The Indianapolis leader. (Indianapolis, Ind.) 1879-1890, 1882-01-21
WASHINGTON LETTER.
WASHINGTON ID. c., JAN, 10, 1882.
Congress - Guiteau Diamond
LOttery-Mixed Schools Again
MiscellaneOus-Pe Etc.,
Etc, Etc.
From Our Special Correspondent

Congress is gradually beginning to
get ready to do little work. The tru-
ism that large bodies move slowly is
better demonstrated nowhere than by
our august Senators and Representa-
tives. They meet the first Monday in
December, elect officers, arrange the
committees, and adjourn for the holi-
days without doing anything else. Re-
assembling early in January, they grad
ually work themselves into shape to be-
gin work earnestly about the middle of
February or first of March.
But Congressional dallying is a true
exemplifcation of Washington life.
Few people are ever found in a hurry
here except office seekers. Office hold
ers are never known anywhere to be in
hurry-to go out, and as Washing
ton is largely made up of people in Off
cial life. we arrive Immediately at the
reason why there is SO lite of the
snap and push generally characteristic
of American cities apparent in Wash
ington. The city, of course, being the
creature of Congressional action, par
takes very largely, in its social and bust
ness life, of the body which created it,
hence the tameness, languor, and man
ifest dullness, with which it at first i'm
presses stranger.
Today the defense in the Guiteau
trial are making their closing argument,
and it is supposed that the prosecution
will close the case in day or two. 1t
therefore seems reasonable to indulge
the hope that this city, the Nation and
the whole world, will not much longer
be disguised with the living presence Of
this most horrible and cowardly of a.!
murderers. A week or two at most
should see him dangling from the end
of rope in expiation of his most infa
mously sneaking and villainous crime.
The proper time for experts to handy
words and opinions as to his sanity Oh
insanity is after he is dead. Their opin
ions, then, may be considered in the
| light of calmness and reason, for they
can of course do no harm.
Bishop Keane, Catholic, of Richmond
Va. has presented $500, diamond pir
to ST. Augustine Colored Catholic
Church of this city, which is to be rafieC
off at church. fair shortly. When We
remember the alteration of the average
human mind for diamond ornament
we can gain some faint idea of the IA
pidity with which tickets for this church
diamond lottery will sell. 1t will dis
lance the Louisiana scheme for the rea
son that prices will doubtless be lower.
| By the way, it seems to me tina
churches are trenching little bit toe
strongly upon the Louisville, Havan.
anb New Orleans plans for fleeing TIT
unwary, when they go into the ratflin.
business. Such schemes for raising
money can have no other Legitimate
effect than to stimulate spirit of lot
terry and policy gambling, which o
course results greatly to the financial
ACKNOWLEDGEMENT of the managers o
these robberies. Churches generally ar
falling into this plan of money getting
which some people take as a sign of tn
decadence of straight laced public NOR
ais of the old-fashioned stripe.
To man up tree, however, whel
, church noses are being counted, sucl
action looks very much as though tn
churches were following in the foot-step
of these kings and high priests of char
latanry and immoral practices; for pur
chasing lottery tickets in many instan
ces leads to stealing and the adoption
on the part of young people of the reso
luton to make living by gambling
deception, and roguery. How church
es and protesting Christians can consist
emily afford to foster and stimulate b
their own action such feeling, is, i
the language of Lord Dundreary, on
of the things that no fellah can fin
out.
The mixed school question was dii
cussed pro and con by members of
prominent literary society here las
: Tuesday evening, and has since bee
, the subject of considerable comment
) 1t will probably be long time befor
3 the schools are mixed in any of til
. Southern or semi-southern States, but
a of course, that will be the ultimate en-
of the matter all over the country
I Colored people should always insist, how
$ ever, in the mixing of schools, that co
: ored teachers should be employed in
8 just proportion to white teachers.
: This question has come to the fror
!, again in Brooklyn, n. Y. where MI
= | KING. cOlOred sent his daughter To
Q so-called white school. She was refus
n ed admission by the principal on tn
grounds that it would be unpleasant t
her, and that there was colored schoC
in the neighborhood. Mr.. King az
e pealed to the courts, and the matte
was referred to the school board for thei
! decision first. 1t is to be hoped ths
d Mr.. X. will carry the case to the higf
IS est courts, if need be, in order to Wind
e cate the right which every America
J citizen should possess, namely, to sen
Q his children to the common publ
e schools of his native country.
# The Democratic Legislature of Mis-,
!; issippi, it is said, has elected colore
: men doorkeepers in both branche.
|. This, | presume, may be taken as a
I indication that the bull.dozers an
j. tissue ballot reformers feel that the en-
t of their reign is approaching, henc
0 they desire to mollify the voters whor
. they have hitherto been defraudine
j. The effort to permanently suppress tn
b Negro as a political factor i'm the Sout