The Donaldsonville chief. [volume] (Donaldsonville, La.) 1871-current, 1878-03-09
Our Washington Letter.

/ "A AFc3SAry ScSaEROGI-dAFs new
EnyOlved-Esresen of a
RsssEzstinS TO tIae Government
Advice TO COIoI.ed Wen.
WASHINGTON, D. c., March 1, 1873.
EDITOR CHIEF:
Scandal is never idle here. There
is always more material for her to
work with than she can possibly use.
bOne of the latest pieces relates to the
$500 that the Treasury officials have
been trying SO long to discover. 1t
was paid into that department by the
banks, as compensation for extra
labor rendered necessary bY their
careless method of putting up money.
The assessment was made by Mr..
New, who succeeded Mr.. Spinner as
U, S. Treasurer, and the $500 has
never been accounted for. Now these
are the surmises and this is the scam
dal: Mr.. New had nephew who
| was messenger in the Treasury, and
niece also an employee there. The
nephew's chief business was to carry
money to the desks OF counters and
return it to the place of deposit. At
various times sums of money mys-
teriously disappeared. A young lady
turned in her account and money one
night to the remittance desk; next
day it was moved by the messenger in
question, after which it was found
TO be $1,000 short. The young lady
was dismissed summarily. Two thou
sand dollars were missing but q day
or two before the nephew was dis
missed, the events coming SO near
together as to suggest cause and eff
feet. The ycang man was known as
a freQuenter of gambling houses and
Ruch addicted to games of chance.
Soon after this every 5000 lady clerk
of the Redemption Division, except
ing Mr.. Ncw's niece, were indirectly
taxed $l7 so each. 1t was accomp-
lished by forcing them, by means of
vague hints of discharge in case of
refusal, to make application for seven
days leave of absence. aeithoat pay.
Thirty-fve hundred dollars were thus
secured but not accounted for, and
rumor has it that the amount was
either used to cover some of the
nephew's irregularities or to pay the
excess of appointees from Mr.. Nevis
State.
The picture " Signing the Procla-
matiou," painted III the White House
by Mr.. Frank Carpenter, purchased
of him for $25, 900 by Mrs. Elizabeth
Thompson of New York, and recently
presented by her to the United States
Government, has been the subject of
much comment here for the past fort
night. A steel engraving of the pic
ture was presented hy Mr.. Carpenter
himself to the Howard University last
week, and the ceremonies were as
impressive as those at the Capitol.
Howard University is our famous col
ored college, and is the place of all
others for this picture to hang. Mr..
and Mrs. Hayes lent their presence 60
the other attractions, and Fred. Doug
lass made the principal speech. This
gifted colored man speaks of his race
very sensibly. He said the greatest
faults Of the black people were their
self-indulgence, love of ease and inn
providence, and that they must learn
to spend their earnings judiciously
before they will prosper. President
Hayes also made a short speech, from
which / give you an extract:
That emancipation has conferred infinite
blessings our country, on both races, aid
on the world. very few question, This esti
mate of the act and of its results viii not be
changed by the good conduct or bad con-
duct of either race, but it is said that the
greatness of the blessing conferred on the
colored race depends on their conduct
What they most need is what Burns calls
the glorious privilege of being independent
What this requires is the willingness to
labor and the prudence and seKienial to
save the fruits Of labor. Ny young colored
friends, let this, then, be among your good
resolutions: g will work and Twill save, to
the end that may become independent"
The passage of the Silver Bill over
the Presidents veto was the calmina-
ting point of the interest attending
the formation of the governments
financial policy. Subsequent Con-
gressional proceedings have attracted
only ordinary attention.
SENTINEL.