The Columbian. [volume] (Bloomsburg, Pa.) 1866-1910, 1876-03-31
WASHINGTON LETTER.
WAsuINaToN, d. c., March 2S, 1876.
Special Correspondence.


A majority of the committee on Indian
affairs has reported in favor of transferring
the Indian Bureau from that sink of iniquity
the Indian department to the War depart
ment. As Belknap is out this is good move,
for the new Secretary of War, Judge Taft
is known to be an honest man. 1t is hardly
to be hoped that the change will be made, as
under the present arrangement the recon-
mendatons for Indian agents are divided
among various religious denominations and
they will bring all the influence to bear that
/. possible to prevent the transfer of their
patronage. 1t is remarkable fact that since
the appointment of indian agents, in the
present way there has been more rascality in
the transactions with the indians than ever
before. Either these religious agents are
very child-like aud easily imposed upon or
they 'go snooks" with the other thieves in
plunderng both the government and the
indians.
The Bclknap articles of impeachment are
not yet prepared, nor have the managers of
the House yet been elected, both will be
done this week and it is presumable the trial
will commence next week. Sufficient evil
dence has been secured to render his con-
viction certain, though as yet it is uncertain
whether the Senate will.try the case upon its
merits, as Belknap's attorneys will claim that
his resignation deprives the Senate of the
right to try. This was evidently Grants
idea when he so hastily accepted the resig.
nation of his corrupt Secretary. 1t has been
proven before the committee on War expen-
ditures that Orville Grant sold several Post
traderships and the disgusting spectacle is
exhibited, of the President of the United
States allowing his brother to peddle out the
official patronage.
Secretary Bristow even, the man whom
every one thought had "the clean hands and
pure heart" of which all the members OF
the administration were known to be lack.
ing, has been smrched in a mule transaction
The case was before the court of claims when
Bristow was assistant Attorney General in
1872 and was barred by the statute of limi-
tations, but Secretary Belknap directed that
this plea should not be made, subsequently
the right to appeal was waived and Bristow
having resigned became an attorney for the
plaintiff. All of which taken together does
not look well.
The most disgraceful of all Belknap
transactions yet brought to light is the steal
made in putting head-stones to the graves OF
the dead soldiers. Even in this work the
government was robbed of several hundred
thousand dollars and it has been proven that
the favored contractor had been assured that
he would not be required to abide by the
specifications. How much he paid for this
assurance and who received the money has
not yet been discovered.
The House will hereafter meet three nights
of each week to discuss the appropriation
bills A determined effort is being made by
the Republican members of the House to
defeat the economies proposed by the COM
mittee. And the Republicans of the Senate
have declared they will not agree to the bills
as reported. Their committee has taken the
diplomatic and consular bill passed by the
House and restored all the officers cut off by
the House bill, and have placed the salaries
at the old figures. The indications are that
there will be protracted struggle on these
bills, that may carry the session well over
into the summer. Jay Gould and his party
having discovered that they were beaten and
that the Texas and Pacific bill would certain
ly pass, quietly smuggled new bill into
the Senate committee on Railroads by which
they proposed to take the lands granted tc
the Texas and Pacific and build road which
would be under the control of the Texa:
central and have its only terminus Calves
ton. Monday was set for the consideration
of this bill in the committee, and Huntington
Gould's Man Friday, came over from New
York with strong lobby to work it up
There are whispers that Senator West o
Louisiana, who has been strong friend o
the Texas and Pacific favOrs this new pro
the State he represents and recalls the fac
tn at when the question of the manner o
| opening the mouth of the Mississippi rive
was under discussion, West was strongly il
favor of the Fort St. Philip canal, until
certain time when he suddenly became al
advocate of the Jetty Plan. Huntington
told a member of Congress that he woul'
spend million dollars to defeat the Texa
and Pacific bill. He may have been usin
convincing arguments with West.
The Supreme Court has just rendered tw
most important decisions on the constitution
ality of the Force bill or Ku Klux act
One is an appeal fromKentucky in the cases G
Hirman Reese and Matthew Foushee VIII
were indicted for refusing to receive an
count the vote of colored man named Wm
Garner. After an exha ustive review of tn
case the court, all the judges concurrng ex
cept Mr.. Justice Hunt, decided the law wa
unconstitutional and that Congress had nc
provided appropriate legislation on the sub
ject. The other case was from Louisan
where Wm. j. Cruikshank, VIM. ID. Irvi
and John p. Hadnot were indicted unde
the ku Klux act for banding and conspil
ing together" to intimidate certain citizens {
African descent and thereby to prevent ther
from voting Without deciding upon til
constitutionality of the law, the prisoner
were discharged because of the vaguery {
the Indictment. But the dicta of tn
court very plainly indicated that had
been before them properly they would hav
declared the law unconstitutional.
The Payne caucus bill on finances W.
brought up Monday and defeated, recevin
only 81 votes. As / have said in anothC
letter this bill does not satisfy either IL
hard money or the greenback men, hence i
defeat.
The administration men are openly worl
ing for Conkling the most devoted Hencl
, man of Grant. The Democrats should al