Essex County herald. [volume] (Guildhall, Vt.) 1873-1964, 1876-04-15
Our Washington Letter.

iully sing lhc Oiu anu expressive hymn,
"lo what cloud of witnesses encompass
US around" The multitudlnous investi-
gators have certainly added n temporary
accession to the population of Washing
ton, but whether any benefit will thereby
accrue, Is pgoblematical. This much Is
certain, however, that the class of per-
sons who have been called here to testify
before the various Committees in vast
majority of cases much more readily af-
feet the bar-rooms and gambling denS
than they do the lecture rooms and
churches. One ofthese witnesses-it APP
pears a most disreputa5lc characteristics
J by some means or other obtained access
to the floor of tbs House. For the bene-
fit of those seeking post-traderships it
may be interesting for them to know that
no vacancies are known at the War De-
partment and the new Secretary of war
has ordered that in order to secure the
position the trader must be recommend
cd by the council OF Administration at
Vic BOlbs 1uO IOulClt Vi
is majority Of officers at the post and
the field of peculation is thus transferred
| from Washington. General Custer in
| his evidence before the Committee on eX-
pcnditures in the War Department, gives
most disgusting account of the manner
in which affairs have been conducted at
/ fila ~ 4 81,
omnipotent as regarded the question of
| supplies, and even went so far as to stop
an officers wagon to. ascertain if he had
purchased any goods at q station some
| four miles distant, where they could be
| bought at half the price the trader was
selling them for at the post where the Of
flcer was stationed. After giving de-
tailed statements on most unparalleled
rascality and high handed robberies ofin-
dividualS and the government, General
Custer was asked, did you ever represent
this state of affairs to the Secretary Of
War? No sir, I did not, because | was
just as suspicious of the Secretary Of War
as l was Of the Sutler. There can be no
doubt that this thing of investigation is
being carried to excess. A large number
Of officials are undergoing the ordeal and
in many instances the charges are found
| ed upon the idlest gossip and not unfre-
quently events transpre, clearly demon
strating the fact that there is vast
| Of DOMINATION tbn Tn1iti
clans on both sides. Secretary BriStow
has sent dispatch to the u. S. District
Attorney, at Louisville, calling his atten-
ton to the Reeves statement that he had
paid the Secretary the price of one hun
dred fat hogs, valued q $40 per cwt. not
to prosecute him for Illicit distiling. OF.
fetal examination has proved the state
ment to be a base falsehood, AMI siHce
then the amiable and repentant Reeves
retIacts the whole thing and says he was
drunk when he made the charge. The
House Committee on expenditures in tho
Interior Department has been for some
time engaged in the Investigation Of af
! ldliS db LllS EONC Ills ltt lull
the evidence discloses a most nmentable
state of facts as connected with that in
stitution. Badly tainted beef, mouldy
-four, and brutal Treatment of patients by
the ignorant employees. to say nothing o
the expenditure of public money for pri
vate purposes. Michael Hays, q profess
ed burglar, and !. c. Nettleship, formerly
chief of the detective service corps were
before the Judiciary Committee yesterday
but could not be heard as business Of par
amount importance occupied the Commit
tee at thai time. These two men, it vii
be remembered were principal witnesses
in the safe burglary case in which Har
rington, the District Attorney at that
time by his own subsequent confession
fixed up job, to have his Cwn safe rob
bed of important papers in q case ther
pending before the Court involving, th(
integrity of several highly respectable
citizens. The object seems to have beer
to completely destroy the reputation o
Mr. Columbus Alexander particularly bu
happily the whole scheme failed, and re
coiled with crushing effect upon it's orig.
inator. There is NOW in the Treasury
$500, 900 in fractional currency; wheI
this amount shall be reduced to one mil
lion dollarsthe treasury will cease to issue
fractional currency, the one million vii
be retained at the Departments for its
own purposes in making change. This
looks like step towards a return to spe
Gle currency. Some Of the stores in New
York and Philadelphia are already using
specie as change. DR.. Lippincott (huS
band of Grace Greenwood) was dismiss
cd from the Land Office, on account o.
alleged questionable transactions regard
ing certain claim for 1928 900 which was
put through by an attorney named BuX
ton, formerly clerk in the Department
The case was before the grand jury yes
terday. A bill has been laid before the
House with, however, strong minority
report, proposing to transfer the Pension
Bureau from the Interior to the War De.
partment, thus removing the adjudic
ton Of pension claims from the civil te
the military Department of the govern
ment. A bill has passed the House
greatly reducing the pay of officers Of the
Army. 1t is very satisfactory to be able
to state that the exertiOns for the relief
of the diSengaged employees of the Blu
reau of engraving and printing has met
with gratifying success, and it will
doubtless be gratifying to those who arc