National Republican., 1883-02-17
ON THE AVENUE.
smnII TnIls About Men nnd nIonmi


ON THE AVENUE.
Small Talk About Men and Measures.
Letters and kilograms arc beginning to
pour in upon the congressional delegations
from Kentucky, Pennsylvania, Ohio, Indiana,
and Illinois, asking congressional aid for the
flood sufferers. The aid voted by congress TO
the people of Tennessee, NIssissip pi, Arkan-
sas, and Louisiana, when the Mississippi
inundated the country last spring. furnished a
precedent, and congress may make up its mind
to be annually importuned for assistance from
drowned ont localities kilograms from New
Albany and other river town In Indiana were
considered by the Indiana congressman
yesterday, and as result of tho con-
ference q telegram was drafted and sent
to Gov. Porter at indianapolis, which
will have tendency to discourage the
sending of such petitions to Washington:
The sondors of tho telegram express their
deep sympathy for the sufferers and at the
Same timo urge the legislature to appropriate
money from the state treasury TO meet the
emergency and relieve the necessities of the
people. Tho Indiana congressman TO n man
will oppose the giving of congressional
aid Co sufferers of states in which lcgisla-
lures arc in session. They hold that In
diana and tho other states devastated by the
Ohio flood are abundantly able to take care of
their own people without aid from tho gov
ernment, and they maintain stoutly that
their state shall not DO put in the attitude of
u mendicant.
Al
congress did an unwiso thing in ap-
proprIating money for tho Mississippi river
sufferers last summer. twas very bad pre-
cedent to establish, and it will be years be-
fore tho poor of tho region which is subject to
inundation get over tho notion that all
they have TO do when tho river slops over is
to fold their hands and let the government
tako caro- of them. The negroes on the Mis-
sissippi river plantations have already
come to look upon floods us God-sends,
yearly vacations-respites from, all worldly
care. DE government will give us
rations, they say to themselves aud
tain't no uso for us to lay up anything against
tho rainy day. This donation of rations is n
bad thing. There was an excuse for it last
year, but there will not be another similar
excuse for a hundred years. The states in.
terestcd can better afford to provide for their
own sufferers than to beg help from the gen
cral government"
go
John b. Lyon, of Chicago, ono of tho great
grain merchants of the country who is in the
city, has views on floods. He has large in
vestmcnts in Louisiana sugar plantations, and,
therefore, takes an interest in such matters.
Speaking of the Ohio overflow he said: "I
do not think the lower country will be mum
dated this year. The conditions arc different
from what they were last year. Last spring
the Tennessee, Cumberland, Ohio, and other
tributaries to the Mississippi overilowod early.
The spring freshets were of unusual duration
and violence, and during the period of their
continuance general storms prevailed, which
saturated the whole face of tho country
with water. The rain, falling on the snow of
the upper Missouri country, sent vast vol
umc of water down from that direction. Full
and overllowing streams emptied into
the Mississippi at the same time, ere
ating havoc and spreading floods and
dosoation over thousands of square miles
of bottom lands. This year the Ohio will bo
the rivers on the west get ugly. TO bo sure
there may be another inundation this season.
but do not look for it. Lightning doesn't
strike twice in the same place with such
frequency" John j. Lyons transactions in
grain are something bordering on the fabu-
lous. In one year he moved 35,0O00 900 bushels
of corn out of Chicago.
a@e
Gen. Hazen is persevering letter writer
and a man of great endurance Not content
with the back-handed wipe he got from Sec
retary Lincoln Thursday, he came to the
front again yesterday smiling with another
cpistOlary demand upon the secretary for
n congressional investigation into the charges
preferred against him. The secretary has
not yet replied, and there is consequently no
way of knowing what will be done. Mean
while time flies and on Monday Represent
ative Boltzhoover will fire his investigation
resolution bombshell into the house if moth
ing comes Of the correspondence in the in
terim. lie insists that the chief of the signal
service bureau shall not bluff" through tho
entire session.
W%s
One OF Senator Congers constituents denies
the report that the distinguished gentleman
from the lumber state wanted to fix duty of
SO per thousand on all books with board BACKS.
go
The report is now given out that Senators
Beck, Vance, Bayard, Mcpherson, Call, and
George, and other democratic long and strong
takers will talk any conference tariff bill to
death, provided they cannot kill it before u
conference committee is named. They
arc said to have an understanding
to that effect with Carlisle and his free
trade following in the house. "The iron men
on the republican sido are secretly helping
out the conspirators," said one of the knowing
ones last evening; and it is dollars to dimes
that nothing win bc done. The time is
getting very short, and shrewd fllibustering
cln kill any bill.
4>s
1t is getting to be tho popular thing for
capitol visitors to look through the heating
and ventilation and document rooms nova
days. These are curious places.
~
A democrat whose wit always runs ahead
Of his economy remarked yesterday when the
proposition to increase the hours of labor for
clerks was up, :" 1t is below No. 10 Dutch
7