Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1880-01-16
Washington Letter.
THE LATEST aCgDER-NEGEo POPULATION IN
WASHINGTON - ARRIVAL OF THE tIE
uhIEFs-MAIL CONTRACT INVESTIGATION.
W,surxcrov ID C. Ian. II, 1879
lSsuI \.


WASHINGTON - AEEIyAL OF THE UTE
uHIEFs-MAIL CONTRACT INVESTIGATION.
WASHINGTON. d. c., Jan. II, 1879.
To the Editor of the Free Press and Times:
Under the shadow of church, within a
stones throw of the palatial residence of the
British minister, and but short distance
from Castle Stuart" now in ruins, young
grocer was murdered last week for the pal
try sum Of four dollars. The occurrence has
crcatcd profound sensation, and on Sun
day the scene of the tragedy was visited by
thousands, who looked upon the blood
stained pavement and mused upon the in
security of life even in this age of civilza-
ton, and in populous capital. Why this
murder should be more talked about and
written about than the many others that
have been committed in the city is not easily
explained except upon the wel-known fact
that communities will apparently tolerate
gross lawlessness for a long time, but VIII
finally be shocked by some deed OF peculiar
atrocity into wreaking vicarious vengeance
on the perpetrators. The murdcrcrs are sup
posed to he four negroes, now under arrest.
1t is TO be hoped that no other city has such
an excess of worthless. idle, vicious, colored
people as Washington. Nine-tenths OF the
business of the police court is supplied by
this class, and tits knownthat many OF them,
too law TO work, commit petty crimes Tor no
other purpose than TO secure food and lodg-
ing in Il Jail, from which they emerge sleek
and fat, prepared for new adventures. Able
bodied colored men infest the street corners,
with shoc-blacking apparatus for an excuse
for n livelihood, content to earn fifteen or
twenty cents per day, and happy In the lack
of employment that enables them to Joke
and gossip with their friends, when
the weather is too cold Tor The
preferable pasiime of DOING i'll tho sun.
These lazaroni cannot be induced by the oiler
of wages to tackle heavy work, and not
Italy or Spain can showa more idle or worth
less class. The four that have been arrested
formed a singing quartette, which, during
the pas, Summer paraded the streets nj
night, sercnading at the corners, and passing
a hat for pennies nj the end Of their per
formancc No one who has lived long III
Washington but is familiar with the hideous
music of these uluating Migrants, and they
should have long since been arrested Us dis-
turbers of sleep
Ouray and his tie chiefs arrived yester-
day. and have been qiartered in second
class hotel. They come 10 secure better
terms than hanging for the murdcrers anu
and ravishers of the Mecker family. When
We consider the Ignorance and savaseness oil
these people, ii seems absolutely absurd tiiat
we should make treaties with them. There
has been "A great deal of sentimentalism, now
happily declining, in the press, and pulpit,
and Congress, about the rights and wrongs
Of the poor Indian" If the history OF
civilization for the last 5000 years teaches
ANYTHING, the lesson is that the tools belong
To those who can Use them, ami the soil "i
This beautiful earth to those who sow anu
reap. With sentimental people the Tiger
may have a right to his native Jungle, bnt
the same necessity that is cxllrpaling nm
with bullets, charged with explosive polsoh'
and transforming the jungle INT" II earucii,
is ut work on our frontier, anu mas perii III
work for three hundred years, III behehcleht
slaughter of tigers, from jamestown anu
Plymouth Rock to Colorado. The httest
will survive in spite of obstructive romantic
scntimrntalism 1t is the law Of Nature, the
law of God
A sub committee Of the House IL trying 10
find oul what caused the deficiency oil r.
900, 900 in the appropriations for mall service
the current year. The appropriation Tor
what is called the ''sar route service
which includes the stage route service IN me
West and across the plains o'9oo'"oo
for the fiscal year ending july !, heN'
appeared from Assistant Postmastcr-Generai
Brady's testimony to-day, thai oil that sum
there had been expended To January ! last
80 500 900. leaving but 81, 100, 900 FOR the
entire star route service for the remaining SIX
months Of the year. 1t has been supposed
that the explanation of the Postolicc would
be tina, this large sum of money, which made
the deficiency inevitable, had been cNpchueu
upou the new routes which Congress hiiu
ordered, but it appeared from brady 'cs'i-
muny that on these new routes tnerc were
expended hut ! l34 900, while Tor increased
service, additional speed and Diner allow
nncrs on the old routes, tho sum oi ri,'"'-
600 was expended. almost all al II ON IA lew
of the larger routes. Thai Tie tA""sNc
mail contractors make enormous sums OUT VI
the Government by securing changes Ill AMI
additions 20 their pay, after the coh'fa'tS "ie
awarded, and that the public treasury Is now
and has been for years plundercd to AN out
ragcous extent 10y these contractors, ~ an
omen secrc, here. Whether the committee
really want to get at and expose the crook
edness, - or can do SO if they try, remains 10
be seen. Yours, MIA