The Donaldsonville chief. [volume] (Donaldsonville, La.) 1871-current, 1885-07-18
NUMBER 46.
OUR WASHINGTON LETTER.

OUR WASHINGTON LETTER.
How Government Employees Should be
Paid = Illegal Fencing in of Pnblic
Lands Anonymous Letter Brigade
The Presidents Vacation Summer
Exodus.
WASHINGTON, d. c., July II, 1885.
EDITOR CHEF:
It would be a great good to the Capital
city if the President would issue an execu
tive order that the Government employees
here be paid weekly hereafter instead of
twice month. Tho increased clerical
force necessary to do this would not be
felt rs a burden to departments, while the
influence of the change to increase thrift
among the employees would be lasting
blessing to thousands. The more frequent
payments would break up the habit of run
ming bills and substitute therefor cash pay
ments for current household expenses.
The merchants would be greatly benefited
and business could be conducted on closer
margin of profit and with less risk.
About 100000 per month is paid out to
Government employees in this city, exclu-
sive of the District expenditures. Upon
that wage fund almost every industry and'
enterprise rests. The distribution OF is a
most important event that occurs in the
life of the city. Should it be made to flow
with greater rapidity the richest as we'll as
the poorest person in the District would feeh
its thrill, and only one set of men in the
city would be injuriously affected; they are
the money lenders called 10 per centers.'
Their occupation would soon be gone.
. hear that Con. Sparks, Commissioners
of the General Land Office, has had com
plete list of all tho cases whore the public
lands have been improperly fenced MADE
out with a statement of the present status
of affairs. In all these cases tho parties
have been notified to remove the fences.
In some instances they had consulted ats
torneys, who have held that reasonable
number of openings in the fence arc SUI
ficient. In such cases the openings are
,uardetl, and to all intcnts and purposes
fences still exist. Tho total amount OF
land that has boon appropriated In this way
is between one and two million acres.
A very common way of stealing public
lnnds is for some man to hunt out good
water hole or stream and to locate his pre-
emntion claim so as to take this in. lie
can fence this, and then he practically has
| nil that Joins it for many miles around, for
the land in much of the Western territory
is worth loss except where there is water.
| The men WHO have done this illegal
fancinp in of the public domain have O.
side to their story which they try TO 'e''
with great force. They claim that the land
is worthless except for the purposes OF
grazing, and that they, by taking posses
sion of it and rearing largo herds OF cattle,
are adding to the wealth OF the country
doing something for themselves ana 1or
tho people at large It is a pity for them
That the Department here does not accept
this falIacious reasoning, but holds thai
the honest settler is driven away by the
fances and that they must all be removed.
The penchant of many persons TOT
writing anonymous letters to pubic ON
cials here in Washington surpassos ordinan,
: belief. There ia scarcely man IN h'gi
nnblic place who does not receive moro o.
less ANONYMOUS letters in every mai
delivered to him; and the higher his posi-
ton the more he is target for the anony
mona letter scribblers. Many of thes
effusions are palpably from cranks, Will
very many have the impress OF minus ina
, are ordinarily Intelligent. during tn
pendency of Senator Bayard's res2lrtlon 1
the Senate eondemning the assau feas. g
miters upon public buildings YDeoart.
tho Senator wore deluged with fElassio01|
postal cards, all without sis
! tn ''::: ::*',c' their, '''s . s:,.s;, ,sss
y ,,, ferc is not Il member tho ss.s.-...
= Sho docs not receive anon NOUS letter
., giving him advice, beaeeching him for
F. flee or criticising his course. Nor does
.ir anonymous writor confine himself to
lie mail. He frequently resorts to the -
,3 praph and Que of the most proVohiHs