The Lake Charles echo., 1882-05-20
WASHINGTON LETTER.
From our Regular Correspondent.
n ~ 100


There has been considerable gos
. sip during the week relative to
very important change in the Cab
, net. 1t is said that the Presiden
wishes to have Mr.. Conkling at tn
head of his Cabinet, and that tn
present Secretary of State, Mr.. Ere
linghuysen, is to be sent to Englant
as successor to Mr.. Lowell, and tina
Mr.. Conglind is to take his place
If this change is intended, it will
have to be ma lc soon, because botl
appointments must be confirmed by
the Senate, which will not remain
long in session. The Senate is wei
up with its work, and, if the House
were equally forward, there would
be no reason for continuing the ses'
sion longer than until the middle oi
June. The families of some Senators
and members have already departed
for their homes, or for summer re-
sorts, though, as yet, we have had
very little of the "etherinl mildpess "
that poets attribute to this season of
the year
A bill making the Agricultural
Department one of the Executive De
partments of the Government passed
the House on Wednesday by a very
large majority, and, if this bill passes
the Senate, as it is thought it will
do, the commissioner of agriculture
will become member Of the Cabinet,
with the title of Secretary Of agricui-
turc, who will be promoted to the
new Cabinet Office, in case this bill
becomes a law, has not yet been the
subject of much speculation. The
present head Of the Bureau is very
popular, but there will no doubt be
other applicants for the place with
its enhanced dignity. The Cabinet
of the President now consists OF seven
members, having charge, respective
Iy, Of the War, Navy, State, Treas
ury, Interior, Justice, and Postoficc
Departments. Some other civilized
countries have twelve executive de-
partments, comprising, besides the
above named divisions, agriculture,
education, commerce, manufactures,
and public works.
Their is a bill before Congress ap-
propriating $1O,OO0,OOO for purposes
of education, to be distributed to the
several States and territories in pro-
portion to their illitcracy as shown
by the late census. If this bill shall
be passed, it will be step toward
the assumption by the Federal Gov
esnment of the educational function
that is now divided by the public
school systems Of the various States,
and, at no distant day, We may have
another Cabinet officer, to be known
as the Secretary Of Public lnstruc
ton. There could be much said for
and against such a measure. The
old question of State Rights would
be revived. The demon Of central
ization would be paraded by the
press, and on the stump but, if the
big leviathan jumbo establishment,
known as the Government printing
office, could only be used to print
cheap arithmetics and spoilers, in
stead of the millions Of useless dUcu-
ments now thrown out, ! think the
country would profit by it. At least
one advantage would be gained by
the consolidation of our hydra-hcad-
ed cdcutional system. A uniform
set Of text books would be intro
duced throughout this broad land
and homogeneous method of in
struCtion and expression. inculcated
il youth, would tend to the dcstruc-
ton of local prejudice, and promote
the sentiment Of national cohesion.
Another advantage would be that all
school book agents would die of
starvation.