Washington standard. [volume] (Olympia, Wash. Territory) 1860-1921, 1874-02-14
Our Washington Letter.
Special Correspondence of the Standard.

|
the carly portion Of the Congressional
Session The long recess at Christn,as
ho'iddys-Deiegate Wash
ington Territory hdian Superintendent
cy-.iHorney General Wuliams-Cause
0his efeata as Chief Mortimer
X. Waite, the last Nominee far ChIt
Justice-PrDsLects far Congressional
hid Of the Seattle Rail,oad-The Mri-
can Veterans Conrention-Neah Bay
Indian .4gency-Residents of the Terri
tory at the National Capital.
WASHINGTON, D. c., Jan. 81, 1874.
The month of December is never q
month of work by Congress. The first
week scarcely anything is done beyond
organizing and the appointment of
Committees. The next week is frit-
tered away in idle debate and early
adjournments and then comes the holi-
days for which q recess is taken, so
that Congress does not absolutely set
tie down to its legislative labors until
its reassembling on the 5th of January
This year IN effort was made in the
Senate to do away with the long recess
of fifteen days and adjourn only over
Christmas and New Year days. Ear
nest appeals were made by Senators to
their associates, urging that the tinan-
cial distress of the country demanding
immediate relief and legislation should
not be interrupted for the purpose Of
personal enjoyment. The Senate in a
moment of patriotism refused to con-
cur in the resolution of the House to
adjourn from the 18th of December to
the 5th of january, and then the Sem
ators went home to sleep over their pa
triotic determination. But alas! their
good intentions would not hold out.
They must have dreamt of Christmas at
home, of the turkey and the plum pud-
ding and the bright little faces around
the board, made SO happy all the day
long by the stockings hung up empty
by the tireside when the children went
to bed, and found by them at the peep
of dawn we'll filled with toys and can
dy, and they felt pa and grandpa would
be so much missed if not there, and it
would not be Christmas to them if they
We're away; so the next morning, I'M
able to resist these allurements, they
came into the Senate and the first thing
they did, was to reconsider the action
of the day before and concur in
the House resolution of adjournment.
The members laughed ut them and
said "What was the use of you Sena-
tors trying to play off as SO particularly
good. We knew you would not stick
to it, that you would give way. You
always have done so, and you might
as well have done so at first, as last"
And then the members of both houses
packed their trunks and hurried off
home with chuckle over the good
time they were to have, all except the
Pacific Coast delegations, who were too
far off to go. They stayed in Wash
ington and looked out for the interests
of their constituents before the De-
partments. These holidays make Sc
rious break inlegislation. Up to within
few years the recess has been but for
week, but more recently it has been
heightened out for period of two
weeks. 1t would he perfectly hopeless
to try and break up this custom; like
the Senators good resolution it would
not stand over n days test. The best
way to avoid the inconvenience attend
ing it would be to change the time of
the meeting of Congress from the LIST
Monday in December to that of Janu-
ary. Then there would be no inter-
regnum to throw everything out of
gear Just as Congress had got into
working order, and which it takes time
for the reassembling to re-adjust. But
all this, though it affects you, is not
talking about matters directly relating
to the interests of your Territory, SO l
turn from this to local affairs.
DELEGATE MADDEN.
It is but a mere justice to say that
Delegate McFadden is making Il most
admirable representative. You will see
by the bills which he has already in
troduced and which l forward you, that
he has gone to work in earnest. He
has made mselfthoroughly acquainted
with the mode of transacting business
in the Departments and with his in
dustry and tact will doubtless manage
to accomplish some very desirable leg
islation. One thing certain, is that he
will not make the interests of the Ter
ritory subordinate to his own, as has
been the case heretofore, with some
of your Delegates. The bill for the
improvement of the Columbia river at
the Cascades and at the Dalles, is Nc
Fadden's bill, though it was introduced
in the Senate by Mitchell of Oregon.
1t was drawn up by him and handed
to that Senator because he thought it
would have speedy chance Of success
in that body, and then it would come
to the House with an endorsement
which would insure it's passage.
Through the good feeling entertained
towards him by the Oregon delegation
he has their active cooperation in
whatever relates to the interests OF his
Territory. and Won NAV be very sure