The Middlebury register. [volume] (Middlebury, Vt.) 1850-1882, 1877-09-28
Washington Letter.

time has made Washington uncommon
ly dull. The news-mongers have been
fairly "run up stumps," and the penny
a-liners have been forced to exercise
their imaginations to the utmost stretch.
Facts being scarce they have undertaken
to earn their salaries by plentiful crea-
tions of their own fancies. Among
these latter was the story that there
would be this coming winter Demo-
cratic organization ofthe senate. There
is no likelihood of anything of the sort
There is fair and square Republican
majority in the senate of three votes.
The death of Senator Morton and the
appointment of Democrat in his place
would still leave the upper house of |
congress in the hands of the Republicans |
But this is not all. There are two or
three senators not classed as Republi- |
cans, and who were not elected in con-
sequence of regular Republican nomina-
tions, who nevertheless on all strictly
party questions act with that party. |
And there are as many Democrats, or
more, who are hearty friends of the adj
ministration, and who would act with
the Republicans in maintaining the pres
cnt organization, rather than go into a
coalition with the two OF three carpet
bag senators whom they despise. L
have recently conversed with Senator
Bayard of Delaware and Senator Ran
som of North Carolina, prominent DEM
ocrats, and find that they both think
the Democrats would commit gross
error i'll undertaking to control the
senate. The attempt will not be made.
But it is not to be denied that the senate
is likely to be Democratic after the pres
cnt congress, that is, after March 4,
1879. AT that time the terms of Senat-
ors Spencer, Dorsey, Sargent and Pat
terson expire, and they are likely to be
filled by Democrats. AT the same time
expire the terms of the eminent Senat-
ors Morton, Conkling and Oglcsby, the
political status of whose successors may
well be doubted, as may be that of the
successor of Conover of Florida. 1t is
not much disputed here that Ohio will
return republican. On the other hand,
it is not wholly improbable that the Re-
publicans may gain few seats now
held by Democrats, Barnum of Connec-
ticut, and Merrimon of North Carolina,
for instance. Nevertheless, nothing in
the future is more certain than that the
United States senate will fall into the
control of the Democracy, March 4, 1879,
after nearly twenty years of funinterrupt-
ed control by the Republicans; years
which have been big with events and
characterized by political reforms of the
greatest importance and of the greatest
beneficence. There never has been q
period of twenty years in which more
has been accomplished for the human
race than the years in which the senate
of the United States has been in the
n ,pfpo1 Of tho Ronub1,co,, ,,o,tx-
In the prevailing dearth of general
news there have been several pen-and-
ink onslaughts on a number of public
officials. Among others the Hon. j. A.
Bentley, commissioner of pensions, has
come in for large share of attack. His
assailants are ex-clerks who charge that
fraudulent claims have been passed by
him. 1t is very singular that these peo-
pie never find out anything of this
nature while they are in Office. bnt tho
moment they are put out for good and
valid reasons become ferociously virtu-
GUS and pathetically patriotic. l have
spent much of the time in this city for
the past eighteen years, and have been
pretty well acquainted with all the
prominent officials during that period.
| have never known better head of a
bureau than j. A. Bentley. He is an
honest man, uncommonly intelligent.
efficient, and courteous in the discharge
of his duties. He found the office at
odds and ends, confused, dilatory, ex-
pensively organized. He recognized
it from bottom to top, dispensing with
supernumeraries while augmenting the
efficiency of the office. This is shown
by the fact that twenty-five per cent.
more cases were examined and decided
last year than for many years previous
ly, and this with a reduction of one
eighth of the force. The fact is, Mr..
Bentley is a genuine refOrmer in ideas
and man of so fine practical capacity
that he carries out his reforms about as
successfully as such things are possible
in wicked world. He is by large
majority the best commissioner we have
had since Joseph III. Barrett, and cannot
be attacked with truth and justice.
The auditor of the treasury for the
post office department, Hon. j. NJ. Nc
Grew, one of the best officials at Wash
ington, has just had completed series
of tabular statements for his annual re-
port, showing the operations of the
money-order establishment for the fiscal
year 1877. The business of this branch
of the post office department is very
great, but OH account of the failure of
congress to make appropriations for
new money order offices, and the hard
times generally, its operations were not
quite so extensive last year as the year
before. The money-order business,
however, amounted during the year to
S135, ,4S6, ,285. 80, the revenue received
therefrom by the government amount
ing to Sl09, ,14S.01. We now have postal
treaties embracing money-order service
with Great Britain, Canada, Germany
and Switzerland. The domestic trans
actions alone aggregate large sums.
The number of such orders issued dur
ing the year was 4, 1925, ,931, their amount
orders paid was 4,769 ,673, amounting
to S72, AIS, 1868. Among all the states
Illinois issues the largest number with
the largest amount, but New York pays
the most both in number and amount.
Ohio comes next, being in this particu-
lar very considerably ahead of Pennsyl-
vania. 1t is a noteworthy fact that the
strong Republican states are in advance
of the strong Democratic states of about
equal population and political power.
Iowa, for example, which has delega-
ton in congress just equal to that of
Virginia, beats Virginia out of sight in
the money-order business. Iowa issued
last year 1924 ,764 money-orders, amount
ing to si,l5l ,697 81, and paid 1876, ,246,
amounting to S3,lS6, ,767.45; while Vir-
ginia issued 74,6S6, amounting to ST.
1S7, ,442.9i, and paid 5000, aggregating
Sl,024 ,876.77. And so it goes, all
around. read a newspaper article the
other day on Democratic Barbarism."
Facts like these go far to prove the
superior civilization of Republican COM
munities. |. j. X.
Never talk of disagreeablc things at
your table, but let the conversation be
kind, genial, social and cheering. The
more good company YOU have at your