Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1881-12-15
Washington Workers.

washington Workers.
Special Correspondence to THE HERALD
WASHINGTON, ID. c., Dec. u. 1851
Congress has gotten to work, but not
really in earnest. 1t will probably adj
journ on the 23d until after the HOLIDAYS
This will enable Senators and Members
who live in the New England States,
and this side of Ohioriver, to run home.
eat their Christmas, or New Year tur-
key, and return in time to participate
when the body is called together in the
New Year. A great many Congress-
men bring their families to Washington
during Il session. Our society and
climate offers the inducement. Owing
to the distinguished and wealthy people
that reside here during the winter, the
society is very probably unsurpassed in
quality by any cityin the country. There
is not day, or night, during the sea-
son, Sunday and Lent excepted, but
what there is something going on. Ger
tain days are appropriated by certain
classes. On one day wives of members
of the cabinet receive On the fol-
lowing day wives of Justices of the Sur
preme Court are sat home. Another
day will be known as Senatorial the
wives of Senators receiving. Sand
wiched in between these receptions are
others of less official Importance, but of
sufficient financial and social dignity.
As have previously remarked, a large
aristocratic and wealthy element have
located here and erected class Of resi-
dences that are first-class in every par
ticular. Several foreign governments
hux
ters. The British Minister, Mr.. West,
lives in Il mansion erected by Her
Majesty's Government, and it is fire.
quently made the scene of brilliant as
semblages. | recently had talk with
a gentleman who had just returned from
Europe. He stated that in the principal
capitals, many of the foreign resident
Ministers were provide with fixed and
permanent residence, owned and MAIN
tanned by their respective governments.
the Ministers representing our eoun-
try chose and rented their own dwell
ings. Such being the case, our repre-
sentatives are frequently found in places
that are not in keeping with their official
dignity. Many of the Americans who
annually go abroad expect our Minis
ters to receive and dine them at least
once, if not introduced them into soeie-
ty. OF course they expect to be shown
the sights All of this takes upthe time
and money of the Minister and their
secretaries. | concur with the gentle
man to whom | refer that the time has
come when this country should erect
permanent residences for its Ministers
in London, Paris, Berlin, Vienna and
st. Petersburg.
A larger batch of ol1ice-seekers than
usual are in the city. Many of them
came hoping to get appointments in the
House of Representative under the Re-
publicans, who have just gained control
of that branch of Congress. OF course
the offices will not go around, and
many will consequently have to return
home. However there is hope, mas
much as Congress will be asked by the
Secretary of the Interior to make an
appropriation for $50 more clerks in the
Pension Office, and about 100 more in
the Land Office. The work in these
two bureaus is very badly behind; and
large additional force of clerks is re-
quired to get it up. The Pension office
has about 600 clerks, yet u part of the
work is nearly three years behind;
while the Land office is one year behind.
1t is very probable that the appropra-
ton for additional clerks will be made,
but it viii not be available until the first
of next July. The commissions of sew
eral hundred postmasters will expire
within the next few months. as n result
we nave small regiment of p Ms in
the city looking after reappointments
Verify it is difficult to find an American
who is unwilling to serve his country in
an official capacity.
One of the important questions involv-
ing upon the coming Congress for set
Element is in relation.to the incumbcncv
of the presidential office by the Vice
President in the event of the inability of
the President. The case of the illness
of the late President Garfield illustrated
the indefniteness of the constitutional
provision on this point. 1t is necessary
for Congress to prescribe by law what
shall constitute inability of the Presi-
dent, and thus leave no room to ques-
ton the right of the Vice President to
assume the executive chair under certain
circumstances and conditions. Con-
gress should also provide some definite
method for counting the electoral vote
and determining questions of contest
arising over such votes. This should be
attended to early that law may be
framed and put in operation before 1884.
Steps are being taken in France and
England to raise subscriptions to the
Gralield Memorial Hospital, proposed t.
be erected in this city. Meetings have
been held in Paris and London, and il is
said that certain wealthy foreigners are
anxious to show, in the form of hand
some contributions, the esteem in which
the late President was held in the re-
Spective countries.
The statement has gone out that the
leading experts in the Guiteau case have
pronounced him insane This is an
error. They did not pronounce upon
Guiteau's case at all, but upon hypo-
thetical case presented by Guiteau's
counsel, which assumed all the way
through that the prisoner was insane.
The experts merely said that if all the
statements of the hypothetical case
where true the prisoner was insane at the
time he shot President Garfield. But the
defence have utterly failed to sustain
this supposition case.
The speech of President Davis, of the
Senate, delivered last week, puts at rest
all question of the organization of that
body until March 4, 1888, unless some
unexpected change of membership
should meantime give to one party or
the other decisive majority In view
of the equal parties, Mr.. Davis holds
that the patronage of the Senate should
be divided. He thinks the reDublicans
should have the committees and be re-
sponsibe for the legislation and is willing
to permit the democrats to retain the
offices. His remarks were greeted with
a storm of applause from the galleries
Judge Advocate General Swain will
submit his report in the famous Cadet
Whitaker court-martial case to the See
rotary of War this week Nothing def