New Ulm weekly review. [volume] (New Ulm, Minn.) 1878-1892, 1886-04-07
WASHINGTON LETTER.

There is a very general agreement
that the Secretary of the Treasury viii
never resume the onerous duties of his
Office. The strain has been too great
for him, and he cannot return to il
without imperiling his life. Mr.. Man
ning's illness has raised another cry Of
malaria which has been traced again
to the unhealthy condition of the Poto.
mac flats,
"Where the fresh wind borne of the sea
grows faint with the sickly breath
That stays in the fretting marshes and
blows on the dews of DEATH
There seems to be fatality about
the Treasury Department which no one
can explain otherwise than that the
building is situated in an unhealthful
locality or that the drainage system is
defective. For the past year Secretary
| Manning has spent the greater part Of
his time there day and night. Every
Secretary who has presided over the
Department for the last twenty years,
has been, at some time during his occu.
pancy, afflicted by that mysterious dis
ease called malaria and physicians
report a greater percentage of illness
among the employees of that Depart
ment than any other. Some of those
who have been employed at the depart
ment for many years repudiate this
statement, however, and one gentleman,
who has spent twenty-eight years in the
treasury service, says he has not been
i'll day since he has been there.
When Gen. Dix was Secretary of the
Treasury, he complained to friends
that he believed the building was not
healthy, and that since he had been
there he had never been in good health.
''Not exactly ILL.," he explained, 'but
tired and dull all the tlme.' The lead
ing physicians of the country took this
statement up, and explained that the
Secretary was suffering from ''malar-
ia, and this disease has been the fash
ionable thing in Washington ever since.
Its origin was traced to the Potomac
flats.
The death OF Secretary Folger is also
ascribed indirectly to malaria. 'Short-
ly after he took charge of the Treasury
a delegation of local bankers called
upon him, and one of them referred to
malaria. The Secretary laughed at
the idea, and remarked dryly that
'political malaria was about the only
disease infectious in Washington, yet
the Secretary was stricken in a manner
not at all unlike Secretary Manning.
There has just been an investigation
of the sanitary condition of the U. $.
Treasury building, and it is denounced
deplorable and dangerous, veritable
hot-bed of disease. Congress will be
asked for at least 100000 to remedy
the evil. At present Congress allows
$4,000 q year for repairs about the
Treasury, and this sum is speedily ex-
hausted IN minor repairs, and very lit
tie can be utilized for improving the
sanitary condition of affairs.
There are now upwards Of 1000 per-
sons employed in the Treasury build
ing, and investigation shows that at
least one thousand visitors are in the
Department during the day on bust
ness. In order to provide pure air it is
proposed to place fans at the four in
terror corners of the endorsement and
force the fresh air up into the rooms by
means of flues or pipes.
Whether the Treasury will get the CO.
veted appropriation for this improve
ment remains to be seen, but it is quite
sure that the Potomac flats will not get
the 100000 asked for. This great en-
terprise, upon which nearly a million
dollars have already been expended, is
to stop summarily, and Congressman
who leave their good habits at home
when they come to Washington will
have the Potomac flats for some time
yet, as convenient scape goat for the
ills of flesh consequent upon their dissi-
pations.
The Committee on Rivers and Har-
bors say they will give nothing more to
the flats until the question of title has
been settled. They are doubtful now
whether the flats belong to tie United
States or to the Kidwell heirs.
The blind Chaplain Of the House OF
Representatives is attracting marked
attention to his morning PRAYERS these
days. In one invocation he denounce:
blood and pomp and beseeches the
Lord to enable the intelligent men anc
woman Of tho land To cOn,nrnhon1 +h,.