The Donaldsonville chief. [volume] (Donaldsonville, La.) 1871-current, 1885-04-11
OUR WASHINGTON LETTER.

Reforms - Sir william the
Ran1-Exos,us OF Once Seel<ers-A Junk
citing nmissiun-President Cleveland
at Work.
WASHINGTON, D. c., March 81, 1885.
EDITOR CHIEF:
If it is true, rs reported in distant papers,
that one of our theatrical managers called
upon President Cleveland and placed a box
at his disposal, and that Mr.. Cleveland
courteously replied that he should be glad
to use box at the said managers theatre
upon occasion, but that he preferred to OBJ
tain it IN the usual way and at the usual
price, it is very gratifying indeed, and Of
fers an opportunity to admire the good
sense and good taste of the new Chief Mag
istrate.
In the same spirit and no less admirable |
is the action of those heads of Departments |
who have declined the pleasures of car |
riage riding at the public expense and sold |
the livery outfit which custom allowed them. |
This Department carriage business was
one of the most odious and least justifable
of the whole perquisite family. Why the
Government should be made to provide
coach and coachman free of expense to its
heads of bureau is one of the things that
no fellow can find out.
Chow on earth did the First Comptroller
of the Treasury Lawrence get the name
of Sir William the Ramp said to a lead
ing Ohio politician, who had just alluded
to him by the somewhat unusual sobriquet
mentioned. "Sit down here and let me
tell you the story. You know" said he,
getting his cigar fairly kindled, ''that
Lawrence was once Congressman from
Ohio. The district was full of hard headed
old farmers, who were engaged IN wool
growing and improving the native breed
of sheep. Lawrence was aware OF this IN
vague sort Of way, but he knew no more
of practical farming than a Blue Point
oyster does of Greek art. The House was
in Committee of the Whole at night ses-
sion considering one of the appropriation
bills, into which somebody had injected
several clauses putting various dutiable
agricultural articles ON the free list. Mil
| ton Saylor, then member from Cincln-
natl, was watching the proceedings, full of
prompted him to perpetrate an awful out
rage on his simple-minded colleague,
Lawrence. Slipping over on the Repub
lican side of the House, he said, s Law
renee you live in big farming district,
and your people grow good many sheep,
now, as they ;,re on this free-list business;
why don't you move that hydraulic rams
be added to it? It would tickle the old
farmers awfully and make you mighty
solid with them hereafter. IF you don't
Southard or Ben. Le Fever will, and sc
he left him. If Lawrence had had any
time to think he would newer have done it,
for of course he must lave known what q
hydraulic ram was. There had been good
deal of cold tea absorbed that night, and
may be that blurred the Hon. Williams
perceptions somewhat. Anyhow he of
fered an amendment. It was about as fol
lows: THAT hydraulic rams imported fo1
the purpose of improving breeds of sheer
be admitted free of duty 'Eh, what thu
devil is that?' said the chairman to thu
Reading Clerk. Read it again! cam'
from all over the House, and in tone tina
could have been heard five blocks away tn
| Clerk repeated the sentence. Well, it's
wonder the roof didn't come OF, for suci
shout had never before been heard with
) in the wallis of the lower House. Lawrenc
was selected to stay at home the next time
t and this is the way he comes to be pleas
antly denominated Sir William the Ram.
I There had been sudden departure o
r the great throng of office-seekers, and th
: reason is that the few men who seem t
! | have any influence with the new admins
e tration with regard to the patronage hav
/ made it one of the conditions under whic
: they would render assistance that the az
r plicants leave their posts in the hotel LOT
: bies and corridors of the departments an
60 home and stay there.
# The great perfectionist. Mr.. Van Nyc]
n raised quite breeze in the Senate one da
d week before last apropos of junketing e:
: peditions. The Senate had recently bee
wa
IL mittees which had nothing to do to SIT du
= inr the recess. and were considering Il
q question of sending committee to Alask
re the furthest place in which we have any il
re terest, except, perhaps, in the north pol
70 Mr.. Van Wyck said that lamentable igno
is auce was usually found to exist with rega
lc to bills which were contracted by the
"a commissions and for example he referr
~ to the commission to Central and Sou
he America. which was appointed on the
Nv day of January They reported for du
re in October and the first thing they did W
adj to 90 to San Francisco, then to New Me
io leo. then to New Orleans to see the Expo
Ne ton. Each member was provided vi
,'s 1880 for his expenses. The colnm1ssl
IF consisted Of two men and boy, for
,,e chairman remained in Albany. The fl
thing these two men and boy did was
,er hire a palace car at S:s5 a day. for viii
nv the total payment was $1if7 before u
Ia rot to New Orleans. Then they furnisf
themselves with supplies, which doubti
inc,aded lienids and solids, and 5000 v
exnended before the commission
out of this country. Mr.. Van Wyck 81
ac- that what made it worse, the outraged
is bills of that commission had been approx
ieti and paid. He denounced this as worse tt
u'' highway robbery. Then the chairman ne
even appeared with the commission.
eip remained all the winter in Albany, but
say x.y was paid his salary until he resigned
r,ai February, amounting 10 s4679 1e. Thes
teen cents, he supposed, was put on to ss'
that the occount was correct.