The weekly democratic statesman. [volume] (Austin, Tex.) 1871-1883, 1883-02-08
OUR WASHINGTON LETTER.
WASHINGTON, Jan. :

TO the Editor of the Statesman:
The capital city is nothing if not
the emporium of
JOBBERY AND RASCALITY
of all kinds. Here politicians flock
from every state in the Union, to con-
coct schemes of plumber and map out
policies to hoodwink the people.
Lately the Republican party has been
greatly alienated from the affections
of the colored brother. Negro politi-
cal apostles who have come here to
seek positions, and failed after being
faithfully promised, seldom left
without addressing their race and
swearing vengeance against the grand
old party. This has gone on for years,
but the SuperstitiouS attachment of
the negro for the Republican party
caused them to rally in heated cam
paigns. But education has become so
common among them now that it is
no longer possible to retain them
without something more substantial
than promises; in other words, offices
are necessary to retain them, and it is
noticeable that Il larger number of col
Ored men have been sent away
as conSuls and given fat places
than at any time since the war. The
local organ of the colored people WIS
very outspoken in its opposition to
the Republican party, but lately the
editor has ceased his denunciatiOnS
and it is now understood that he also
will be comforted with official pap
Most of the teachers in the
PUBLIC SCHOOLS
here are Republicans, and the party of
mOrae ideas has commenced to use
them us means of still further salts
fving the aVarice of the colOred race.
Your correspondent as a. member of
the local press noticed that all through
the winter crowds of colored children
from the villages on the Virginia side
of the Potomac have been coming to
the city in the morning, and now it is
known that they have been for
months attending gratis the schools
supported by the Washington taXpay-
ers. The same thing goes on in the
upper part of the city, hundreds of
darkey children crossing the boundary
daily from the Maryland counties adj
joining to receive instruction
in our schools, for which
they do not pay anything:
this Notwithstanding our schools
have not sufficient accommodations
for the city pupils. The matter is
not yet generally known in Washing
ton, and will probably create much
dissatisfaction when it does become
ventilated.
Secretary Folger has called Speaker
Keifer's attention to the numerous
fn tho
VAST AMOUNT OF SILVER
on hand in the vaults of the treasury
and sub-treaSury, and states that
other vault facilities will have to be
provided or the coinage of the stand
ard silver dollar stopped. Since the
act has been passed providing for the
coinage of the standard silver dollar,
additional vaults have been made at
the sub-treaSurieS in New York, Bal
timore, Philadelphia and San Fran
cisco. All of these vaults are now
filled to overlooking. The law pro-
videS for the coinage of S2,0OO,000 per
month, and additional vaults must be
constructed or the law repealed be-
fore congress adjOurnS. During
the debates in the house of
representatives on the naval APP
preparation bill all of the ma
val officers stationed here, with
their wives. their sisters, their cousins
and their aunts, sat in the gallery and
listened with the prOfoundeSt atten-
ton. No wonder they took SO much
interest, when the action of congress
would probably end the terrestrial ca
reer of so many of them, that is so far
as public service is concerned; if the
appropriations are short large num-
Der of the grim and aged officers who
have seen much hard service on
the high seas in the interest
of their country will he re-
tired. Some of the statements
made in the galleries We're rather
startling, showing as they did the
worthless, tOp-heavy
CONDITION OF OUR NAVY,
which, to say the least. is practically
useless should war occur. No fourth
rate South American power would
find much trouble in making clean
sweep of all the old rotten hulks sup
posed to defend Uncle Sans flag on
the ocean. We have eleven rear
admirals on the active list, only five
of whom are on sea duty commanding
stations twenty-three cOmmodores,
not one of whom is performing sea
duty; AZ captains, only of whom are
performing sea duty; and 10 civil en-
gineers, one of whom, who has the
relative rank of captain, was ten
years ago an oxen driver in the Nor
folk navy yard. When the paymast-
erS, surgeons, engineers and captains
lobbied bill through giving them
relative rank, it was said that it would
promote the efficiency of the navy.
What is the result?
There are fourteen medical
directors with the rank of captain in
the navy or colonel in the army, not
one of whom can perform sea duty,
because he would out-rank the COM
of any vessel to which he
may be attached. This keeps on shore
duty twelve of the fifteen medical in
spectors, thirteen pay directors and
eight of the twelve pay inspectors.
So with many of the engineers and
pious chaplains. Hon. Proctor Knott,
of Kentucky, and many other states
men have introduced bills
to re-organiZe the navy, but
not one of them has yet passed.
There is one thing certain, that if the
taxpayers of this country want a navy
with uniformed officers they can have
it by contributing countless millions
of dollars.
The latest issue of the postoffice bull
Ietin has the following
OF INTEREST TO TEXAS.
a postofiice has been established at |
Nerd, Clay county, on route 1,037. |
5. J. Ashburn has been commissioned |
postmaster at Harrison, Texas; ThoS. |
]. Sheppard at Jimtown; Elisha f. |
Clark at King; VIM. 5. Pearson at |
Wayerly. On route 81, 200 mail will |
leave Austin daily, except Sunday, at |
p. IN. for Fort Concho, arrive in for |
weight horrs, and leave Fort Concho |
1aily, except Sunday, at 3 a. m On |
route 3l,337 mail will leave
Ennis Mondays and Fridays at |
a m. for Chambers Creek;
arrive at Chambers Greek at ~ H.,
cave Chambers Creek Mondays and |
Fridays at p. m, arrive at Ennis p. |
H.; on route 81 ,43S mail will leave |
Wills Point daily, except Sundays, at i
a. m. for Canton, arrive at Canton |
2 IN, leave Canton daily, except Sun
lays, at p. m, arrive at Wills Point |
p. m; on route 1852 mail leaves
SIcGregor daily, except Sundays, at IL
N. for Eagle Springs, arrives at Eagle
springs p. m, leaves Eagle Springs
laily, except Sundays, at a. M, ar
i've at McGregor by III a. IN. l.. 5.
ST. PAUL, MINNESOTA, Feb. L.