The Donaldsonville chief. [volume] (Donaldsonville, La.) 1871-current, 1878-01-26
Our Washington Letter.

The Costly Farce of IRvesfiga-
fion-How the Peoples Money
is Squandered-N Otables i'm
ConEress-Fashi We'd
ding.
WASHINGTON. d. G., Jan. II, 1873.
EDITOR CHIEF:
Investigation appears to be still the
order of the day in Congress. We
who make no pretensions to under
standing the intrieacies of politics look
on with dread and wonder that so
much precious time and money should
he spent in ferreting ont abuses and
NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS. the exposure of
which has heretofore resulted iu so
little good. Somebody has aptly said
concerning such matters, "Congres-
sional Investigations are er parte, one
sided. Friends of the majority are
always whitewashed and its opponents
always blackened, be the facts what
they may. They are not carried on
effectually.. Congressional commit
.es are not seeking truth, but politi-
cal thunder. The result might have
been fOreseen-no one is convinced.
The people have no confidence in the
evidence and look, in nine cases out
of ten, on the public officer exposed
as a person prosecuted for opinions
sake"
The shelves of the libraries of the
House and Senate are numbered up
with tons of records of Investigations
which are never used-unconsulted
and utterly useless, they will eyentu-
ally go to the paper mill and the peo-
Piles treasury will never be richer for
them than the price of waste paper
will make it. And yet when the coun-
try is grooming and suffering for bust
ness legislation, the House of Repre-
sentatives is just beginning a new
string of investigations which begin
in nothing and lead to nowhere-but
to expense and dissatisfaction. Here
are some facts from the annual report
of the Secretary of the Senate regard
ing the expenditures for Investigations
instituted by the Forty fourth Con-
gross. Your readers know what the
result amounted to, but here is what
they cost the Government: Boutwell's
investigation into the election of 1875
in Mississippi, cost S683l. The Chi
nese Commission which went to San
Francisco in 1876, but never made
report, cost $4883. The Monetary
Commission and Jones' silver report
cost $4,000. The expense to the
Government of Belknap's impeach-
ment was Gil ,593. The investigations
into the last Presidential election were
made at the cost of $923,212 81. And
here is the way portion of the peo-
ple's money goes: In the summers of
1876 and 1877 the Senate drank 1854
worth of lemonade. Pinchback was
paid S16,966 80 for contesting his seat
10 the Senate, receiving three years.
Senatorial salary and mileage for 1854
miles.
OF all our Congressman, Senator
Hamlin is most remarkable in several
senses. He is SO in personal appear
ance certainly, for he dresses roughly
and in the style of at least seventy
years ago, with his claw-hammer coat
barndoor breeches, stove pipe hat,
low-heeled shoes and silver bowed
spectacles. His age is given in the
new directory as SO, but he does not
look day younger than rs. He is
the oldest legislator, has served in the
Senate longer than any other, and is
the only Vice President in service.
The youngest Senator in years is
Dorsey of Arkansas, who is but IS.
The youngest in point of service is
Eustis of Louisiana, recently admit
sted. Fourteen ex-Governors of States
sit in the national halls of legislation,
twelve Judges, fifty -four college grad
mates in the Senate, two from West
Point.
But one wedding of note has taken
place here since the holidays-that of
daughter of Admiral Poor and Mr..
Carroll Glover. The ceremony was
performed in the principal Episcopal
church of thecity, in the presence of
many friends. A marriage bell formed
of white flowers hung in the chancel
just above the heads of the bridal
pair, and the church was otherwise
handsomely decorated. The brides
dress yvaS vary Main hut rial, os