Northwest enterprise. [volume] (Anacortes, Wash. Ter.) 1882-1887, 1884-06-07
WASHINGTON LETTER.
tFrom our Regular correspondent

meets TO be in Legsn's cabinet after the
4th of next March, said to- day that if he
was president having 200 delegates at
his back, he weuld do swapping enough
10 get the remaining 2il or dish, out his
patronage somewhere else. Now ii this
is not strange and q strong commentary
upon the weakness of Arthurs admins
tration, don't know where To look tor
the other preoi. With 10000 we'll fed
office.holders at his beck and call, and
this grand army 20 distributed through
out the country as to spring to t he breach
of .v,ry local convention in every State,
equity, town and school district, it pas
aes. all understanding that he should be
outgeneraled in every single State, his
swn included The goody- goody resolu'
tions that have marked the action OF these
COW, ntons, and which pat Mr.. Arthur
on the back, are simply tue heartlessness
OF pelitics--they mean simply ar invita-
to Mr.. Arthur to stand aside with his pat
ronage aud give the rest of the fellows
chance.
Just as expected. The railroad land
grant lobby have been getting in their
work to some.purposc. The Honse Judi
GARY Committee report that Congress has
no legal right to declare the forfeiture OF
any of these grants, because such action
would be in violation OF the provisions of
the constitution that prohibits the im>
pairments Of contracts! Here Is compa-
ny to which was granted one and halt
million OF acres OF the public dominion,
on condition that the road should be COM
pleted and in operation within five years.
This company not only did not complete
their road, but they never even began its
construction. After waiting four years
without lifting hand toward fulfilling
its part of the contract the company with
an sudacity worthy only of asoulless cor
poration. attempted to transfer the grant
to another company, which of course in
tended to appropriate it as the company
might seelft, because it had no contract
to keep with the government. The Int
rior department got pretty strong scent
at this huge rodent, and nipped the affair
in the bud, but the powerful lobby comes
70 the rescue and the railroad .bondhold-
err will realize the full vslne OF their secu-
urities without having invested dollar
in the construction If the people don't
like this way of doing things, they had
better ask: what are they going to do
sbout,iti
Mr.. Randall,s appropriation committee
lie doing good work in cutting down the
consular and diplomatic appropriations.
II would be money in our pockets, and
the saving of vast deal OF public scap-
dial if about one-half of this diplomatic re
tinue of tinselled humbuggery were whip
cd out altogether. The moment that an
American 10 clothed with the little brief
authority Of foreign cousnl, he seems to
lose all respect for this country as we'll as
himself. There is no mere need of con-
suls at ive-sixths Of the places where
they are now loafing at Government ex-
pense, than there is for warming. pans At
Timbuctos.
1t is big job for one man to undertake
when be attempts to reform the innumer-
able abuses Of this world. He must be a
sort Of political agnostic, who believes
that Congressional enactment Is all that
10 necessary to carry out the evolution
and revolution of human nature, provided
that the whole ground can be covered in
asingle bill. Senator Cullom, of Illinois,
is one of those fresh fellows who has not
been in the Senate long enough to receive
his matriculation, but he has got bill
in fact several of thcm-which propose to
change this Government into one OF the
regular papa sort. One of these bills Is
turning the entire railroad system Of the
country over to . qalntuple of Ancient
Mariners," with . modern sort of SALARY.
Now the principle may be all right, and I
an not gong to quarrel over it il it is not,
but would like to know how long five
men are going to stand out against the
interests Of two thousand millions of prof.
tably invested capitali
Another OF Mr.. Culloms protoplasmatic
snactments-if it gel Is through, is an edict
against the dealing in futures" he gam
bling in stocks. or the trading or specula-
ting in grain. produce, oils, &C., of the
oficsn Of national banks. The Pope's
bull against the comet bad the effect to
mako many people confident of bis power
when the meteor disappeared, but with