The Lake Charles echo. [volume] (Lake Charles, Parish of Calcasieu, La.) 1876-1898, 1880-01-24

DULL WEEK IN coNGREss-
GKEEEBAcK cIRous-BR1Ns FORTH
THE ARMY RETIRED LIST.
! (From Our Regular Consequently

fBrom Our Regular Correspondent
WASHINGTON, ID. c., Jan. III, 1880
/ This week in Washington has beer
Iuneventful, from a political point Of
view, and the other side ,of Wash
Iington life, the social side, is such
as few beyond the precincts of the
Capital have very great interest
in. But it is not unimportant as an
indication and o symptom, sugges-
tive of health or disease, and reach.
ling much further in it's interior In
fiuences than this narrow field. Man
ners are SO subtely related to NOR
ais; custom has such cumulative
force and course, that no one inter-
ested in the signs OF the times, and
the future of this country, can afford
to ignore them.
There was q Greenback Confer
ence here last week. Some 125 del
egates, including the thirteen Green
back Congressman, were present,
and the proceedings illustrated pan
demonium with rtolerable accuracy
and completeness. Congressman
Murch, of Maine, presided; the Rev.
DE La Matyr officiated as chaplain,
greatly to the disgust, vigorously
expressed, of a strong minority; and
among the chief participants in the
so-called discussions was, of. course,
kearney. What he had to say was
simple and familiar, and consisted
merely of expressing desire to see
Republicans, Democrats, and the
national banks in hell together and
a determination to send them thither
sans cerenaonie. He also wanted John
Sherman hanged Resolutions which
were introduced approving Hendrick
Wright3s Land Bill and Weavers'
$500, 000,0 soldiers relief fund pro
ject, seems to have been the only
ones carried, through everything
else in the domain of human thought
was debated, and these resolutions
were juggled through by the chair
man If indeed one of them did not f.
nally fail. A call for a National
Convention at Chicago June 9th
next was adopted with little opposi-
ton; it is in the usual vein of such
documents and contains nothing
worth remark. 1t seems hardly pos
sible that such body of men should
have any considerable constituency |
among sober people, however igno-
rant.
The Honse Committee on military
affairs held full meeting Thursday
morning. Favorable reports were
made by subcommittee, and adopt
ed on the resolution of Representa-
tive Atherton, calling on the Score
tary of War to report to the House
the number, rank, and names of all
officers on the retired list, the total
amount paid to each officer, and the
paid to all officers ON the
retired list since said retired list
was created" This report will
create more profound astonishment
among the plain, practical tax-pay-
ng people than any volume ever
sent out of the Government printing
,ffice. 1t will show a rapid and
alarming tendency to copy the worst
eatures Of the old world monarchies
Men who never saw public enemy,
never set squadron in the field or
rod the deck of a ship in action, are
dubbed with sonorous titles, indica-
i've Of high rank and heavy pay,
and CHARTERED for life, a life of iluxur-
ous ease on the retired list. 1T is
important that the people shall see.
hat rapid promotion and hurried
cushing on to the retired list is now
he Irregular order of business in
rider to make room for the super
iuous products of the West Point
md Annapolist factories.