The new dominion. [volume] (Morgantown, W. Va.) 1876-1904, 1878-02-16
WASHINGTON LETTER.
WASHINGTON, d. C.,)
Feb. ~. 1878.

Slowly the silver bill approaches a
final vote in the Senate. 1t will 90
back to the House, amended, within
week, and probably be speedily act
ed on by that body. There is no
good reason why it should not go to
Mr.. Hayes for his action sometime
during the next ten days. 1t ought
to be disposed of soon, for until that
is done there is disposition not to
go on with other important business.
Every appropriation to be recon-
mended by the appropriation Com
mittee of the House will be less than
the sum expended for the same OBJ
ject last year. If the Democratic
House will support the Democratic
Committee there will be great and
needed reductions in the expenses of
Government, but / am sorry to say
the indications of such support are
not many.
One of the early scandals of this
reform Administration was the evil
dent purpose to put appointments to
office where they would do the most
good. Sometimes an effort was made
by such distribution to heal breach
in the Radical party, sometimes to
spite Radical Congressman, some
times to please a Radical Congress-
man, and sometimes,-very often, in
fact-to provide positions for the per-
sonal friends of Mr.. Hayes. The
small motive was always apparent,
and / don't know of a single instance
in which the Administration, always
preaching reform, has given a high
office to person because of his emf
nent fitness for it. There is no such
case. The Federal offices in Balti-
more were the subject for months of
disgusting dicker among the Mary
land politicians, and delegations of
them crowded the White House I'M
til they became nuisance and an
obstruction to the public business.
The places were finally given to the
political hacks who, as they them
selves claime,a'. could "electrify the
State" with h. puoIcan victory
Apparently this squabD.'e Is to be re-
peated over the Boston Custo, ~ House,
now managed by Simmons. The two
Massachusetts, Senators are opposed
to his reappointment when his time
expires, which will be soon, and there
is also strong party favorable to him.
delegations" are coming here. Why
cannot Mr.. Hayes ascertain whether
or not Simmons has done his whole
duty as Collector, and, governing
himself by a rule he himself laid
down, reappoint or refuse to reap
point the man solely on that ground?
If reform is meant that is what he
ought to do.
The House meant we'll in it's late
vote that exmembers should not be
allowed to come upon it's floor until
they had certified that they were mot
interested in pending legislation" but
it accomplished little. Most "lobby-
ing" is not done on the floor of the
House or Senate, but in Committee
Rooms, on the streets, in hotels, at
private houses, on railroad trains-in
short, wherever the Chairman of a
Committee or other influential Con
gresham can be found or can be in
duced to go. 1t is said the most &C
complished of lobbyists was in the
habit of losing large sums of money
in gambling with a former chairman
OF the House Ways and Means Com
mittee. He did not dare to offer a
bride directly, and he gave the chair
man this way of pocketing the mon
ey of the individuals and corpora
tons to be benefited by legislation.
When either party has large undis-
puted majority in House or Senate
as the Republicans had from 1861 to
lS73--the Committee presents legis-
lation and the two Houses adopt It.
The Chairman prepares it for the
Committee. Unless there is some
thing proposed which is too clearly