The weekly Thibodaux sentinel and journal of the 8th Senatorial District. [volume] (Thibodaux, Lna. [i.e. La.]) 1875-1898, 1883-01-27
GnLI-NGIUT LETTER.
Fro. 02r Regular Correspondents.

FroIl N2r AesH"tr Correspondents
Washington. January Is, 1883
TIE past vee:, has been very bus,
one 80 Washington Congress- ia
been busy in Tie Io.sc ana IN tie Sci
ate !; the lohb: has been busy in ans
about Congress; ard society has beer
busy il hundreds 4 drawing ooals
Congress has forty one working days
vet remaining, an, it has about tou'
months work Oh hand. mostly in the
share oftusincss that siiould have near
closed out during the last session. \
pension bill aprropriating &s5,0o0,G0.
Tor the Army, and sl.00o.000 for The
Navy, has been passed by the House
also a bill approHriatins Three hundred
and twenty FIVE thousand Dollars for for
tifcatious. The Ways and Means Com
mittec Q! the IIou>eh has completed its re
vision Of the taliif bill without making
any important changes. The bill will
be presented to the house at the earliest
opportunity. and this subject will come
up in the Senate as unfinished business
to-day. 1t is the opinion, however. of
we'll informed representations that no
tariff bill will lie passed this session.
The House committee ON education
and labor viii ask to-day, or the call
of committees. for consideration of its
bill as reported by Mr.. Sherman, grant
ing national aid to the common schools
of the States and Territories on the ba
sis OF illiteracy. This bill has the Il
n:mous support of each member of the
committee, and proposes to aid to the
amount Of 80. 100000 per annum for
five years. 1t is a patriotic. non-parti
san measure of the most vital impor
lance to the whole country. No other
bill before Congress touches interests
so broad, so vital. Or Immediately need
ing attention as this.
1t is said that the Naval bill. which
will be reported this week, contains
some very important clauses striking
at the te~p-heaviness Of the Naval per
sonel. 1t is we'll known that there is
in the United States NavysSa great dis
proportion of highly paid officers to
poorly paid seamen, and that, while the
Naval Academy at Annapolis is turn
ing out myriads Of ornate lieutenants
to navigate the bali rooms of the world
common sea-scaked sailors are obso-
lete or obsclescent. Admirals, Commo
dores, Captains. Lieutenants. and Mid
shipmen we have always with us in
battallions, but where, oh where. is
Jack Tar, once so dauntless in love and
in a He has been killed by eleven
dollarsssa month. and the tyranny Of
the aforesaid. official battallions whose
overbearing cruelty is Incompetence
bic to any one unused to the sea on an
United States Government vessel. AT
the last session, it will be remembered.
there was a contest over the PROPOSE
ton to abolish the grade of commodore
and it was finally defeated. The same
clause is in the present bill. and it will
very likely go through. This means
that most of the officers now holding
the rank CT captain in the Navy will
never get above it. It is also proposed
that no officer in time of peace shall be
promoted to the grade of lieutenant un
til after he has served four years at sea ;
no lieutenant to lieutenant commander
until after six years sea service as lieu
tenant no lieutenant commander to
commander until after four years sea
service ; no commander to captain..u n
til after three years. sea service. Meri
torious service and marked ability are
to be taken into account in regulating
promotions. These are very important
propositions, and will, if adopted, alter |