Orleans County monitor. [volume] (Barton, Vt.) 1872-1953, 1892-04-18
WASHINGTON LETTER.

WASH ON LETTER.
sIIoIAL ocEREsIoNIENoE CT TEE MONITOR.
Only three democrats voted against
the bill for the admission of cottoI
ties tagging free of duty, which was
passed by the House, ard yet it is ere
of the mostillogical as well as section
al bills ever before CorgIess. It is di-
rect blow at che established American
industry-the iIon Ecop ard hard
miIls-and it would, if it became a law,
create otstIuctiors in the path of
these wEo are t1yirg 10 establish en- a
large scale the manufacturing Of jute
bagging in. the United States.
Notwithstanding the covert cpPo-
sition of nine-tenths of the democrat
ic Senators and the open oprcsiticn
and sneers of few of them, the very
men too that conscience should have
kept silent, the bill appropriating
S100,CG0, towards helping to enter
tain the members Of the G. A. r., at
the coming encampment in this city
was.passed by the Senate. Only ten
democrats: had the nerve to cast their
votes against the bill when the test
came, and every one of them repre-
sents5 ex- confederate constituencies.
Here is the list: Berry ard Jones of
Arkansas; Coke and Mills of Texas;
Blackburn of Kentucky; Bates of
Tennessee; -Irby, the so-called Far
mer's Alliance Senator, from South
Carolina; Colquitt of Georgia; Pugh
of Alabama; Vest of Missouri.
The Worlds Fair Congressional
committees have been hearing both
for and against the opening of the ex-
position on Sunday, and as far as the
arguments go the opposition to Sun
day opening has decidedly the best of
it. What Congress will do, or wheth
er it will do anything is a matter Of
doubt; it would much prefer escap-
ing responsibility by doing nothing,
but the pressure is becoming so strong
that some action may have to be TAX
en-.
Real estate spectators are every
where a shrewd lot, but those of
Washington should be rated above
them all; they have made millions by
unloading ground, bought for song,
upon the Government at fancy prices,
and they are still at it. At the last
session of Congress bill appropriate
ing the money to purchase a site for
the Washington city post-o office on the
South side of Pennsylvania Avenue,
the most disreputable part of the city,
became law, and in due time the
aforesaid spectators received about
three times as much as the square :
about the most unproductive proper
ty in town-WaS worth, and now en-
gineers are searching for solid foun-
dation, which they say can only be
had upon forty foot piles, and even
then it will be necessary to cement
the entire bottom and sides of the
cellar, and to provide the building
with a powerful pumping outfit to
keep it dry.
A bill has been introduced in Con-
gress to build patent office in the
same location, presumably on the
same sort of foundation, at cost of
50, 800 GO. Now word about thatlo
cality. Strangers to Washington have
heard so much about Pennsylvania
Avenue that it is natural for them to
suppose that it would be a perfectly
proper place to erect costly buildings,
but as a matter of fact it isn't Why?
1t is too low, less than three feet
above ordinary high tide, and its
dampness and consequent unhealth
ness have caused it to be abandoned
for higher ground. All of Washing
toms largest business houses, most of
which were once on the avenue, are
now on and G streets, and the loss
of business and consequent lowering
of rentals have caused the forming of
powerful lobby, aided by both of
Washington's daily papers, which
own plants on the avenue, to work
bills through Congress locating public
buildings in this swampy section Con-
gress should beware of the scheme.
One OF nv children had very bad discharge