Idaho semi-weekly world. [volume] (Idaho City, Idaho Territory) 1875-1908, 1884-04-15
WASHINGTON LETTER.
From our Regular Correspondent
WASHINGTON, April a, 1854.

IS 1T now Stalluo eho
ranort of the special committee is
nrattv mess for both Keller and Boyn-
,on and very touching commln.g
limo Of compliment and equlvocatlon
which the committee allowed itseli 10
,ndulpe in. Boynton is exonera'eo
from the charge made against nm by
ta;fer because keifer's testimony
does not come up to the committees
standard of legal preparedness az
-bough his evidence was confirmed by
t,so witnesses. Boynton beng the
defendant. is entitled to the beneht
20 the doubt which the committee en-
tertaiped that the whole brood OF the
witnesses on both sides were not ~
;nr 1T each other straight from the
shoulder throughout. The committee
nevertheless declares that both OF the
gentlemen are Of unblemlshed char
aoter so far as the committee is able
to Judge from the testimony, and the
powerful effort made by each to prove
abe other liar, the committee hopes,
NAV not again find imitators IN the
Republican ranks. 1t may here be
said that Boynton's denial about the
McGarrahan claim business IS very
like the pleading of the great Sherl-
dan in the borrowed kettle case, IN
that he never knew McGarrahan, and
If he did it was not corruptly, and II
corruntly. there was no malice pre-
tense about 1T.
For many years during and since
the war, the general Government has
been called upon to pay more money
In liquidation of the District expend-
itures for improvements, than the
whole tax levy Of Chicago with her
more than half million inhabitants!
In 1878, these expenditures reached
the enormous sum of eight million
dollars, while in 1870, it was almost If
not quite as much, and in no year
since 1875 have the expenditures
been less than two million dollars
with no corresponding public improve,
ment to show for it. Taking the cap.
itol and all the other public buildings
and adding together their aggregate
cost, we find that it does not amount
to as much by several millions as has
been laid out for the work upon the
streets alone. With these local ex
penditures all the time increasing, ano
with no prestige to maintain itself ex
cept that of beng the capital of ;
great nation, it has become already ;
serious question whether it were no
better to fix the capital at some cit,
whose citizens have energy enough t.
build it up and get along withou
Governmental dependence.
1t is a good time now for Reavis
the capital mover, to get in his wofl
before Washington city succeeds il
getting more public buildings thai
can be handily transferred beyond tn,
Mississippi. A late figuring show
that the Government has incurred al
expenditure of only about one hun
dred millions of dollars since the yea
1890, for its share in running the Dis
trict government, constructing it
public buildings, buying and main
tanning its public parks, and all. Thi
is only about the sum we are payin!
out in pensions every year, and W
could hardly miss it from our enol
NOUS ON had surplus. But the cit
IS getting more and more extryagan
in its outlay for public Improvement,
and more and more audacious in ii
demands upon Congress, which ha
hitherto been paying one-half of tn
running expenses of the municip;
Government, until the recent deman
that the Government shall pay one
half the expense of the constructio
of three-million-dollar bridge owe
the Potomac, has aroused everybod
to the inquiry as to where and whe
shall this thing stop?
Those who believe that the publ
domain should remain in the actu
possession of Government, to be di
tributed to actual settlers instead
going into the hands of speculate
and land-pillagers, will be pleased
learn that the Government is evin
ing determination to enforce VIII
law there is in protecting itself again
the stupendous fr1s+esas that have b
come bold to actual defiance. III
fencing in of millions upon million
of acres of the public lands by herd