The evening telegraph. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1864-1918, 1869-01-04
MEN AND MEASURES AT WASHINGTON.
Eronp Our Ot0n Correspondent
WASHINGTON, Jan. 8, 1869.
The Work BEFORE Congress-.

WASHINGTON, Jan. ., 1909.
The Work Before Congress.
1t is expected that when Congress meets on
Tuesday next, it will address itself 10 the work
before it ingood earnest. Only 6fty.one work
ing days remain of the.session that is, including
Saturdays, but should the customary adjourn
ments FROM Friday to Monday prevail, there will
be only forty-tEo working days. This is, after
all, short period Of time wherein to perfect
what may be termed the necessary legislation
of the session. FIRST of ALL there are ten appro.
priation bills which must be considered and
passed, should everything else be ne
elected. Otherwise GRANTS administration
will lack an important if not an essen
tial element of success during the first
year of its existence, to wit: the "sinews of
war;" Luckily for the President elect, his best
friend, &. b WashburDe, is at the head OF the
Committee on Appropriations and 1T may rea-
sonaby be expected that he will push the busi-
ness forward with all possible speed. Expert
ence, however, shows.that the commit zee, at
best, can only make haste slowly. They have
been constantly in session through the whole
recess, and yet they have succeeded in complet-
ing but one bll-the Diplomatic and Consular
so as to have it ready to report TO the House
The Pension appropriation bill was reported
order" i'm medately after the 1eassembling. This
leaves eight of the appropriation bills still to be
| considered by the committee. The largest aud
most important of these-the Executive Legis-
lative, and Judicial bills we'll under way,
having occupied the attention of the
committee at three or four of its sittings. Even
after they are reported, these bills will neces-
sary consume a large portion of the time OF
mal IF ha NJ for no
appropriation bill was ever known to go through
either house with out considerable debate. The
House Committee, with the economical Wash
burne at its head, has undertaken to reduce
nearly all the estimates this year, much below
the partial cutting down Of last year, and this OF
itself will prove a fruitful source of disagree
ment and discussion.
General Legislation.
The shortness of the session, and the back
| wardness of the essential business will have
| tendency to set aside what is termed general
| legislation. Under this head will come the pro-
| posed bill 10 amend the Naturalization laws OF
the United States, the joint resolution submit
| ting to the State Legislatures the suffrage
| amendment to the Constitution, the finances
| and other subjects of minor i'm portance. Each
| one of these will give rise TO extended debate,
| and none of them can hope to be passed without
arousng opposition, which always causes delay.
Some of these questons-suCh as the finances
can no more be neglected than the appropria-
tiou bills, that is with safety to the interests of
the country and the reputation of the dominant
party. There is very strong feeling in favor
of passing the suffrage amendment before
the expiration of the session, and,
if possible at an early day, so as
to give some of the State Legislatures an op-
portunity 10 pass upon it this winter. This is
the intention of such men as Kelley in the
House and Sumner aud Wilson in the Senate
But it is hardly possible, for no question that
can come before Congress will give rise to a
more protracted debate. The matter might be
cut short in the House if there was some man
| there who understood the use of the "previous
question" as we'll as the lamented Thaddeus
Stevens. In the Senate, however, there is no
"previous question" and no limit whatever to
debate. We may therefore expect eight and
| ten-hour speeches from the garrulous Senator
from Kentucky, Mr.. Davis, and any number OF
smaller infections from Hendricks and Bucka-
lew, neither of whom expect to have an oppor
tunity soon again after the 4th of March. This
will, of course, seriously jeopardize the chances
of the measure, at least at this session.
The Finances Ex-senator Morton.
Upon no subject is there greater diversity OF
opinion, even among Republicans, than the
finances, especially resumption OF specie pay-
ments. 1t is generally conceded that we ought
to resume, but there is a remarkable lack of
unanimity as to the time aud mode. Seua.
tor Morton's speech, over which so much fuss
has been made, has by no means made the i'm
preston here, among Senators and members,
that it seems to have made elsewhere. His
! plan is not adopted by any considerable num-
Der of men who assume to understand the sub
iect. Senator Sherman, who is at the head OF
Finance Committee, regards it as exceedingly
crude, If not unpractical; while Schenck, who
| leads the Ways and Means Committee of the
| House, thinks better plans have been proposed
and as able speeches delivered in support oi
them. The truth is, Morton overestimates
himself, and the attention he.has received from
Greeley, together with the encomiums
and partial fattery Of his personal
friends, have led him to suppose tina!
he is The ablest political economist and the bes
fnancier in America, if not in the world. The
story circulated about his speech on resumption
having produced marvellous effect upon oul
bonds in Europe was made up here, may say,
"out of the whole CLOTH" 1t occurred in thi:
way:-A certain sycop hantic admirer of the
Senator approached him and cong ratulated hin
upon his speech. This was the next day after
its delivery. "Mr. Senator" said the sycophant
81 have Just received a despatch, through the
cable from Europe, stating that your speect
| haa had raofa aTd a nT1l