The weekly miner. [volume] (Butte, Mont.) 1878-1881, 1881-03-15
our WASHINGTON LETTER.
The Washington MOnunent-At"1lfoaO
Suits-The National Museuni-Mum-
Observation-Disclosures Cousins
xyo,,,,u< the Fort at M~entOr-rhe
Office.-Seekers--Ihey Come -'-lhey
Come
Editor Butte MINER.

Come
Editor Butte MINER.
Your correspondents noticed that the Mon
tana legislature was about to pass a joint res
olution to send a ''block of variegated jasper"
to Washington to be placed in the monument
of the so-called Father of our country. That
jasper will get here in time, so far as the
completion Of the is concerned.
That shaft is uncompleted, and will remain
so for the remainder of this century, and very
likely the next. The appropriation has been
exhausted-not on the monument-but it is
gone. A few years ago congress appropriated
$1,000 to mark the birth spot of Geo. WASH
ington, by erecting a marble slab there. 1t
was found that the appropriation was too
short, and a hill has passed congress allowing
$21 900 more. A great deal is done in the
name of patriotism, and the contractors seem
to be the patriots. And thus it is, that while
3 great many cry out, a few gather the wool.
AFTER TIE RAILROADS.
Mr.. Bedford, of Colorado, has introduced a
bill calling upon the encouragement to
know why that suit was never prosecuted
which was brought some time ago to restrain
the Central Pacific railroad from paying a
three per cent. dividend TO its stockholders.
The money should 60 to pay the interest on
the money that road owes the government.
A S lit was also brought against some of
Vanderbilt's New YORK roads to recover
about $4,000 internal revenue taxes. a
son-in-law of Mr.. Vanderbilt has been APP
pointed district attorney for that district, and
the suit seems to hang fire. Mr.. Bedford
wants to know if the people and the govern
ment have any rights, or whether the corpora
tons can do as they please.
TIE NATIONAL MUSEUM.
The other fine day the MINER man, among
other sights, took in the National Museum.
l no:iced several fine specimens of ore from
the west. and "A mineature representation OF
the wonderful Yellowstone also the National
Park. An @rolite, weighing :, ZOO pounds,
which fell in Arizona some time since, fur
nished me with material for reflection, AS
to what world this iron rock missile came from,
and how far. Probably our houlders fall
iiitO " Vi WI i"o @h7N' II III vi SAio"i'
light in Washington while congress was in
session. its moral effect would no doubt be
beneficial to the treasury. The representa-.
ton Of q ''cavc city, uilearthed in New
Mexico, is also among the objects of interest.
1t is rather hard to believe t at our fore
fathers lived in caves several thousand years
ago. The idea Of building their cities under
ground. This was probably their protection
against Wild beasts, for then there We're no
firearms. Those underground villages are
being unearthcd, generally, within the past
few years, since Schlieman began tunneling
for ancient Troy. The dried-up skins epre-
senting Egyptian mUnmicS 5000 years old,
did not take SO well with me. | place about
as ,ch antiquity in those '!mummies'' as |
do il. &c genuineness of those 'meimaids'
that are made in New York, and shown
throughout the country real tish-Women
taken from The ocean.
COUNTRY COUSINS COMING IN.
Duing the influx OF statesmen, patriots
and office seekers to Mentor, Ohio, the home
Of the president-elect, there CAME also a cav
alcade which was least expected. The presi
dental family had "packed up' and theil
baggage was checked tor the white house
when up to the front gate rolled three ole
gentlemen, their old ladies, and their chill
dren, which were numerous. They had theiI
summer baggage also, and had come prepar
ed to stay. They were all the way from Col
orado, where they emigrated in the 'tall o
40 or spring of 80" and had not seen "cousiI
JIM since that time. They were told t.
make themselves at home, while the presi
Dental party sped way to Washington. A
last accounts tie country cousins were holding
the fort at Mentor. 1t is wonderful hov
many poor relations success brings to the SUI
face.
:. THEY GOMEZ
Extra trains have been put every road lead
/ ing to this "city of magnificent distances,
and boarding house sharks. And each trail
is loaded to the guards with sight-seers all
r office hunters. There are 1O5, 900 offices froI
a cabinet position down to a village postma:
ter within the gift of the president. Thi
looks like too much power to put in the hand
of one man. 1t would be if it were. b.
0 the patronage is divided up among, the pres
dents supporters or leading party men, an
: distributed proportionally by states, so, it
not so much after all, considering the II
e Der of politicians in the land. There al
r about one hundred applicants for each of til
t latest Offices, and for the smaller ones IL
proportion diminishes very little. But hel
- is the trouble, and a point which the hungr
gang do not seem to consider: This is a n
e publican administration, and the incomiI
/ one will be. Then where is the necessity
d a general change? The SINS" pulled for Ga