one doubts
but that Grants riends desire his dismissal,
and it In equally certain that the president
and he do not agree on certain grave matters.
It IL ascertained that Grant desires to get
rid Of him, but hesitatss to dismiss him,
fearing the. condemnation OF the country
ut large. Bristow can stand 1t In any man
ner 1t is arranged, for II retained he has the
reputation Of being honest in his motives
and is respected by all who know him. and
II dismissed 1t enhances his prospects for
the nomination for the presidency, to which
distinguished honor he most certainly
aspires. He and the president have been at
loggerheads since the whisky ring develop
ments, and have not as yet come to an under
standing.
The house for the last two weeks has been
holding night sessions during three nights
Of the week. for the purpose of disposing
Of the legislative, judicial aud executive
appropriation bills. The republican forces,
led by Garfield. Hall, Hoar and others,
thunder their broadsides into the commit
tee for its action whenever q reduction Of
salary or force Is proposed. so far the bill
has been but slightly amended, and is
supported In the main by the entire Missouri
delegation, and is likely to pass In Its present
shape.
Secretary Bristow informed the commit
tee on appropriations, when he was before
it, that +~etrenchment and'reform was im-
peratively necessary Throughout the entire
service of the government, that Offices should
be abolished, consultations effected, salaries
reduced, etc. !; in q word that the expenses
OF the government must be reduced, or that
bankruptcy would be the END. The CON-
mittee took his advice under consideration,
and knowing his testimony to be completely
reliable, they accordingly drafted the present
bill, which has beeR SO severely commented
upon by the administration press through
out the land. And II the appropriations for
the year ending July LIST. 1877, are not great
ly reduced when compared with those Of
late years, then it will not be the fault of
the lower branch Of the present congress-, for
they mean business, and that business is to
rstrench and reform az much as possible
where an opportunity presents.
A.. NJ. Clapp, government printer, has
been before the house committee on print
ing during the present week, and has sue
ceeded In convincing the committee that his
management has been one of gross irregular
tiles, checkefed with entertainments. extor-
lions aud frauds Of no small character. He
claimed and showed by his cash book to
nave on hand In his safe $4,000, from the
sale of waste paper and other materials,
which experts testified as being q mall
sum considering the amount sold. The
clerk Of the committee was directed to 20 to
the printing Office and count the funds; he
did 80. aud found only $16.257 80. Clapp
pretended at first to be unable to explain,
hut Afterwards stated that it had been paid
out to the hands employed at the Office. He
is also charged with disposing from year to
year of some five hundred copies of the de-
cisions of the court off claims, and not
accounting for q dollar Of the money, and
with Disturbing funds without showing for
wnst. 4 prominent bookseller and s%tationer
testified that IN MARCH. 1872, his firm
had on hand . lot of blank books watch they
wished to dispose of to the treasury depart
ment, but the law provided that all such
books should be furnished by the govern
neat printer. They were purchased, how
ever, aud the expense charged to legal cap
paper. He had been compelled TO make
admissions which eliminated himself,
and he n%ervously arose from his seat to
isays the room with bis books. The
CHI aiEman told him to leave tie books.
as they would have to bs examined by the
committee. whereat MIR. Ciapp pompously
DECLARED that he was an officer ofthe senate,
and that the committee was proceeding
without authority. The scene was quite
exciting. but as hs found it useless to at
tempt to bully the committee, he dropped
his books and left in an angry mood. The
committee talk of having him impeached
and seem fully warranted in so doing.
The silver bill which has passed the house
has received the appreciation of the senate
committee to whom it was referred, and will
probably be reported in = few days with the
FseonMeIaatl9n that it pass, with a slight
amendment. Then will follow . gradual
reduction or calling In OF the present fac
tional currency, and the substitution of the
ringing. jinSliny silver, which will be music
to the man who can afford to carry enough
ia his pocket to produce the melody.
Tbs order re%-estshlishing the headquarters
OF the army in time Of peace 1t " Washington,
and requiringthst all orders and instructions
relative to military operations or affecting the
military control and discipline of the army,
issued by the President through the Scare
tary of War. shall be promulgated through
the general Of the army, sets at rest for the
present . controversy which has existed for
years. and which sent Sherman to St. Louis.
Sherman and the present Secretary of War
see through the sane glass darkly at one
time, which was not thu case In the days Of
Belknap, and hence the change of locality
In the headquarters of the general Of the
sImy at this time. His salary has been re-
duced fron eighteen to teG thousand dollars
per year, and as he states that he cannot
live here on that sum, and has the remedy
in his own hands. he may use it.
The 18th of the present month has been