The Dillon tribune., 1881-06-18

Correspondence.
! WASHINGTON LETTER
! From regular Correspondent,
WASHINGTON, June lotl,,. 1851.
The investigation fever Is becoming Cpl.
denic at the seat Of Government, and pre-.
dictions are made that the presen, summer
will be one OF the livclicst Washington has
experienced since the war. In addition to
the Post Office and Treasury Department
investigations, both of which are benx
pushed to what promise to be unceantort-
able results for some people, it Is ru,nored
inquiries into the management Of some
other Departments are to bc instituted.
That there is plenty Of material for other
Investigations, and rcd.hot ones too, those
hest posted have little doubt. Ii the cor
ruption and fraud which it is alleged has
,erineated the ramifcdelOns OF that i'm.
,nense establishment, the Interior Depart
nent, should ever bc uprooted 1t would
create sensation before which any dcvel-
op,nents that have occurred since the war
would pail. This at least is the opinion Of
some shrewd and well.in(ormcd observers
Of public affairs. This Department EN-.
braces control Of the public lands the In
dians, and the Pension Bureau, through al,
! Of which Uncle Sam has probably suffered
| not a little.
The areas Of pensions act which was
originally famed as piece Of bunco,nbe,
and with the i.ic., that under no ci-cum.
stances could the total amount called for
by it exceed $3o,ooo,ooo, bids fair to he the
most expensive legislation ever enacted 10y
Congress. II has been an enormous drain
on the Treasury from the day II was put on
the statute books and It is estimated that
the deficit this year will reach $so.nooooo
There are men walking around Washing
ton every day attending to business with
out the least Inconvenience and with no
rerceptiblc injury, who have received
hundreds and thousands Of dollars under
this net. The well.known fabituc Of pub.
lie places here. who served in some imag-
ina,v capacity during the war, received
5000 because one Of his fingers was little
still, or supposed to be 20, and spent the
whole amount In :. dinner at a fashionable
restaurant to II few Of his boon companions
What is seen here in the lavish and grossly
fraudulent distribution Of the public money
under the provisions Of this act is only a
sample Of what Is taking place all over the
country. Yet after all there is little real
cause to regret the legislation. II our rev.
cnues raise all this money without direct
| TAXATION, and are still sufficient to reduce
the public debt at such rapid and satisiac.
tory rate, how can It better he Dispensed: !:
The money comes from sources that can
afford to pay it and it goes out among the
people who need It and put 1t In circulation.
II there has been some fraud and II some
Of the benefciaries are unworthy, the fact
still remains that good has been done of
the main and that hundreds Of thousands
Of men and families who made great >acri.
ticc> in the var, have been relieved OF want
and misery.
AproI'os Of the unplcasantnc~s b"'wncn
Senator Blaine and ex-senator Conkling.
which is greatly intensified hy recent
events, the following incident is peculiarly
amusing: \ few dav~ ago Senator Congcr,
hf Michigan called ut tho house Of Mr..
Blaine after business hours, expecting to
find him ut home. Mr.. Blaine, however,
had been detained at the State Department
Mr.. Conscr requested that the telephone h,
| used to ascertain when the Secretary would
get home. The servant, who mi>undcr-
stood Mr.. C"n.er when he gave his name,
went to the telephone. >ignalcd the State
Department. and yravrlv informed Mr.
Blaine that MIR. Co~kFiMg was at his house,
very dc>iro,,> to see him. and would like to
know when he would le home. Mr..
isl line WAS thundcrstruck. lie knit his
brow. ran his hands through the remnants
OF his hair, and requested that the name of
the gentleman who wanted to see him
should be repeated. "Conkling," came
back again through the telephone. "Conk.
ling" repeated the Secretary, sato ,ar,
''wt,at can ,.c ,ncan:" and, still doubling,
the Suggestion was made that there must
l'c some mistake. Mr.. Conger was then
, appealed to to kno il he had not said his
name was Conkling, and lie then pro.
nounccd it ntclligiblv enough to he under
stood by the able domestic, who sent It this
time all right through the telephone. and
Mr.. Blaine was relieved Of any tears nc had
As To the presence Of his arch.cnemv in his
household.