Buchanan County bulletin. [volume] (Independence, Iowa) 1869-1891, 1878-03-15
OUR WASHINGTON LETTER.
Correspondence of the Bulletin.

WASHINGTON. u. T., Mar. 3, 70.
This has been a dull week in Con-
gress. The Senate has been favored
with Senator Sargent's views on the
Chinese question, in which he took
strongest grounds against their intro
duction into this country in any mental
capacity, because of their contaminat-
ing influences upon society. His stric-
lures upon those who uphold the Chi
nese were severe, and he made the fur
fly in several quarters. This Chinese
problem is an interesting one to us, and
it's discussion in Congress and our in
quiries, made of those who have had
dealings with these peculiar people,
serve to makesus rather seeptical as to
Mr.. Sargent's sweeping denunciation, as
well as to rouse up the inquiry, why his
intense opposition?
The Senate adjourned yesterday as
usual, as it seems unable to endure la
bors Of more than three days duration.
The House has had quiet times, and be-
yond a tilt between Messrs. Garfield and
Kelly, on the financial question, moth
ing Of special interest has transpired.
Mr.. Kelly is full of his greenback the
cries, yet he rarely attacks any oppo-
nent personally. In this instance,
however, he devoted his speech to criti-
cizing Mr. Garfield, who, in return, gave
as good as he got" and we fancy rath-
err more than MI. Kelly desired, for he
would not remain in the Hall to listen
to MIR. Garfeld's review and the great
laughter which many of the %latter's
home thrusts invoked.
The passage Of the Bill giving pen
siOns to the soldiers of the 1912 War,
and their widows, by nearly unanimous
votes in both Houses, has tended to
lessen the enthusiasm of our Mexican
War veterans, and they are not nearly
so happy this week as last. The fact
that the 1912 War Bill elected no de-
bates or flibustering, and went through
the House under al u%ndisputed move
ofIthe previous question, only tends to
render the Mexican War Bill more un-
certain as to its passage, and the opin-
ion begins to prevail, hat it cannot be-
come a law this Congress, hence these
veterans must necessarily exercise pa
tience for another year or two before
Uncle Sam will give them a pull at the
public teat. 1t is surprising the press
ure that is brought to bear upon Con-
gress to secure pensions for all kinds Of
beneiciaries. Take this session, here is
the 1872 bill, just passed, next the Mex
lean War Bill, which is the recipient of
some very acrimonious debate, then the
Arrears Bill, which gives pensions back
to date OF discharge, by wiping out the
statute of limitations, which bars pen
sion prior to the date of the allowance
by the Pension office, unless the claim
vas filed within five years of discharge
from the Army, and finally two or three
bills of minor nature, giving an %increas-
ing pension to some other classes. Ov-
er $5O,OOO,OOO are now required to pay
pensions, and should all the pending
bills become laws, at least SIS, 10000
additional would be required. 1t is
claimed that in no other way can public
monies be SO judiciously and generally
distributed as through pensions, and it
is on this ground that SO many Congress-
men unite upon passage OF pension
laws. 1t is not u province to discuss
the merits of this claim, but the fact re-
mains, that few Of these persistently
urged measures fail to become laws.
They override statute after statute Of
limitation enacted to prevent payment,
and, sooner or later, public moneys
through them are poured out upon the
country.
The House is getting down to it's
work on private bills, and though it's
committees load down it's calendar with
favorable reports, principally pension
thus far, yet on Fridays, the day ON
which private bills have the preference,
it will pass a score of them without a
dissenting voice, and thus avert too
great an accumulation. We have fire.
Quently urged the absolute necessity of
compelling a vote upon every measure
involving an appropriation, in order to
guard our Treasury against many an in
sidious steal, which an apparently
harmless bill involves, and the correct
ness Of this view may be appreciated
when one sees thirty bills accepted in a
batch, as correct, simply because of a
favorable report from a committee, and
then taken and passed without a SINCE
vote. No n objecting is equivalent to
unanimity; silence certainly gives con-
sent in Congress.
Lent is now upon us, and yet we have
had no carnivals, as in New Orleans and
Memphis, in which merry makers took
possession OF the streets and gave up
the day to every form of jollity. With
us all the dissipation of the past winter,
such as hops, receptions, balls ETC., with
their bay-window and only partially IL
Illuminated staircase firtations, have van
ished, and our people are again in their
quiet channels of life. The cabinet Of
ficials welcome the relief, for the tax
put upon them by the receptions of the
past two months has been a serious one
indeed. To the stranger who visits
Washington, the houses of all the Sec
r%etaries are always open for short and
unceremonlous calls to pay respects to
the wife or family, and no hesitation
need be felt at leaving ones card and
and shaking hands with Madam Secre-
tary, for she realizes hat her position,
like that of Mrs. Hayes, necessarily rem
ders her an object of general curiosity
for the sight seer, and she is willing to
crafty it, inasmuch as the labor and an
noyance of making a return call is not
involved.
The Senate Military Committee re-
ported adversely to Genl Smith, a clerk
in the Treasury, who was appointed
paymaster in the Army, hence he will
be allowed to remain where he is, till
his time comes for returning to private
life. The appointment is one which has
nothing to commend it, beyond an I'M
blemished private character, for Mr..
Smith is nearly 60, and his entry into
the Army would bar promotion to some
one equitably entitled to it by continu-
Gus service as a soldier. If the princi-
pie of promotion be a true one, the
practice of promoting aged civilians to
such fat, easy positions as paymaster
should be wholly ignored, as there are
plenty of disabled officers, thereby I'M
fitted for active service, who are the
proper persons to be rewarded. Genl
Grant buried his brother in~law in a
paymaster's position, but it was wrong
we think for him to do so.
The government Bureau of Engrav-
ing and Printing has completed an ex-
~tensive collection of specimens of it's
work for the Paris Exposition, which
are most creditable displays of engrav-
ing and printing. Every style employ
ed in the Treasury appears in the large