Union and American. [volume] (Greeneville, Tenn.) 1875-1877, 1876-08-17
WASHINGTON LETTER.
WASHINGTON, Aug. 7. 1876.

~ "HP' P''
tion bills, or rather that part of. it,
reducing the Presidents salary aud
the pay of members of Congress,
has removed all distractions tC
adjournment; and as soon as the
clerkly work of putting the bills
in proper form for the Presidents
signature, has been accomplished
that important event will transplre
aud the Forty-Fourth, or thief
catching Congress BY some styled
the Centennial will be among the
things of the past. Nothing OF
any importance was done yester'
day. The Senate and members
seemed to be acting good deal
like a fellow who has been cm-
ployed by the day and who has
flashed his job before the day has
expired. So he fills up the time,
citing the place to- rights putt
ting away his tools, and killing
time generally. The Indian war
is the chief topic of interest, il is
probable that before this reaches
YOU a battle will have taken place
between Gen. Crook and the In
dians If Crook whips the Indians
it will be glorious battle if the
Indians whip Crook it will be a
bloody massacre. That's how our
papers will publish it, but if the
Indians published papers they d
put it the other way. The man>
ageu.ent of our Indian affairs has
been characterized by fraud, vil>
lainy and corruption. The lndi-
ans on the principle of sell preSer
walton have been actually starved
into this outbreak by the rascallty
of our government employees
Bi.hop Whipplc of Minnesota has
written clear and Christian>like
letter to Gen. Grant, in which he
clcarly-dcine --ahd---establlshes
this fact. | wrote to you some
months since that BOSS Sheppard
Grants crony had built an elegant
house on the corner of 18th street
and Pa. Avenue, and that he was
going to try and rent i: to the
government for the Pension Bu-
reau. Well the event has justified
my prediction. By the aid of Sen
ators Window and Allison he has
accomplished his purpose, they
were on the Congressional Com
mittee having III charge the Leg
i.lative. Executive and Juaicial
appropriation bills, when they
came to the Pension Bureau they
slipped in an innocent looking par
agraph stating that the bGildlng
on the corner of 12,h st and the
Avenue should be rented for PEN
sion purposes. In the many small
paragraphs in the voluminous bill
Democrats who did not know that
Sheppard owned this building oV>
erlooking this little item and it is
now incorporated in the existing
statutes. The result will be that
the Pension office will be moved
at great expense from a building
that has tor many years been
found admirably adapted to its
purposes to one at a much higher
rent Just to suit the financial views
of the Boss. 1t will be alleged
that Shepherds building is fire.
proof and the other is not. 1t can
only be said that the government
has been some twelve or fifteen
years finding out that fire-prooi
building was necessary and per-
haps never would have been en-
lightened to this extent, had not
Boss Sheppard built one. Inde'
pendent Of this fact when this
thing was spoken of last winter
the owner of the Seaton House
the building now occupied by the
Pension Bureau offered to put it IN
a 6reproof condition if they would
increase the rent,
Gen. M. G. Butler who has been
SO outrageously aspersed by the
Republican press in connection
with the Hamburg affair has ad'
dressed letter TO Representative
Jones Of Ky, thanking him and
the other gentlemen in Congress
for the vindicAtion which they have
made Of his connection with that
affair. Gen. Butler protests that
the people of the North do not
understand to what terrible ex'