St. Landry democrat., 1886-05-15
WASHINGTON LETTER.
From Our Regular Correspondent.
WASHINGTON, May 8, 1886.

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This is not strike. The workman
will simply discharge himself and
leave rather than work ten hours. He
will then be an unemployed workman
and not striker. He will be locked
out by the employers. What we pro-
pose to do, continued he,' is to go to
work on Monday as usual. We will
work eight hours. If the bosses do not
choose to employ us at eight hours a
day, we will pick up cur tools and
leave. We will not prevent other men
from working, and there will be no dis
order and violence, but will present
solid, unyielding 'front.'
| The Secretary of the Treasury, who
has been so near to deaths door for the
past month, is at work again. do not
mean that he is well or at his desk.
He is only able to sit up and take a
drive occasionally. But he interests
himself with affairs at his Department
and discusses business questions with
such officials as Treasurer Jordan and
Assistant Secretary Fairchild. There
is no truth in the report that he had
signitied to the President his intention
Of retiring from office. On the contra
ry, it is known that he earnestly de-
sires and fully intends to remain at the
head Of the Treasury which he has so
ably directed for the past year. The
81 r.; dc &c hat
he will undertake to resume his official
duties before he is physically able.
| asked prominent western Repre-
sentative what he thought OF the new
Congressional Democratic Campaign
Executive Committee. He answered
that the selection of Senator kenna as
chairman was a most excellent one.
We had so much faith in the execu-
tive ability OF Senator German, con-
tinued he, that he was the choice OF
most of us, but he has enough to do as
chairman Of the National Executive
committee, and declined to serve in
this capacity. He will aid US in other
ways, however, and Senator kenna is
young, active, vigorous, and capable of
doing great deal Of hard work. The
West Virginia Senator made his mark
first in the House of Representatives,
where he worked hard and spoke well.
His speech on the currency question
was one of the text books OF the party
during the Congressional campaign of
1878, and he is in sympathy with his
party now on nearly every question.
1t is not creditabe to the Republicans
in Congress that it should devolve on
"a southern member to try to check the
waste of public money on pension APP
preparations, This is field of reform
into which few Congressman care to
venture, and the action Of southern
man is particularly liable to miscop-
struction, in taking the much dreaded
step. But the northern men are afraid
it would mean the loss Of thousands of
votes for them at home, and denuncia-
ton abroad.
There is scarcely subject which so
tests the courage and conscience of the
average Congressman as that of pen
sion legislation. Every member has
his own scheme to advance, and feels |
that lie cannot afford to refuse to help
the schemes of his associates. Conse-
auenAy good and bad schemes are
huddled together and nobody has the
hardiisood to try to assert them.
Every Friday evening in it's special
pension, the House passes from fifty to
a hundred pension bills. Last week,
you remember, the Senate passed four
hundred in a batch without reading one
Of them. The Senators sat talking
and writing while the farce was going
on, apparently oblivious of the fact
that the T.. S. Treasury was not mex
and that every dollar taken
out of it had to be put into it by a tax.
The pension business, as it is carried
On in Congress, is a swindle of the
worst sort, and Mr.. Tillman OF South
Carolina is the man who is credited
with the intention of exposing it to the
The Senators had little tariff talk
ew days ago. 1t was the first chance
hey have had this session of repro
lucing their views on the protective
arif system, and the occasion was re-
'arded with all the pleasure of novel
Y. Senator Beck was making warm {