Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1886-04-24
WASHINGTON.
A STIR AMONG THE MANY USELESS
CONGRESSIONAL CLERKS.
West virglnians at the capitol-Mr'
Goodies case-Failure TO Down the
stenogrspher.
lYrom Our Regular correspondence

WASHINGTON, Apfii co. Inv "iiis
lhat are in process Of termination IN
the Appropriations Committee room
nromiSe TO create CONSERVATION when
they reach maturity and the floor Of
the House. Particularly will this be
the case with the legislative, executive,
and judicial bill. 1t will be remem-
bered that early in the session, whom
Doorkeeper Donaldson began parcelling
out his patronage TO the members Of
the House, several back woods states
men failed 10 secure places for the men
they had set their hearts on having on
the payroll as nominal clerks, but az
fqsl private secretaries, speech-frank-
erS. aud " soed.directors. These men
kicked, so to speak. and at their inst-
cation the House resolved its Commit
tee ON Accounts into body Of smell
ers after corruption, and gave them
all the powers for keen scent.
They created a stir at the start.
Several newspaper correspondents car
ried on the rolls resigned, and then so
far as the public Is concerned the mat
ter rested. 1t now develops that the
investigators have discovered immense
opportunities for reform and retrench-
nent. They have learned officially
what they individually knew before,
that nearly If not quite half the EN-
ploytes Of the House are useless so far
as the House is concerned, but ex-
tremely useful to the members who Sc
cured their appointment, and for whom
they labor and are heavy laden the
major part Of their time. The Commit
tee on Accounts have as yet made no
report, but it has leaked out from
the Appropriations Committee that
the result Of their findings have
been communicated to Mr.. Ran
dall's committee, and that the new ap.
preparation is being made up on the
basis Of very large reduction of the
Doorkeeper's force and slight increase
in that Of the Clerk, General Clark.
Thus two dOcument-rooms have been in
operation, one for the members, the
other for the officers, each with fall
complement Of uperntendents, clerks,
and laborers. The duties are identical,
and either one might perform the fdnc-
tions Of both with the aid Of llborer
or two, thus clipping out superlntend-
ents, clerks. and other high.priced con-
gIessional iayorites. The new appro-
pria ion is made up on the basis Of the
consolidation Of these document rooms
under the Clerk Of the House.
Mr.. Wayne Ferguson, Of West Nir-
ginia, has received an appointment as
special timber agent of the United
States Land Office, and departed last
night for Walla Walla, Washington
Territory.
Among the prominent West Viz
ginians at the Capitol to-day are John
Basel, Of Clarksburg, said to have
congressional aspirations; Judge James
Marrow, Of Fairmont; Judge John
jackson, of the United States
Court, Parkt1Sburg; James II. Fergu-
son. counsellor Of the Chesapeake and
Ohio railroad Isaac Johnson, Of the
PaIkersburg Free Press, and i. l..
Butcher, ex-Sta;e Superintendent OF
Free Schools.
The case Of Solicitor Goode was
again considered by the Senate Judicia-
~ Committee in secret session yester-
day. Among those that testified
against confirmation were Major Val
den of New Kent county, Mr.. Sebrel
OF South Hampton, aud Captain LASH
ter Of Norfolk, a conductor on the
Norfolk and Westerh railroad. The
testimony is claimed by the followers
Of Senator Malone to have been very
damaging. They do not, however, an.
ticipate that a case has been made out
sufficiently strong 10 induce the COM
mittee to make an adverse report to the
Senate, but centre their hopes on the
partisan spirit Of that body to set aside
the committees findings and reject the
nomination. Even this result they have
little hopes of securing.
The Senate has confirmed the nomi-
nation Of Robert f. Withers, of Vir-
ginia, as Consul at Hong Kong.
The Rev. j. j, Laierty, Of Rich
nond, is in the city on business. lie
is paired on Mondays election with the
assistant postmaster of the House, who
would vote wet, while Mr.. Lailerty
would vote dry.
Hon. Lewis Hanback,, Of Kansas, is
one Of the most yindictye partisans in
the House. The appointment Of a
southern man to Office, unless he per-
chance he a Republican, is little less
than high treason in his estimation, and
haunts him in his sleep like night
mare and as a spectre IN his wakeful
hours. He forestalled speech before
the committee investigating the Pan
Electric matter with a statement TO his
Republican friends that he would down
the steuographer, who Is aSouthern man,
If within the realms of the possible.
Mr.. Lailerty, who holds the place, is
incapacitated by reason of broken arm,
so MIR. Hanback, turned himself loose
on bis substitute by mumbling and
jumblng his words so fast that even
the committee could not understand
him. The stenographer, however, equal
to the emergency, took down his jargon
and presented it in manuscript form to
the gentleman from Kansas TO the as
constituent Of every one.
A communication has been sent to
the House showing that the amount of
leaf tobacco imported from Amsterdam
10 the United States has increased in
value from 1850 for the quarter ended
September 80, 1883, TO s547 1851 for the
quarter ended June 30, 1885. This
vast increase has taken place notwith-
standing the restrictive provisions "
placed by the United States Govern
ment upon the dimensions Of the
leaf. Means have been found TO
avoid the restrictions by a syste-
matte nesting" process in pack
ipg Sumatra tobacco with view to
eyade the customs laws Of the United
States. This state Of affairs has called
out considerable correspondence be-
tween the State Department aud the Gov
,efnment representative at The Hague.
The Treasury Department has recently
examined this question and adopted