The Donaldsonville chief. [volume] (Donaldsonville, La.) 1871-current, 1880-03-13
DoNALDsoNyuLE

Our Washington Letter,
Congressional Hattars No Change i
Tariffs Probable Supreme Court De
cisions IN the stats2 Rights Gases
Adulteratsd Food do Lesseps Hedi
oal Gradustes, ets.
WASHINGTON. D. C.. March 8, 1850.
EDrroR CHIEF:
Il is believed BY everybody II Con
gress that the rules adopted BY th.
House on Tuesday will facilitate leg
i.lation BY allowing the win Of th.
majority TO b. moro readily expressed
There are only about one-third .,
many rules a. before, and they are nt
more difficult 70 understand, each bJ
itself or collectively, than the others
Jet they cover every thing covered
by the larger number.
II, now, the House will wrestle fol
. month or two with the appropria.
ton billie, giving its time only 70 them
and . few other measures of general
interest, there may be realized the
Speakers prophecy Of adiournmen,
in May. This will leave the busines.
of the country to take care Of itself
which is what is needed and what il
wants, and will remove from mems
minds the idea that Congress 10 70.
solving itself into . machine to In
fuence presidential nominations.
By three separate votes the House
Committee on Ways and Means
allowed its determination not to in
terfere with tariff matters st this ses-
sion. Except 10 the matter Of print
ing materials there had been no
greater influence brought to bear in
favor Of change than was presented
against change. It may be considered
settled, think, that Congress. will
order . commission Of citisens, who
will be authorized to inquire into
necessary and judicious changes In
the tariff laws, and that no important
action will be taken until the report
Of the Commission is received and
considered.
Senator Randolph on Monday called
up the noted case Of General Fitz John
Porter, and spoke eloqnently 10 he
half Of the bill, which in substance,
restores that officer to bis rank ia the
army from which he was dismissed
after trial in 1863. The bill for res-
toration Is based on an inquiry sub
seqnently made BY authority By Gen.
erals schof1eld, Terry and Getty, who,
after examining new evidence, de-
clared the General not guilty Of the
offences for which he was dismissed.
Senator Logan spoke Yesterday in
opposition to the bill. There will he
q considerable debate probably, but
not partisan one, and the bill IA
eure to pass. #
What are known as the States
rights" cases were disposed of on
Monday by the U. s. Supreme Court.
The decision virtually declares, for
one thing, that State laws which pre-
vent the selection Of colored men as
jurors are in violation Of the four
teentL amendment Of. the Constitu.
ton. 4
The public debt 10 reported by Sec
retary Sherman to, have been de-.
creased to the amount of nearly six
millions in February. This is very
good showing.
The adulteration of the food We eat
here at the Capital has had the at
tention of q committee Of Congress,
and the facts elected ought to startIe
the people Of the whole country. Six
packages of coffee bought in Balti-
more, submitted to Z chemist were
found coated with . compound Of
chrome-a deleterious substance to
improve the appearance Of the berries
and increase their market valne. An
alyses Of samples Of /" good gunpowder
tea" showed adulterations with Prus-
sian blue, with t~a enough, to give
odor to the compound" The COM
mittee find that 90, ,OOO, 900 pounds Of
artificial butter were made in this
country iD 1873 and that George T.
Angel had discovered, in specimens
Of olemargaIiDe, fungi and living or
gaDisms." Mr.. ADgell states that
mpriate Of tin, poison, had been
found in twelve samples Of sugar and
syrups. Adulterxtions will be found
in almost every article Of food. 1t
TO be hoped that the stringent bill
now pending in Congress will find a
place on the statute books of the Dig
tlict. II We must eat these vile poi
sons, they shonld be furnished on
separate plates at our frugal boards