The Louisiana Democrat. [volume] (Alexandria, La.) 1845-1918, 1877-06-20
WASHINGTON CORRESPONDENTS
WASHINGTON, )
June II, lS77.\

WASHINGTON,
June II, ls77.l
EDITOR DEMocRAT-
the President has just done a zen.
sible thing appointing a Democr,,
one of the Commissioners Of tbi.
District. The people here are to /.
great extent dependent upon the A..
ton Of Congress, and it is manife.tlx
desirable that the local Offices sbou,a
be filed with men whose political
opinions, are in harmony with thosa
of the two Houses. Mr.. Bryan, Who
has received the appointment, v.s
one of two men suggested by Mr..
Corcoran, the largest real. estate own.
er of the District. In late inter.
view here General Butler was er.
tremely bitter in his comment. on
the fact that Mr.. Corcoran seemed
to have the ear Of the President in
relation to District affairs. But
Butler is partisan, and spoke as a
partisan. With q debt of over go.
100000 and a real estate valuation
of less than $l00,000,O00, and par.
ticularly without trade or manafsc.
lures, the property holders of the
District have something besides pol.
itics to think of.
General Butler, by the way has
just written letter to Wayne Nc.
Weigh, one Of the Presidents Lou.
isiana Commissioners. The letter
has the vim and paint Of everything
that comes from Butler, and some.
thing more than usual of scusrility
and petty personal abuse. 1t is in.
teresting only when we remember
that McVeigh is not, and the Presi.
dent is, the person that Butler is dri.
wing at. 1t is we'll understood that
war has commenced against the Adj
ministrstion, and that General Butler
is doing the preliminary fighting.
The troops heretofore kept in Lou
} isiana have been ordered to the
West. This is carrying out the
Presidents well known purpose not
} to keep soldiers IN any place where
their presence could be considered as
a menace to the people. Those in
, South Carolina will probably soon
follow. The good old Democratic
doctrine that the strength and per.
petuity Of the Union Of States de.
ponds upon the good will Of all ito
r members, rather than upon the exer-
else of force, has evidently hold
+ upon the President.
g There is much opposition from
: both parties to the and taken BY
e the President in regard to Mexico,
e and it will not be surprising if the
0 order to General Ord to cross the
G Rio Grande with troops whenever be
: thinks it necessary, shall be modified.
Secretary Sherman has uniformity
u expressed an idea that all queetione
t as to losses incident to the war, BY
e citizens of the United States, should
D be submitted to and passed upon BY
i some Court, Board or Com Mission
e specially authorized for the purpose,
: The talk of Blaine and others during
}. the last campaign about the doubling
= of the National debt by payment Of
8 Southern claims" if Tilden wa.
# elected was bosb, and was intended
= only to affect the election then abou
Q to take place. But the party O
: which Mr. Blaine was, up to the All
d of March, q Header, has been paying
!. millions Of dollars yearly of tn.
o claims of Northern and Southern me.
q who lost property by reason Of tn,
war. These payments, so far al
y they were made by the Treasury
/ have been stopped by the presen
III Secretary. He has an idea, as statet
# above, that all Of them should be re
IT ferred for examination to some com
J. petent authority, having fixed rule
II BY which to decide them. There il
e a clamor of claimants and some o
y their agents against this, but I be
e lieve that the Secretary's plan, i
'e promptly adopted and put into ope
II ration, would result in benefit TO pro
81 per claimants, and in loss only {,
those who own or control fraudulen
or f'watered" claims. Heretofore on
:. Court has passed upon some of thes
). claims; a Commission has passet
= upon another class; the Treasury up
=, on other classes, etc. Each Of thes,
g. bodies has had its own rules as {,
ID evidence, and the most contradictor,
20 conclusions were reached. The ma,
= who got pay through the Court 70