, 1878-02-23
Our Washington Letter.
WASHINGTON, Feb. Z. 1878


EDITOR STATESMAN Slowly the silver bill
approaches q final vote in the senate. 1t will
go back to the house, amended, within a week,
and probably be speedily acted on by that
body. There is no good reason why it should
not 90 to Mr.. Hayes for his action sometime
during the next ten days. 1t ought 70 be dis
posed Of soon, for until that il done there Is a
disposition mot to go on with other important
business.
Every appropriation to be recommended by
e.. appropriation committee of the house Will
be less than the sum expended for the same
cbjec. last year. If the democratic house Will
support the democratic committee there will be
great and needed reductions in the expenses OF
government, but l am soITy to say the indica-
tiuns of such support are not many.
One Of the early scandals of this reform ad-
ministration was the evident purpose 10 put
appointments to Office where they would do the
most good Sometimes an effort was made by
such distribution to heal a breach IN the radl-
cal party, sometimes to spite ra-licai congress
man. sometimes to please radical congress
man, and sometimes very often, in fact-to
provide positions for the personal friends oi
MIR. Hav.s The small motive WAS always ap-
parent. and don't know Of single instance
i'm which the administration, always preaching
reform, has given high Office to person be
cause of his eminent fitness for It, There Is
no su,h case. The federal offices in Baltimore
| were the subject for months Of .ssusting dickeI
among the MARYLAND politicians, and delegates
of them crowded the White House until they
| became nuisance and obstruction to pubic
business. The places were finally gwen to the
political hacks who, a. they themselves CLAIM
ed. could "electrify the state with repubii'
can victory" Apparently this squabble Is to be
~. .t-Sfn
managed by Simmons The two MaSsa. .husetts
senators are opposed to his reappointment
when his time expires, which will be soon, and
there is also a strong party favorable to hlm.
| DELEGATIONS are coming here. Why cannot
Mr.. HAYES ascertain whether OF not Simmons
has done his whole duty as collector, and, gov
| ernins himself by a rule he himself laid down,
| reappoint or refuse to reappolnt the man solely
on that ground If reform Is meant that Is
| what he ought to do.
The house meant well in its late vote tha:
ex-members should not be allowed to come
upon its floor until they had certified that they
| were mot interested IN pending legislation,
but it accomplished little. Most Lobbying
is not done on the floor Of the house or senate
| but in committee rooms, on the streets, Ii
hotels, at private houses, on railroad trains
| in short. wherever the chairman of a commit
found or can De induced TO go. 1t is said tn,
| most accomplished OF lobbyists was in tn,
| habit cf losing large sums OF money in gamb
| ling with former chairman of the house On tht
WAYS and means committee. He did not dar'
to offer bribe directly, and he gave the chair
man this way Of pocketing the money Of thu
| individuals and corporations to be benefited by
legislation. When either party has a large un
disputed majority in the house or senate a
| the republicans had from 1861 to lS73-th'
committee presents legislation and the tw'
houses adopt it. The chairman prepares 1t TO
the committee, and unless there issomething pro
posed which is too clearly extravagant OF plain
! " out Of the line of previous legislation, ther
is hardly ever any dissent on the part of th
Law members Most likely if he is disposed +
be rebeliious, something for the benefit OF HI
constituents or friends is thrust into the Obnox
ious measure and his assent secured. This con
troll nf the committee is necessity, If c"nSres
is to lee,islate. as it always has done, not onl
upon subjects Of general Importance, but upo
every considerable subject of sectional, part,
and present interest. for there Is no time t
consider in open house thcusandth part u
the measures proposed. But it gives a tire
menious power to the committee and its chair
man and reduces scientific lobbying to a com
paratively quiet and unostentatious affair A
/ said before the late vote of the house doe
not touch it, though the guileless gentiema
who introduced the resolution and the ne'
members who voted it through. no doubt be
lieved that an era of legislative purity was a
hand. REX.