The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1879-05-03
WASHINGTON LETTER.
(Prom our regular Correspondent
WASHINGTON, April ~, 1879

senate in which Senators Bayard. Of Delaware,
and MaXcy, OF Texas, took principal part on
Monday; and with the introduction of an ava
lanche of bulls in the house, Reversing their
tactics OF week ago the republicans madc no
opposition to the introduction of bills, ana
nearly all the old bills of the previous session
have been presented AS many AS fifty diiler-
ent financial schemes are offered. Ii only Ten
per cent of the bills introduced should be con-
sidered, they will furnish work for two Scs-
sions of congress. Most of those offered by
republicans were for pensions. Very few IN
the nature of war claims were offered, and
from the rough treatment tina, bills OF this
character have recently received /, is thought
they will all soon become extinct Mr.. Joyce,
of Vermont, offered bill looking to an addi-
tional amendment TO the constitution forever
prohibiting the payment to disloyal per
sons OF any money tor property destroyed IN
the late war.
Representative De La Matyr filed IN 'he
house a petition embodying bill TO issue ten
hundred millions "a French billion) of green
backs, and to authorize the Secretary OF the
treasury to loan to the James river and Kama
wha Canal Company S60,0O00O0, Atlantic and
Great Western Canal S5000o00O, Florida
Coast Canal Sl2O0OOOO, Fort st. Philip Canal
S1O,OOOO0O, Rock Island and lIenncpin Canal
S12O0O000, Oswego Canal %25,0OO,O0O, Lex
lngton and Big Sandy Railroad S5,0OOOOO,
Niagara Ship Canal S14000,000, and for a
railroad to connect the Mississippi with the
Pacific coast an amount not yet determined.
The loans are to be made on bonds Of the sew
eral companies, payable in fifty years, without
interest for five years, and At the rate OF three
per cent per annum afterwards.
There is lust now much presidential talk
and prognosuca,on at tins scething center,
which, to hear, would give the impression that
the nomination of Gen. Grant as the repubi'
can candidate wac .,Gr-on" r'nciH>lui. : q
rotary Sherman /. ,&lkcG o! ana written about,
but his following Is %,i.9ut t"uIG7I",m "i CO
herence Gen. Grant Is making summer
line towards the Golden Gate The Depart
ment of State has late intelligence from him
IN Siam Nj Scklcs, |. :. Consul at Bang
kok, sends a dispatch describing the gorgeous
oriental style in which the letter from the Su-
preme King of Siam to the EX-Prosdent was
presented. 1t contained an invitation from
His Majesty to General Grant to visit the
kingdom as a guest Of the government The
letter was encased in royal purple satin. The
Consul further announces that the project of
sending an embassy from Siam to the United
States has been finally agreed upon. This
will make the number of oriental legations at
Washington three, the Chinese, Japanese and
Siamese. The Turkish legation has been, or
soon will be, discontinued. Why these coun-
tries should send legations to Washington or
why we should send legations to these or any
other countries cannot be explained from a
practical or economical standpoint Our rcla-
lions with foreign countries are commercial,
and not diplomatic We need alta few foreign
capitals and large cities able commercial
agents; but foreign embassies are II useless and
semi barbaric appendagc. Our minister to
Turkey is now in Tennessee, our Russian min
lister is in Italy and all of our foreign repre-
sentaton, as far as their utility is concerned,
might as we'll be at home with their sisters
and cousins, aunts and mOthcrs.in-law. Gen
eral intelligence the press and the cable, have
taken the management of international affairs
out of the hands Of few accomplished ndi-
viduals, and modern diplomacy consists sole
" in social civilities and etiquette, in which
our provincial unaccOmplished, scltmadc
representatives make deplorablc, bungling
display
European countries, as a rule, send to Wash
lngton their least attractive and least accom-
plished dhplomatists, They know that they
will have nothing to do and to be assigned
TO the L. :. legation Is regarded by the average
European gentleman rs a kind OF banishment
from the center oi civilization to the frontier
of barbarism. They make little distinction
between the United States. South America and
Mexico, and would rather have "a year in Eu-
rope than Il cycle in Cathay.' OF course the
average European view of the United States Is
not the correct one, and they are gradually
learning something about us on the other size
Of the water but their education would be
much facilitated If, instead of the useless en-
bassador, we should have only able CONNER
cial agents or ConsuS.
Mr.. Wilson, the United States consul at
Brussels IN Il dispatch to the Department OF
State, reports the meeting of the Belgian Soci-
ETY. of Political Economists, at which the com
mercial policy of the United States was freely
discussed More or less desire was manifested
TO return IN Europe to the protective policy
The significant problem that formed the staple
of discussion was how 10 overcome the almost
boundless resources, agricultural and mineral
of the United States 1t is not deemed practi
cable to fix high tariff on American products
The large increase Of exports from the United
States can hardly be checked by any restrictive
measure. \ reduction OF wages seems 'hc