The Grange advance. [volume] (Red Wing, Minn.) 1873-1877, 1877-05-16
Washington Letter.

WAsnlNcroN, D. G. May 9. 1877.
Last Saturday the city was thrown
into sudden spasm Of surprise by the
announcement that the Cabinet had de-
cided to postpone the extra session Of
Congress till October 18th. 81 This de-
cision, like all others, will both please
and displease. congressman and bust
ness men will be rejoiced, while the
District trades-people and certain class
Of politicians will be disappointed, and
will fume and fret accordingly. Among
various reasons given for this change in
the political programme, the principal
one seems to be that congressman don't
want to work during the hot weather
and that there is no real necessity for
80 earl a session, since the army and
navy appropriations are all that demand
it, and they will only have to go over
one regular pay day.
The Washington monument, abou
which so much has been said and writ
ten, is still a subject Of discussion in
the society which was formed especially
to attend to its construction and adorn-,
mcnt. The foundations have recently
been examined by United States engi-
neers and architects who report that
they are insecure and entirely insufficient
for the weight Of the finished structure
now only about third as tall as it is
designed to be, and cogitation now
turns to the question of what shall be
done with the thing. 1t was begun as
much as twenty five years ago, and, as
it was designed to be a lasting memori-
al of Washington, the great and good,
fine specimens stones from all parts of the
world have been sent here and built
in its walls, and now it is decided
that the effort and expense have all been
in vain.
Washingtonians are heartily sick of
tho whole affair, for this reason: years
ago when the funds that had been COL
lected for the monument had been ex-
hausted, every sort Of device was re-
sorted to for the purpose of renewing
and increasing them. Among other
happy thoughts was that Of. begging
continually from the general public, and
to this end, boxes labeled with placards
appealing for contributions and setting
forth the benevolency of the object,
were placed in every public place in the
District. One cannot enter the Patent
Office without passing one of these box
es, for pains have been taken to place
them in the conspicuous places, nor the
Post Office nor the Treasury. The Art
Gallery has one, the Smithsonian Insti.
tute has one, in fact the Washington
monument has become an eye.sore and
An ear-sore to people in this vicinity.
Various suggestions have, been made
as to what shall now be done with it,
the most sensible being to remove the
unfinished and uusightly shaft and use
the marble, of which the outer wall is
built, for the walls Of some usefu, asy-
lum, and the ornamental stones that
have been presented for an inside hall
for holding Natural statuary. A room
for that purpose has been set apart in
The Capitol but it is entirely too small,
ana some change will necessarily take
place in reference to it before many
years. -. .>:- ~ .l;t
General George Crook, the great In
dian fighter, is in this city now, trying to
influence the Administration to set the
Indians at work and compel them to
keep to it. He says it is the surest and
quickest way to civilize them. -.