The Hartford herald., 1879-01-15
Washington Letter.
[Frem our Regular c Csrr..ponarnt. [

"ht'hVt an tAtiu stSsipu Will Hpt, Ultti
all, be necessary. Undoubtedly the
House could transact all the legitimate
routine business, and have some time
10 devote Ia the various important
matters ihat DO not come under that
head; but there is going to be trouble
with the Republican Senate which
may cause serious delay: OF the six
appropriation bills passed by the
House before the recess. three have
been acted upon in the Senate. and nu-
merous ex,rayasani amendments at.
iached to them increasing their aggre-
gate amounts more than fifty per cent
And thee are only the minor bills
over which there il seldom much
disagreement. The remaining sesen
include the two most imI oriant the
legislative, executive and judiciary
and the sundry civil bills-In these
are embraced some items which the
House will decide to cut out, aud
which in all conscience and decency
sho II be cut out. Mr.. DE, ems little
bill for the payment of his supervisor.
and deputy nar-hal., and John Sher.
mans estimate for his secret serI: :ca
bureau, are two specimen items. Not
one 'leilar of public money should be
voted for either of these, and if the
House stands firm the Senate will be
forced TO concur or take the response,
bility of an extra session.
This detective bureau ia fostering
sore upon the face Of our civil service.
II costs the Government 500, 900 per
annum, and is simply used by John
Sherman and other disreputable poll.
ticians TO assist them in working up
mean, contemplate schemes, and be,
smearing men whom they dislike OF
fear. 1t has never accomplished any
real good, because if any violator OF
the laws is ever discovered by the con,
cern, small "divvy" insures him an
escape. There are members of the
force employed who are baser by ma
ture and practice than tie meanesl
thief they shadow or apprehend. The
investigation BY a Senate committee
into the charge recently made by one
OF these tools against Senator Como
yer, has cau>ed Secretary Sherman tC
"reorganize" the bureau, but the reor
ganizaiion is only change in form,
without effect. The fellow who ha:
charged United States Senator oI
stealing a clause from bill which he
had failed to defeat, is still retained al
though investigation fails 10 develops
;he faintest shadow of proof Posi-
bly, somebody paid 10 have The charge
brought. The bureau "must GO
The only service Il has rendered under
the past and present administrations
has been to make points" against par,
ties personally obnoxious 10 the Presi
dent or Secretary of the Treasury, and
to assist in covering up actual fraud.
The efforts of the Republican Sen.
ate to secure large appropriations fol
its partisan officials to disburse, is no,
the only evidence hat the hard time,
troublesome TO most people have moi
reached the north end of the capitol.
The annual report of the Secretary oI
the Senate recently rendered, is an in
teresting exhibit. Among the bill,
which Uncle Sam has paid are charge,
for pocketbooks, worth from 81 tc
So. IS apiece, pocket knives. cost $40.
4S per dozen ; all sorts of fancy and
expensive note paper and envelopes
visiting and mourning cards; cork
screws, worth $3.50 per dozen; auto
graph albums at prices ranging from
S4 cents to $3.50 piece; card pa
peteries, at SIS per dozen fft,
pounds of gum camphor, at Az cent?
per pound; dozens of gallons of ba,
rum at from 81 To- $40 per gallon
cologne at IS per gallon; hundred
thousand tons of ice at AZ cents pc
hundred weight; dozens of gallons O
alcohol ginger, essential oils; shay
ing cream at So per dozen Pinaudi
soaps; and other articles sufficient L
equip well appointed fancy store
Eight lunches furnished the commit
tee on appropriations, cost sl20
Eight boxes of lemons and 100 pounds
of sugar, which was used presumnbl,
for lemonade. cost s62. 40. Senato
Morton's clerk of the committee OF
privileges and elections. got. beside
his regular pay, $3.50 for Extra" ser
vices, and Outrage" liar Redpath 60
nearly $1,000 for services with tn,
subcommittee that went to South Car
olina. The latter is now getting il
his work again with the Teller com
mittee in New Orleans.
IL really begins to look as though
| Genrce,s monument will nauar ha nnn,