Fayetteville observer. [volume] (Fayetteville, Tenn.) 1850-1966, 1876-08-17
Our Washington Letter.

The conference committee OF
the legislative, executive ant
judicial appropriation bill vii
now complete their work ant
make their report. The actor
of the House yesterday re
moved all obstacles to an early
adjournment. 1t instructed it
conferes on the committees t.
recede from their position il
reference to the proposed re.
duction of the Presidents saIa-
ry from $4,000 per annum tc
S25, 900, and the pay of mem
bers Of Congress from $1,000 tC
81, 800. So We may expect
soon to say good bye to the
thief-catching Congress.
1t is highly probable that by
this time battle has been joined
between the United States
troops and the Indians under
Sitting Bull. One week ago
Gen. Crook placed his command
in light marching order, carry
ing with him fifteen days IA
tons and cutting loose from
his wagons. 1t was his pur-
pose to attack the Indians, but
should he find them in force too
heavy for him single-handed he
proposed joining General Ter
ny. The Indians, however, have
moved down so as to intercept
communication between these
two commands and it is proba-
BILE they will be unable to unite
without a fight. Sitting Ball
appears to understand the stu
alton perfectly.
Bishop WhippIe, Of Minneso-
ia, has written a letter to the
President in which he says the
whole blame of the present In
dian troubles is on the admins
tration. He believes that the
President himself, was earnest
in his peace policy towards the
Indians, but that the agents,
traders and others having the
cOuntenance Of the government
have committed innumerable
wrongs and villainies upon the
Indians, until they have been
driven on to the War-patb to a.
void starvation.
a sixteen hundred dollar
clerk named Roadway went
through the Land Office the
day before yesterday leyying
the political assessments on the
clerks for the Presidential cam
paign. The male employees are
assessed at the rate Of two per
cent. on their salaries. Roadway
carried with him two lists and
informed the clerks that he was
expressly ordered by Secretary
Chandler to put upon one list
for dismissal all who refused to
pay. Some plead inability to
pay on account of large tami-
lies, and some few refused and
were openly told they would be
dismissed. The Commissioner
Of the Land Office headed the
list with a subscription of ei9h-
ty dollars. They are hurrying
up these political assessments
and want to get them paid be-
fore the legislative bill becomes
a law, because it contains a sec
ton which makes it a penal Of
Tense for any person to solicit
an employe of the government
to pay an assessment for polit-
ical purposes.
The New York journals say
that there are fifty thousand
men out of employment at the
present time in that city. They
are not men on strike or men
unwilling to work. They are
honest, deserving mechanics
and others who, through no
fault of their own, have been
thrown out of employment, and
cannot now find means to sup
port themselves and thoseIdepen-
dent upon them. 1t is estima-
ted that there are altogether in
the Empire city about one hun
dred and ten thousand working
men, skilled and unskilled. Ac-
cording to the best estimate
that can be formed there are Of
this number sixty-four thou
sand employed. Every year
there are, Of course, large num-
bers who cannot find anything
to do, but the average this year
is something unprecedented.
If this condition of affairs
were purely local there would
be no cause for alarm; but the
same condition of affairs exists
all over the country. Business
men are as badly off in a rela-
tive degree as the working men.
Bankruptcies are Of daily oc-
currence. No one is prosper
80. opd 4boro &c liftlp DrOEDpot