The Mason County journal. [volume] (Shelton, W.T.) 1886-1927, 1894-09-21
Washington Letter.
From our regular Corresf ondent.l

WAsHINGT ON, Sept 14th, 1894.
, The five hundred members of the de-
: department of the Potomac g. A. r.
, who have gone to the annual encamp-
ment at Pittsburg from Washinging-
ton carried with them document
that will be heard from by the Cleve-
land administration, and what is heard
will not be pleasant, either. That
document is resolution adopted by
the department of the Potomac, ask
ing that some action be taken by the
lencampment of concerning the whole
sale dismissal of union veterans by
this administration, in violation of the
general law as well as of the civil SER
vice law, both of which say in plain
language that other things being equal
Union veterans shall have the prefer
ences in government employment.
The resolution was adopted in execu-
tive session and will not be made pub
lie until it has been submitted to the
encampment, but | happen to know
that it is both vigorous and pointed.
This matter of the discharge OF
Union sOldiers-somewhere in the
neighborhood of two thousand of them
have been dismissed from the govern
ment service since March 4, 1S93-will
not be allowed to rest with the G. A.
R. Many of the men dismissed are
not members of that organization, and
for that reason ar Independent organ
ization has been formed, composed
entirely of Union soldiers who have
been dismissed fnom the government
service by the democrats, which will
act as an auxiliary to the q. A. r. in
bringing their unjust treatment to
| the notice OF the public, and in attem-
pting TO get justice for themselves.
This organization has held several
meet ings, and is in possession Of the
record of every veteran dismissed, but
it Will not decide what action it will
take until it is known what disposition
| the G. A. r. encampment will make
of the resolution sent from Washing
ton, as the desire is to allow the g. A.
r. to take the initiative.
The recent action Of the sugar plant
ers of Louisiana, in deciding to act
with the republican party, recalls
prediction made by ex-governor War
mouth, who was in Washington dur
ing the fight over the sugar schedule
in the Senate He told ex-speaker
Reed and Representative Dalzel, of
Pennsylvania, that if they would agree
to make a half dozen protection
speeches in Louisiana he would promise
that at least three republican mem
| bers would be elected to the House
from that State. Neither of them
promise. In fact, the prominent re-
publicans, while willing to give all men
cordial welcome to the the republi-
can party, are rather disposed to leave
these Louisiana sugar planters to work
out their own political salvation.
They have not forgotten the efforts
which have been made time after time
by the republican party to make these
very same sugar planters see that
their prosperity, as well as that of the
country at large, was dependent upon
the success of the republican party
nor the manner in which those efforts
were received. The sugar planters
took all the benefits they could get
from the republicans and continued
to work and vote for the democrats.
Now they are getting paid for being
blind to their own interests, and aver
age republican believes in letting them
do their own weeping How the
Louisiana democrats in Congress take
the move may be gathered from this
plain language used by Representative
Mayer, the only one of them now in
Washington: at may mean that
republican delegation will be sent to
the next House from Louisiana and
that republican Presidential electors
may be chosen in '96. This movement
is no more than has been expected.
The democratic Congress has dealt
shamefully with the great interest OF
Louisiana after repeatedly promising
to sustain it. The party has received
strong and consistent support from
the state for many years, and the first
timeit secures a complete control of the
government it proceeds to inhict up
on Louisiana the hardest blow she was
ever given by legislation. We have
not only been dealt unfairly with, but
have been deceived; in word, bun
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