The Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1877-1885, 1884-02-01
WASHINGTON LETTER.
From our Regular Correspondents.

WASHINGTON, ID. c., Jan. 80, 1884
Besides reclaimlng several forfeited
land grants by this congress- important
legislation is called for ON the indebted
ness to the United States by the Pacific
railroads, which have received subsidies
amounting, on the first day of July last,
to $102, 2,376,912. Under the provisions of
what is known as the Thurman act, twenty
five per cent of the net earnings of each
road is applied to the payment CT its debt.
This will leave the eight principal COM
panies indebted to the United States when
these bonds become due, at least $75, ,000,.
900; and attempts will be. made to force
the railroads this winter to accept some
scheme for the payment of this debt, or
for giving security that 1t will be paid.
Senator Edmunds has the matter in hand,
and, although the railroad companies
virtually own great many men here in
Washington, they cannot escape his
relentless determination The insolence
of these corporations is amazing. They
defy the acts of congress and the
whole power of the government,
setting their own pleasure as
the full measure of their liability; but
there are signs that this sort of thing will
have to end before long. The lobby
maintained by them here is very strong
but gradually losing its grip. One Of
these lobbyists has an attractive
daughter, who goes into society and ex
tepds civilities to the wives and daughters
of members, while he gives them lunches
and good liquor. Another first class
lobbyist is renowned as poker player,
and never hesitates about losing n few
hundred dollars when he desires TO ingra-
tiate himself with the winner.
Since the adoption of a resolution by
the senate giving each senator clerk,
members of the house have been discuss
ing the propriety of allowing themselves
secretaries also. But while nearly every
member is really in favor of the PROPOSE
ton, few would dare to vote for it, be-
cause, as one representative said today,
it would be fatal to their future prospects.
1t would result similarly to the salary
grab of ten years ago. The people
at home do not understand the
matter in its true light To them
a clerk for every congressman would
seem a great piece of extravaganza at
public expense They think member of
congress has almost nothing to but to draw
| his pay and attend to the little requests
which they have to make of them. When
one constituent writes making some re-
quest which win probably occupy an hour
or two of the members time, he does not
realize that perhaps fifty others in the
district are doing the same thing at the
same time, and that EVER congressman re-
ceives from twenty five to thirty letters
per day, which not only have to be an
swered, but which often require trips to
some of the departments for certain in
formation, etc. SO great are the demands
upon members in this way that If they
attend to all correspondence properly they
must neglect their legislative duties and
committee work. 1t would really be
economy on the part of the people to allow
each representative clerk to answer his
letters and attend TO these minor duties
while he informed himself concerning
public interests and the various questions
upon which he is required to vote There
would then be less hasty and i'll advised
legislation.
Ex-Governor Ben Butler will doubtless
pocket some handsome retainers by acting
as counsel for some of those who are to
be overhauled by the investigating COM
mittees The general has already several
irons in the fire. One is proposition to
make the United States pay largely for the
Potomac water now in use under an old
manufacturing privilege located at the
Great Falls, in which General Gushing
secured controlling interest. Another
project is to sell Castle Butler to the
United States for committee rooms One
third of the building has always been leas
ed the United States for the Coast Survey
The others two tenements, originally
designed for Senator Butler of Massachu-
sets, and his soninlaw, Senator Ames, ol
Mississippi, are now vacant, Genera
Butler not having reached the Senate
chamber, while Senator Ames wisely con
Guided to vdcate his chair there. So it il
now proposed to lease or to sell the whole
establishment to the general government
to be used as committee rooms They
would be very inconvenient for this pur-
pose, as during the closing hours of the
session members are often summoned
from their committee rooms to vote
DOM PEDRO
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