Spirit of the age. [volume] (Woodstock, Vt.) 1845-1913, 1884-06-11
from our regular correspondent
WASHINGTON LETTER.

WASHINGTON LETTER.
Washington, D. c., June, Z, "a.
Powell Clayton, who has cut such an
inglorious figure as the defeated chair
man of the Republican pow-wow at
Chicago, is the same Clayton, who as
governor of Arkansas, just after the
close of the war, out-Heroded Herod
in the infamy of his carpet-bag admin
istration of the political affairs Of that
State. 1t was a before breakfast past
time with him to proclaim martial law
over the people of any county threat
ened with Democratic majority, and
Of course it was not long before he had
the whole State under the military con-
troll of his carpet-bagsing subalterns.
After he had completed the dirty work
laid out for him as governor, the grip
sack legislature sent Clayton TO the
United States Senate, where he nobly
served his country by providing fat fed
eral positions for his brother and other
members of the Clayton household.
But the worst feature in this Clayton
business of Chicago, is the false pre-
tense of putting him forward as one of
the empty-sleeve brigade, which was
made the text of several of the speech
es made in his behalf, when every
mothers son of the Republican COM
mittee, aud those who spoke of him,
too, knew that Clayton's empty sleeve
came of shooting at pigeons and NAL
lard ducks, six years after the Confed-
crates had expended all their ammuni-
ton! Yet, with Clayton's unsavory
record known to every delegate in the
convention, they dared not make it
an issue against him, simply because
there were so many more of them in
the same boat.
The country will hail with unalloyed
satisfaction the adoption of the bill now
pending in Congress that abolishes the
fee system in the United States courts
and which has been scandal upon the
administration of justice in these
courts throughout the country. Under
this fee system the marshal's Office has
been turned into an engine of the most
outrageous oppression, tyranny and in
justice, because there was no limit to
the exactions that these officers might
demand under the resent statutes.
We all remember what an infamous
history these officials made in the adj
ministration of the general bankrupt
act few years ago, and the same
scamps who then filclled fortunes out
of the insolvcnt estates, by collision
with the equally rapacious assignees,
have been here this winter lobbying for
another bankrupt act just like the last.
and against the abolition of the vicious
fee system. So far they have been
defeated by Congress, but no one
knows here what may yet transpire to
enable them to defeat Congress.
AT last use has been found for the
Government Printing Office. 1t has
printed the biggest book that the
world has yet seen, it being volume
bound in calf, of course, weighing $40
pounds avcirdupois, and containing
more than 10000 pages. Whether
the huge volume is catalogue of the
employees of the office, or a speech of
some Congressman upon the best
means of getting rid of the Treasury
surplus, the public is not informed.
Ben Harrison has in some way be-
come assured that the grandson of old
Tippecanoe has got the Chicago fel.
lows where the hair is short, and has !
turned his proxy over to his alternate
from Indiana. 1t was only day or
two ago that Ben caused himself to be
interviewed and to say that if he were
q candidate he wouldn't be in Chicago.
Since then he has packed his grip-sack
and left Chicago, and you may gather
your own conclusions.
Some idea of the intense love for
agriculture that thrills the bosom Of
the gay rcd-man of the forest, may be
formed from one item gathered from
the report Of the Secretary of the lnte-
ricr this year. The great Sioux reser-
walton contains 1924 square miles,
or about six times as many as COM
prise the state of Massachusetts. 1t
has population of 81, 900, or about
one to every two square miles. Not
withstanding the fact that special effort
has been made to teach these Indians
something abouthusbandry, there have
been cultivated just 9,4S4 acres, or
about five land three-quarter miles
scarcely more than the size of an ordin-
airy Kansas cornfeld But what is
worse than all, the Secretary takes
especial occasion to say that even this
small tract is so wretchedly cultivated