The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1881-12-17
FROM WASHINGTON.

FROM WASHINGTON.
, Congress AS usual before the holidays /
literally doing nothing, The house on Tues
day OF last week adjourned over to Friday
not being allowed to adjourn over for NOR
than three days at a time without the concur
:, renee of the senate, and on Friday, after
short session. at which the only business don,
q was to appoint committee to prepare pro
gramme of services commemorative of Presi
dent Garfield, adjourned over to Tuesday
Mckinley OF Ohio Is made chairman of tn,
Garfield commcmoration committee, and II
conjunction with similar committee o.
the senate, very elaborate and impressive
Il service is to be arranged. On Tuesday for the
first time tho tloodgates for new bills were
opened, the states being called in alphabetical
order Night came when Missouri was reach
been presented, and then an adjournment was
!, taken to yesterday, when the rest of the states
Were to be called. Among the bills proposed
was one to repeal the arrears of pensions act
Alexander H. Stephens renewed his favorlte
measure to introduce the metric system OF
weights and measures and to coin oroide dol
lars and Col Morrison proposed ten pei
cent reduction all round on the present tariff
The senate has shown little more DISPOSE
ton 10 go to work. 1t has taken no holidays
except Saturday, and has had one or two In
teresting discussions. Mr.. Beck on Wednes
day made an able speech in favor Of his bill
in regard to the presidential succession and
Mr.. Pendleton occupied nearly all day Tues
day in support of his bill to allow cabinet
members to occupy seatsl on the floor of the
senate and house and take part in discussions
and answer questions, and to inaugurste q
system of civil service reform. Among the
300 new bills already introduced in that body
is one by Edmonds appropriating 100000 ia
defray the extraordinary liabilities incurred in
consequence of the assassination of President
Garfield; one by Mr.. Plumb, to make 1t man
datory on The treasury to issue gold and silver
osr.ifoatoo; one by Mr. Rerk tn repeal thf
tax on bank deposits; one by Mr., Vest in favor
Mr. Eads's chip railway across the isthmus OF
Tehuantepcc; one by Mr. Sherman TO refund
the 80 per cent bonds issued by Mr. Window
at per cent &c, &c.
The Rev. j. Hyatt Smith, elected as an indie
pendent republican from Brooklyn, and count
ed among the greenbackers, having to the sur
prise of everybody gone into the republican
caucus, now "lets the cat out Of the bag" by
insisting on his reward by being placed on the
Ways and Means committee.
The question as to the cabinet Is about solv
ed f. T. Frelinghysen, of New Jersey, was
on Monday sent to the senate for Secretary OF
State and Immediately confirmed. II is agreed
that the name of b. H. Brewster will be sent
in on Monday for Attorney General. He has
made himself somewhat conspicuous already
for his zeal to prosecute the star route thieves
and it Is said his appointment Is made largely
on that account, On the same day, it is now
sin, will be sent In for Postmaster General
His appointment is made solely to pay of
some old political scores, while it is admitted
that he has no fitness for the place, the prlnci
pal duties of which will devolve upon Frank
Hatton, recently appointed FIRST assistant from
Burlington, Iowa, and who is said to be an ex
ceptonally competent man-as competent, in
short, as his predecessor Tyner was, and vastly
more honest. Mr.. James, the present p NJ
General, will retire on the LIST OF January &c
accept the presidency of a new Nhe Lincoln
National bank in New York city, to open or
the 18th of January.
Among the more anxious to secure reap
polntment to comfortable offices they now
hold, our old friend Herman Silver is in Wash
ington, wiling to retain his place as superin
tendent of the Denver mint. The opposition
to his reappointmcnt Is led by Senator Teller
while Senator Hill is on his side.
General and Mrs. Grant are to be the guests
of the President at the White House during
most of the winter. Doubtless they will b.
able to make their way about the premises
having resided there longer than any othel
living Americans, cooks and coachman IN
cluded.
The state department at Warrington wal
| ,otifoJ N fau iavs 400 of the death M Santi