The Donaldsonville chief. [volume] (Donaldsonville, La.) 1871-current, 1881-05-21
Washington Notes.
Items ofInterest from the National Capital
Bx nnr Reoular Correspunden nj.

Items of Interest from the National Capital.
By our Regular Correspondent.
Twenty boxes of tea, of the crop of
1881, raised on tho plantation of Mr..
John Jackson, in Georgia, arrived at the
Department of Agriculture a few days
since. Commissioner Le Due sent ont
invitations to the leading grocers of the
city, several of whom assembled at the
Department. Tea from all the boxes was
thoroughly tested in the laboratory, and
compared with some Of the best India
teas on hand in the Department from
last years crop. The city grocers were
satisfied that the home product was as
good in every respect as any of the 1ndia
teas in the market.
"A beautiful Herdic coach, made of
polished maple and brentwood, appeared
on the Avenue some time ago. This coach
is trife lighter than those already i'll
use, and is to be lighted with gas at
night, as are all of the coaches now on
the line, instead of the disagreeable coal
oil lamp. The Herdics are already max
ing more money in proportion to their
expenses than the railroad lines. Efforts
have been recently made by at least one
street car company to buy up the right
to run Herdics in this city, but these
efforts have been unsuccessful, and will
continue to he so. These vehicles aro
too popular and necessary to fail for
want of support, and are being intro
duced in every city with great success.
There is much excitement here at
this time over the alleged discovery Of
frauds in the letting Of contracts for, and
increase in paymentof, the "star" routes
uail service. It will be remembered that
an investigation of this service was had
by Congress winter before last, and that,
while the scandal was widespread, no.
thing of rascality could be found. When
Mr.. James became Postmaster General
he began an investigation into the oper-
ations of this branch of the service, and
claims to have found such evidences of
fraud that he Immediately asked for and
received the resignation of Gen. Brady,
his Second Assistant, and of several
other officials of note in the Post office
Department having to do with the star
routes. 1t is asserted by the friends of
the deposed officials that Mr.. James will
find himself unable to procure evidence
sufficient to justify his peremptory pro-
cedure. Nous rerrons.
The handsome room Of the Senate
Committee on Railroads us recently the
scene of 4. novel exhibition. A track
sixteen feet long was laid on high stools,
with gas mains, telegraph wires and
other addenda to elevated railroads, be-
sides four stations and a train of good
sized cars. The invention to exhibit
| which this display was made was Mr.. r.
S. jennings automatic railway signal
| system. This consists in placing gas OF
electric lamps at stated intervals, the
space between the lamps constituting a
block. Connected with these lamps is a
system of pipes and electric wires, op.
Grated by valves, which are moved by a
trip lever attached to the locomotive
This. it is claimed, makes a complete
and automatic block, and gives absolute
security against accidents from collision
| The deadlock now seems thing Of
the far past, and for week the struggle
between the President and Senator Conk
ling has occupied the attention of the
political world. Washington lives for
by, and in politics. Politically, this il
the hub-the central office. Every gov
ernment clerk, whether man or woman
is politician. Not an Independent pol
itician; political independence is too
expensive a luxury for a government
clerk, therefore he is a gregarious politi
clan, and when the political bell-wetbel
vaults into the air the entire flock jumI
up at the same place. There is mor'
than one bell-wether here, but just a
present more are vaulting with the Pres
ident than with Senator Conkling, ant
tho only Independent and political party
is Senator Malone. He is reveling ant
luxuriating in patronage and power, ant
if he can not get the long haired Riddle
barger into the best Office in the Unite.
States Senate, he can at least appoint Re
adjusters in hundreds of Virginia post
offices. This he is doing with all posi-
BILE dispatch, and his time is equally di
vided between the Senate Chamber an.
the closet of the Postmaster General
Senator Mahone's course is in direct op
position to all principles Of civil servic
reform. The postmasters that are bein
removed have not in one single instanc
been removed for cause, and in man
instances they have been removed i
spite of protesting memorials, signed b
both Republicans and Democrats. Blu
they are small, uninfluential offices, mos
of them without even newspaper t
protest against the taking off :" of post
masters who have grown into the trus
of the community, and their substitu
) tion by nntried, inexperienced stranger
whose sole recommendation for thes
federal offices is that they agree wit
Mr.. Malone on the Virginia debt que.
| ton. All this will come right in th
long run, perhaps. The civil service e,
) crescence can not too soon be brought t
head by just such stimulation as this
! When it does come to Q head it will