Spirit of the age. [volume] (Woodstock, Vt.) 1845-1913, 1881-12-28

Washington, pee, "a, ISL

Committees followed by two weeks
holiday adjournment. Amer tho recess
the real business Of tho session may be
expected to begin. There has been,
too, the customary dissatisfaction
among members over their assignments
ON the Committees but the world
moves on, Congress will move on, aud
the members will eventually move on,
Just rs they have done heretofore The
guilcless Robson had rs much to say
about the make up Of the committee rs
anybody, not even excepting the speak
or himself, II Robson had had any
rods to pickle it vii be found that they
arc safely in soak. The prolcciionis's
too, arc pretty well satisfied Or ought
to be, with the Ways and Means COM
miucc, with Pig Iron Kelley at the
head aud cx-Spcakcr Randall bringing
M the Democratic end. That Mr.,
Kasson was not given u leading Chair
manship, but disposed Of as second on
Ways and Means, cannot be readily
understood by those not acquainted
with all the why's and whcaciorcs, II
was known that Robson did not want
chairmanship. lie was satisfied to
control the general arrangement OF At.
fairs, and take Il low seat himself. II
is coming to be generally understood
that he is about the ablcst man on the
Republican side of the House. Taken
MS II whole, and without going into de-
tails, it may be said that barring two
or three singular assignments. Speaker
Kieicr has done about as well us he
could with the material at his COM
mand.
The President has dragged Mr..
Timothy o. Howe, of Wisconsin, from
the political obscurity into which he
was rapidly sinking and has placed him
mt the head of the Post Office Depart
mcnt. The appointment, as far as can
be perceived, has not even the slender
apology of political expcdiency in its
favor. 1t would certainly have been
possible to make worse selection from
the names mentioncdin come ;tion with
the position; but, however difficult it
may be to secure man possessing the
eminent fitness of Mr.. James, it would
have been easy to find Postmaster
General more obviously qualified to
deal with the delicate and difficult du-
ties of the position than Mr.. Howe,
wac after eighteen years service in the
Senate, without achieving the slightest
distinction, was retired by the election
of Matt Carpenter. Since that event
he has been mentioned for almost ev-
cry office in the gift of the Executive,
but for obvious reasons never appointed
to any of them until Mr.. Arthur came
along. One reason why other people
ought to object to his appointment is
that the star route ring are so well
pleased With it. His son-in-law is
chief counsel for Brady. Mr.. Howe
may turn out an ADLER and more reso-
lutte an administrator than is expected,
but it would not be judicious to in
crease the risk of his appointment by
finding another Brady as his Second
Assistant.
The decision of the Interior Depast-
ment in matters affecting the interests
of railroad corporations, and especially
in cases of lapsed grants and cases of
contests between the corporations and
settlers on lands excepted from grants
by provisions in favor of claimants and
occupants are beginning to attract con.
siderable attention. The present Sec
rotary and his immediate predecessor,
and number of their subordinates, are
much criticised for rulings in cases af-
fecting the interest of land grant cor
porations. The fact that large num-
Der of officers and clerks in the Interior
Department and several Assistant At
torney Generals whose duties related to
the interests of land grant corporations,
have, on retiring from office, been well
provided for by the corporations that
have been benefited by the extraordin-
airy rulings of such officers, is cited as
evidence that there were reasons fol
certain decisions that do not appear in
the published opinions. A pamphlet
has recently been published in this city
in regard to the Maxwell land grant il
New Mexico, charging that by thu
fraudulent connivance Of an ex-Com
missioner of the General Land Office