Northwest enterprise. [volume] (Anacortes, Wash. Ter.) 1882-1887, 1884-06-14
ANACORTES
WASHINGTON LETTER.
irrom orr regular correspondent

The revelations issuing out OF the
quarrel, among'he lawyers in the Star
Route cases, ale getting to be as interes-
ting to the people as they are profitable to
the Government. Yesterday Ker was on
the rampage before Springer's Committee,
anil having sworn to tell the whole truth,
/ don't believe that, ne kept anything
ssek. From the fact appears to be con-
elusive that George Bliss was employed
by the Goverlmep Ut special in the inter-
est of Dorsey, and was paid $50 per day
not TO be disturbed. His zeal in behalf OF
Dorsey became. so CONSPICUOUS that Mr..
Merrick was compelled to. insist that Mr.
Ker should remain in the case especially
10 watch Mr.. Bliss. The facts sworn to
by Ksr. show how the Government has
been handicapped not only in its attempt
10 punish the Star Route thieves, but
in the o:her cases where the power of mon
~ could be invoked to effect the CONVEX
SION OF that pliablc portion OF mankind
denominated Washington jury.
Congress. bass gone. into the tusn's
OF erecting publlcs buildings at this
season by wholesale. So far no less than
81 have been ordered, ranging III price
from SOC, 900 to $2,5O0,o00, and the end
Is not yet. But there ARE some things
about this public building business tina
should be ventilated, and this very week
two bills were adopted in the Senate
that never should have been. One is the
giving of $250,e00 for the new custom
house at Portland, Oregon, place OF
$4,000 inha bitents, which already has a
building that cost the Government $780,
emo. The other is the appropriation OF
100000 tor public building at Sarato-
ga, little watering place of 10000
population, which. has not half the need
OF public building of this cost that il
has for mssionar les during the gambling
season.
1t will be Remembered, through the
efforts of the sanity Mr.. Frye, of Maine,
and the theological Mr.. Blair, of New
Hampshire, the truely good men in the
Senate concluded to abolish it, the dis
pensing of ''cold tea in the basement OF
the capitol. Fray declared that the
whole capitol had become virtible GIN
mill. and Admin;dab Sleek Edmuns
turned his eyes to the eealng and called
dowa upon the Senate the terrors of pub
lie sentiment If this ''cold tea" adomina-
ton should continue. don't know how
it is about Frye, but it is well known
that Edmuns makes out to get rid
OF more OF the celebrating fluid than any
man under the capitol dome. But l was
going to say that the anti-cold tea resol-
ution was q joint one, and had to go TO
the House for concurrence. The temper
ence folks have just six months watching
this resolution, or watching for it, and
you may bet your silverware that Ed
nuns has been watching it too, for it has
reared its head over the speakers table in
the House, while the infnltessimal ''tea
cups" down stairs are clinking from
morning till night--yea from night till
morning, too.
As the results OF logical corrollary,
she fact is established that the revenues
OF the Post Office Department increase as
postage Is reduced, / cannot see why Con.
gress should hesitate about passing Mr.,
Robinson's bilp which provides for still
further reduction of postage on letters to
one cent for each halt ounce Tho Sta
TONERS Board of trade Of New York, and
other commercial organizations the coun-
try are petitioning for the measure, and
should it fail in the present Congress as
1t doubtless will, there will he good
chance for the economists in the next
Congress to perpetuate its record as
being distinctively party to which
alone the people need look for benefits
like these. And here is one thing that
the attention OF postal and political econ>
omists should be called to, and that is
the fact that the Government is paying
the price of mail-stermer every year to
carry our mails to Europe by single
hnel And the Government contracts
with half q dosen of these foreign lines.
What sort of economy is it to do this
thing = substituting English, French,
German and Scandinavian vessels, while
whole feet of equally servlceable vessels
tor this purpose, rotting at our own Gov
rnment? DIP.
ODonovan Rosa, the day after the