The People's vindicator. [volume] (Natchitoches, La.) 1874-1883, 1877-12-01
OUR WASHINGTON LETTER.

| WAsHlNGToN, d. G., Nov. II, 1877.
As the end of the Extra Session G
Congress approaches, and we see hoy
little has been accomplished, til
general conclusion must DC that as
matter ofpoIicy, extra sessions s,oul'
not be held at all. or should be hel,
at time remote from the opening q
regular sessions. no money has beel
voted for the army-realIy the onl,
matter for which the extra session
was in the least a necessity. TIL,
House, after unnecessary delays
passed the Bill appr"piating til,
money, and the Senate after u"neccs
ry delays has passed it with unneces
sary amendments Now will come
Committees of Conference, aud a
about the time the regular session
commences, the amount viii tie made
available tor the relief Of the officers
and soldiers who since June last have
been paying an income tax of about
II per cent per annum on their sala
rics. From June to October the fault
was with Mr.. Hayes; from October
to the end OF November, of the House
and Senate.
Besides this bill, the Naval def
cheney bin, made necessary by an H.
legal division of fluids by Secretary
R"5cSon. will be made law. and the
sum of Slj0,0m to give us rcpreSeu.
tatIoA at next Springs international
Fair in Paris will loutlc<s tc voted.
Besides these things it is safe to say
nothing will be accomplished, and
these so tardily that reasonable effort
after Congress should have met in
regular session i" D+cembcr would
have had nearly all the beneficial ef-
feet on this most extraordinary of ex-
tra"rdinary sessions.
The silver remonctisation bill is
still IN Committee in the Senate. The
bill to repeal the resumption act
comes up fo1 final action in the House
to day. But neither Of these meas
nrcs, it is we'll understood, can have
FINAL action in both Houses, so as to
90 t" Mr. Hayes for his approval du-
ring this session.
In view of the facts in the case, the
Executive making the time of an ex-
ira session the subject of party or
personal convenience, and Congress
neg)ect'ng its duties when finally
calle1-it is probable that the Gov
ernment's legislation will hereafter
be ch,,ied Cd at regular sessions. 1t
is to be hoped, too, that Il sense ofthe
fitness of things will prevent Con-
gress from voting itself mileage for
its useless trip to the Capital.
Mr.. Hayes has appointed Mr. Law
renee, Collector at New Orleans. 1t
is given ont that Packard could have
had tho office If no had asked for it,
and that he would have accepted it if
it had been offered him. The digni-
ty which kept Hayes from Offering
and Packard from asking, is Il DE-
lishtful thing to think of in conncc.
ton with the fact that Packard is as
much Governor of Louisiana rs Hayes
is President of the United Stated, !
and that but for the deser,ion of
Hayes, whom he had done SD mucl, to
make President, Packard would nov
be acting as Governor and controlling
all the revenues Ola great State. Mr.. !
Lawrence is said to he a gentleman of
good character, aud no doubt is felt !.
Of his confirmation.
Mr.. Davis, of West Virginia. to.
day discusses in the Senate the sub
ject OF monthly statements of the !
public debt. The Senator has Il vast
number of facts tending to show these
stat ements to be unreliable, and it is
TO be hoped he will use them fearless.
~,
The fearful effects of crowding the
negroes into cities is shown by the
reports of our Board of
Health. Persons who noted this re-
suit at the close Of the war expected
that the mortality of the unfortunate
race would decrease as they tecame
accustomed to their changed condi-
lion. But the report of our Board
for October--and these reports are
probably as full and accurate as those
If any city-do not show any dimu-
milton of the comparative mortality.
The total population of the District is
estimated at 100000, of which u.s.
)oo or about y per cent are negroes:
10 October the whole number of
leaths was 3322, of which ]56, Or near:
y e'half-were Of colored people.
During the past year al colorrd per-
sons in every thousand have died and
'n'y 10 whites.
ALBION,