The Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1885-1886, 1885-10-28
WASHINGTON LETTER.

WAsHINGToN, ID. G., Oct. 26, 1880.
People hercabouts who know some>
thing about the facts, and had some per
sonal knowledge of the events lransplr-
ing ia the early days of Andrew John
sons presidency, receive with many
grains of salt Mr. Chauncy Depew $
warn about the rescue of the republic by
Gen. Grant from Johnson's schemes to
overthrow it. Depew has always enjoy
ed reputation for romancing and after
dinner talking, and in this case he has
evidently done his reputation full justice.
lie says johnson first vindictiyely sought
To hang all the leaders of the rebellion,
because they had never recognized him
socially and then in the next breath,
when they held out their hands to him he
went in the other direction and conceived
II plan for throwing the machinery Of the
government into their hands by organic
ing a new congress. All who know any~
ihing about Johnsons career as president
know that his policy" never vibrated
that he SAID treason should be made Cd
ions, but that he followed throughout
the course outlined by Lincoln himself,
Docum cutarv evidence in the State De-
DdTllntnl Us wei as we
es of President johnson when he was
swinging round the circle" and the re
collections and notes of his private sec
Rotary, all tail to corroborate Depew.
Both Grant and johnson are now de I'D
and cannot affirm or deny. The present
therefore. is good time for She volatile
Chauncy to draw the cork which confined
his after dinner fermentation
1t cannot be many years before Con
grcss viii demand more comfortable and
more Commodious quarters in which to dc
the law making for this great nation.
In sauntcring drought the capitol yesler-
day | went into the House and Senate
chamber, only to find them both depleted
of every article of furniture, carpets,
desks. spittouns and all. These two rooms
are about as dreary and desolate rooms
for public use rs one can imagine. To
think of 325 men cooped up for nine
months AT time in a room which, with>
out the galleries, is not more than 80 feet
square one may not inquire the reason
for the Congressional mortality that fol
lows the long session every second year.
In winter these chambers are kept at
what is supposed to be an eguabe tenn
perature, but it is II quality of heat that is
enervatng as well as nauseating Not
until Congress provides halls for its own
use dlstinctively and apart from all other
Governmental surroundings, will there
be n check To the fearful death rate that
now prevails.
With the ten and half millions of cart
wheel dollars brought hither by the Swa-
tara from New Orleans the other day,
there are as tons If silver coin in tine
national treasury against five and half
tons of gold, including bricks. With this
vast weight OF silver coin running the
vaults over until every availble inch of
space is occupied, the minis are adding
two millions of the same unhandy and
unhandsomc money every month in the
year, in compliance with a stupid piece OF
legislation that passed congress in the
interest of The silver kings of Nevada and
Colorado.
When this money is counted it occup-
les the time of thirty expert counters just
three weeks. The popular impression is
that the dollars are taken up ole by one
and thrown into pile while the count is
on, but this is dclusion, pure and sim
pie, for were this the case the treasurer
of one administration who must count
the monies turned over to his successor,
would be able to hold his office through
at least two entire administrations before
he could be compelled to disgorge. There
fore the scales are resorted to, the money
being put into bags, with an uniform
weight in each by which the whole pro
cess of counting occupies only n matter
of two or three weeks. PHoNo.