South Branch intelligencer. [volume] (Romney, Va. [W. Va.]) 1830-1896, 1882-07-14
Letter from Washington.


ule House are go impatient to adjourn.
attention has been called to the time
wasted by members Of both bodies
during the fret halt Of tic session
And IT has been said that the contin.
uance of the session cannot bear so
very hard upon men who so frequent-
" exercise the liberty OF going home
TO "iook after their fences" ard who
never think Of complying will. the
statute which requires them to forfeit
Their salary as members during the
period they are absent. Congress.
men appear TO have forgotten all a.
bon; tins law, else they regard them.
selves above the law. In but one in
stance, so far as remember. has there
been any suggestion of enforcing IL.
and that was In the case Of Senator
Jones, oil Nevada, who for two years
scarcely made bis appearance here.
II there was a statute violated SO o.
penny and constantly by other officers
OF me Government how long would
II be before some virtuous member of
Congress would propose committee
oil investigation and have the offenders
duly punished? 1.-THE moiety system to
intormors is still in force ana applica.
bic TO this case there is splendid field
OF operations open here. Some few
members OF The present and recent
Congresses would have to disc gorge all
and many Of them large poi ton OF.
the salaries illegally drawn by them
from the Treasury.
The achievement of Mr.. Kelley and
bis Ways and Means Committee in
connecting and getting through the
House bill 10 reduce the revenue
several millions, without removing
any OF the burdens Of taxation, is q
feat that will not be equalled and can
never be excelled. This bill LAS the
unique merit that not one cent out of
the millions of taxes which il propos.
co to abolish can ever get into tho
pockets OF the working classes. Banks
and drawers of checks will get few
millions, vendors of proprietary med
lcines will get considerable profit, aud
retailers or foreign manufacturers of
matches willget bonus. But of the
| taxes which make food, clothing. and
other articles in daily use By the mass
es dear Lot dollar is reduced. But
| then we have grown so accustomed TO
| q system OF Government whose whole
energy is devoted TO making the rich
richer and the poor poorer that this
! extraordinary measure hardly attracts
public attention. The bill has not
got through the Senate yet and there
IS some hope that il may come to grief
there, or be amended SO as TO apply
to somebody besides bankers and pe
tent medicine vendors
The controversies engendored by
the fatal deed Of Guiteau seem to be
never ending. While that over the paw
OF Garfeld's physicians is raging in
Congress and charges Of malpractice
are being newl 8 made, the doctors who
conducted the autopsy upon Guiteau
have broken out in quarrel still more
! uusccmly because it is wholly among
themselves. What harmonious lot
these doctors arcany how! The Rev.
Dr.. Hicks, who WAS spiritual adviser
to the assassin, also created seusa-
ton or Sunday after the hanging, not
being satisfied with the one he had
stirred up the Sunday previous. by
referring TO the people who demand
ed Guteau's execution as "nation
Of murderers." DR.. Hicks is a polit,
! zeal parson, having been formerly o
Florida politician. aud one of the ia
NOUS stalwart SOC 1t Chicago. Last
Sabbath ne based his sermon upon
the events Of the past week. He took
| the ground !hat the vile3t sinner might
DC saved through the instrumentahty
OF divine power. He discussed the
probability Of murderer who rcnen-
ted OF the Iast moment entering the
Kingdom of Heaven, and then pro-
ceeded to cay how cruel and unchar.
liable IT was 10 put q fellow-man 10
death simply because popular opinion
demanded 1t. During his remarks he
said no believed that if Jesus Christ
was upon earth now there were people
living who would cruelty Him within
u week" This statement caused
much gufnvorable comment arnono
the congregation. At times he was
decidedly bitter in his denunciationa
ofthe people of the present day, whom
he said were III come instances barba.
rous and heathenish lie stalked up
and down the platform in a very ex.
cited manner. Several Of the audi.
ence left the church before the garvi.
cos concluded, aud expressed thom.
selves Disguised with tbe discourse.
The report which got e'artcd a few
days ago 70 the effect that the Prcsi
dent was about to discourage Mr.. jaw
llubbeils Political a Assessment Com.
mlttec by notifying employees Of the
Government that they might 90 %
they pleased, is considered q pretty
good Joke. IL 10 well understood here
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