St. Landry democrat. (Opelousas, La.) 1878-1894, 1886-12-18
WASHINGTON LETTER.
From Our Regular Correspondent.

.henUelS anu Clo"uS OI people lOCket
to the Capitol to see the beginning O
the new session. When the Forty
ninth Congress met last December i
found the Capitol draped in mourning
for the death of Vice President Hen
bricks. This year it reassem5les t,
find the building swathed in black fol-
Ex-President Arthur.
After the gavels fell to-day in the
Senate and House, and roll calls fol.
lowed, and new Senators and Repre-
sentatives were then sworn in. Work
is now in order, but the weeks pro-
gramme cannot now be out lined. fol-
convenience must decide to What bust
ness each branch of Congress will first
give attention.
Among the most interesting annual
reports evoked by the assent bling of
Congress was that of Secretary Whit
ney because it deals largely with the
reconstruction of the Navy. Speaking
OF the extravaganza of previous Ad-
ministrations, the Secretary shows that
there are now twenty million dollars
worth of stores and supplies on hand.
supposed to be new, but much of them
ruined by decay and rust, or entirely
obsolete There are $4,000 augcrs which
have been lying for years in disused
yards and hundreds of thousands of
other implements similarly going to
destruction. An officer reports passing
through yard where the men were
short OF cut nails, and turning aside he
found ware room filled from floor TO
ceiling with barrels on barrels of the
needed nails. 1t is estimated that
these nails will still last the Navy De-
partment fifty years.
The absurdity of the effort among
Republican papers to create the belief
that there is some scandal involving
the President in the purchase of real
estate here for speculative purposes is
really amusing. Neither partisan
malice nor personal animosity can fix
upon him any faint of COMPLETELY in
real estate ring transactions or scauda-
lous police spying in Washington.
Even those who criticize the presi-
dents public and political policy ac-
knowledge that personally and pecu-
niarily, he is one of the most honest
men who ever occupied the White
House. He might be imposed upon in
some way by avaricious men, but
President Cleveland himself is totally
free from greed. This sudden spasm
OF outraged virtue in the Republican ,
party, which stood by President Grant
when he locked up Boss Sheperd, Land Z
aulet Williams and the members of the !
Whiskey Ring, because certain real es- I
tate dealers sought to profit by Mr..
Clevelands purchase of home. is !
highly interesting. +
The name of the Presidents little i
country place is still undergoing e
changes. Originally it was Pretty +
Prospect, then it was vulgarly called
Red Top, after which the owner n
named it Oak View Now those who y
have made the most earnest effort to
connect the President with the svndi. b
cate aim to stigmatize it with the title e
Of Poison Oak View II
1t is becoming quite common to dis
tribute pictures Of the fine Washipy top
residences Of wealthy Congressman
rs an influence upon the horny handed :.
voter, and public men have found that T. T.
'wning large houses here is very detri Il
mental to their popularity at home. lc
aere than one has been defeated bv the &C
REGULATION Of a photograph of his 90 .,
residence among his con- L
1t was only few days since 81
hat an Illinois Congressman, seeing e.
amera leveled at his mansion, rushed p
ut and tried to drive the photographer P,
way. tie
When ex-senator Robson ran for =;
ongress the last time in New JERSEY. Sc
10 constituents were shown pictures of an
le south front of the new State. War W
I'D Navy Department, and were told s na
at that magnificent granite structure fo1
as MI. RObeson's new house in Wash ces
gton. This was entirely too aristo- gu
attic for the rural voters of his dis kn
'ct, and Mr.. Robson was defeated. res
.~Senator Window of Minnesota was POI
d to have lost his seat in the Senate La La
'ough the scattering of pictures of dar
handsome house on Scott circle and on
said one reason Mr.. Blaine rented lbe
elegant house here and lived in a "
re simple fashion was from the fear GEN