New Orleans Republican. [volume] (New Orleans, La) 1867-1878, 1876-08-27
Especial Correspondence OF the Republican. J
AFFAIRS AT THE CAPITAL.

ICpoCloI OOITeOPOuutuco VI tAo nCpuUA4e@A'J
AFFAIRS AT THE CAPITAL.
WASHINGTON, August %, 1876.
Before this reaches you, no doubt, you
will have heard of the death of the Hon
M. C. Kerr, Speaker of the House of Rep
representatives. The melancholy event oc'
curred at Rockbridge Alum Springs On
last Saturday evening. at half-past seven
O'Clock, and presented one Of the most
memorable instances of perfect conscious
ness up to the very last moment upon
record. The remains arrived here at Elk
o'clock Tuesday morning, and we're at
once placed upon the westward bound
train to be conveyed to New Albany, H.
diana, the home of the deceased. Con.
gress not being in session at the time OF
his death, Of course no action, such as is
usual on the death Of q prominent Official,
could be taken. Nevertheless, the officers
of the House have been ass1duous in their
attentions, and have rendered every SER
vice that could be deired. Mr.. Sayler'
Speaker pro tenn of the House, was present
at the time of his death. and Mr.. Thompson,
Sergeant alarms of the House, has taken
charge of the remains. Mr.. Ferry, President
of the Senate, who was here, having received
q dispatch to the effect that the remains
would be brought here this morning, has
decided to delay his departure for Michi-
gan and accomp any the remains to New
Albany.
Centennial visitors with the 'irrepressi-
BILE duster" contin ne to throng the White
House, though the President is absent, hav-
ing, with Mrs. Grant and his son Ulysses, left
for Long Branch on Saturday morning last.
The President will perhaps be absent till
the middle of October. The National Re-
publican of this morning strikes the Demo
cratic party deadly blow by attacking its
vital principle, which is lying. 1t is by
lying alone that it lives, and if all its sinues
were as clearly cut as this one is its life
would be of short dnration. The paper
says:
Among the many gross falsehoods. put
forth by the Democratic leaders to influence
the coming election is the statement that
there is an army of 1O0, 900 Office holders,
and that there has been an enormous in
crease under the present administration.
A table prepared by Fernando Wood, q
year or two ago, and pretended to be com
piled from the biennial record or register
from 1859 to 1875 inclusive, now figures
largely in Democratic speeches and news
papers. This table is false in every par.
ticular. There is not true statement in it
It is pretended that the total number OF
officeholders in 1869 was 54 ,207, and that in
1871 it's number was 81 Cos, and that in 1875
the number had increased to 80 637, or an
increase of g, 900 in two years, and that in
1875 the number had swelled to "a, ll9
being an increase of 81 600 in four years
Every man of common sense knows that
this is false. In every department except
the Postoffice, the number of civil officers
has been decreasing for the last four years
The increase of postmasters is at about the
rate of 300 per annum, and the letter car
riers have increased bv extending thai
service to cities Of 90 900 inhabitants.
To settle this matter Senator Cragn in.
troduced into the Senate q resolution call
ing on the heads of all the executive depart
ments for the aggregate number OF civi
officers in or connected with each depart
ment, not including labOrers and mecban
les employed by the day or contracted fol
the year 6UOS0 udIucu. Ills ICoOluplou
passed the Senate on the twenty fourth da,
of July last. The head Of each department
made reply, and Senator Cragin has com
piled from the reports an official tabl'
which he presented to the Senate on tn,
fifteenth of August last, and may be f0une
in the Congressional Record OF August l6
1876, page eighty-two.
This table is also published in tn
paper from which quote, but is mucl
too long for insertion here, but cop,
of it should be in the hands of ever,
Republican to serve as o hammer will
which to nail to the counter the Democrats
lies in that particular. By that table it il
shown that the total number in 1875 wa
only 62,l72, and not 94,1l9 a. falsely re
ported. The Democratic statement is onl,
g., 900 too large, or about one-half CREATE
than the actual number. This lie has beel
travelling for some time past, and it lie abou
time it was stopped.
Sitting Bull Butler nominated Wad'
Hampton for Governor of South Carolina
He had been offered the nomination him
self, but said he had obeyed Hampton dur
ing the war, and preferred being command
ed by him during the pending campaign
1t is pity he did not have commander il
the Hamburg affair. REP.
The IarA (eueral Havs.