The Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1877-1885, 1884-04-15
WASHINGTON LETTER.

From Regular Correspondent.
WASHINGTON, d. c., April II, 1894.
The Danville investigation by Senator
Sherman's special committee, is attended
at intervals with some interesting tits
between members of the committee and
the witnesses, and some of them are some
thing more than exciting The evidence
of Mr.. Dezendorf last Tuesday, and that
of citizens of Coplah county last week,
will furnish Mr.. Lamar with all the pab
ulum requisite for an interesting speech.
He has been watching these investigations
with eager interest, and he doubtless in
tends to give us the result of his observa-
tons He finds that most of the North
ern people are ignorant of the real condi-
ton of that sentiment in the South among
the negroes that interprets Democracy 10
mean that slavery is to be restored and
negroes again reduced to bondage The
Democrats in Mississippi, while in a mum
crlcal minority of 30 900, 60 on year after
year securi ng victories, to the surprise of
those who take it for granted that the 50,
600, negroes, in excess of the whites, are
all Republicans, aud that Democratic
success must therefore come through fraud.
This theory is not by any means correct,
for the negroes are not organized as are
the whites, and they are apathctic at
elections unless impelled by some strong
sentiment. They conceive that their in
teFcStS and those of the men VINO, possess
ing the wealth, the learning and the govern
ing experience and conservative opinions,
have sIriVen FOR the control of power, the
collection and expenditure of taxes, and
the maintenance of good order. In the
elaboration of these points, Mr.. Lamar
will invite a long and II may be most
interesting controversy.
The end, aim and object OF the Demo
cratic party is TO protect labor from the
reaction OF enormous and grinding mon
opolies The argument that is urged a
gainst tariff reduction is that it will tend
to reduce American labor to the condition
OF the 'pauper labor of foreign countries
which if true should put an end TO any
debate on tariff reform But. see if it is
true. To day the spInnerS of Fall River,
to the number of 10000, are working on
two thirds time, while every loom in Eng
land is running full time, and while our
cotton manufacturers enjoy the protect
ion of average fifty per cent duties, the
wages of American operatives are no
higher than those of the English spinners.
Mr.. Shaw, the consul at Manchester, Eng
land, in his last report says: Operatives
here are the best paid and comfortable
working class in England, and their in
hueuce and wealth are increasing at a
rapid rate" Mr.. Shaw is Republican, and
yet he gives" this unbiased evidence in
regard to what we are pleased to call
pauper labor" in free trade England. The
Manchester operatives are happy and
contented, while the Fall River spinners
are fighting, and fighting continually, a
gainst a reduction of wages that has ag-
gregated in three years more than sixty
seven per cent, and, more now threaten
ed. The contrast is one worthy the study
of the politician as well as the political
economist. When properly studied out,
it is possible that the American operatives
may desire to shake off system that robs
them OF their earnings under the swim
ding pretense of protecting them,
Everybody remembers that when the
old public functiOnary, James Buchanan,
was President, his beautiful niece, Harri-.
ct Lane presided at the White House, and
never, since The days Of Mrs Madison,
have the honOrs Of the Executive Man
sion been administered with more grace
She at once become so popular that rev
enue cutter was christened after her and
once upon a time she accepted an invita-
ton to take passage in the vessel from
Washington to New York, This simple
act, which was in violation oil all prece-
dent in the history of the Republic called
fourth a most stern rebukc from the
President, about whose oars came amin
adversions from all parts of the country.
How different things are in these days,
though hardly two decades have passed
since this simple social Innovation The
successors of Mr. johnson, have used the
vessels of the navy for purposes of pleas
uT6 WIllOnl TeSSdGu 10 IlIut, StdSOu Vi eA
penditure. Giant led off in the business,
Hayes followed him up, and Arthur has
outdOne them both by using one vessel for
himself during the summer of last year
and the year before, while he sent his
daughter on a junketing tour in another.
Nor is this all of it, not the worst of it,
for three weeks ago the U, S. man of war
Tantic was dispatched to the Bahamas by
Secretary Chandler to bring home the
family of Mr.. Edmunds, the upright, the
incorruptible and accomplished Senator
from Vermont and who expect to be in
position next year to reciprocate these
inequalities from the Executive Mansion.
While it may seem odd that Mr.. Edmu-
nds, under the present stress Of cirCum-
stances, should take hand in this sort
of business, the tax payers may well pray
for little less of the Edmunds method
and little more of the Buchanan style
of prepetuating national integrity.
PHONO.
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