Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1882-05-10
From Our Regular Correspondent.
Washington Letter,

WASHINGTON. ID. c.. May 6. 'S2.
As the summer approaches, the prospect
of an early adjournment of congress APP
pears to be very remote, and the opinion
among those best advised is, that there
will be no adjournment before the middle
of July. Politics first, business last, and
never do to-day what you can do to-
morrow have been the theory and practice
of congressman for years. There is no
effort to pass appropriation bills Just now,
not even an effort to hasten their passage.
If these bills should be passed the country
would want to know why congress should
not adjourn.
The bill referring the tariff question to
an outside committee of experts will
probably be passed to-day, then will come
several contested election cases, the admis-
sion of Dakota as a state, and the Geneva
award. After these bills have been dis
posed Of. there will remain the appropria-
ton bills, the naval. legislative, deficiency
and sundry; and these cannot be passed
without much debate and conference in
the joint committees of tho House and
Senate.
Early this week the House passed bills
for the erection of eight public buildings,
most of them post Offices, in different
cities of the United States. 1t will require
two millions of dollars to start these build
ings, but no one knows how much it will
take to complete them. The log-rolling
combination which has been made up con.
templates erecting thirty-two additional
buildings, and it is thought that bills for
their erection will be passed before the
end of the present congress. The thing
to be deplored is that these buildings will
cost the government about twice as much
as they would cost private person, but
notwithstanding this, the government will
probably not lose anything by holding the
fee simple to the Offices in which govern
mept business is transacted. An immense
number of buildings all over the country
owned by private individuals arc rented
now to the government at cxhorbitant
rates. There is not business man in the
country who would pay rent for his bust
ness place in excess what would be the
interest on the money required for the
erection of building so rented. Yet this
is tho policy of the government. If a
statement were to be called for by congress
of all the public offices and other buildings
rented for the use Of the United States,
accompanied by clearly proven state
ment of the value of the property leased.
it would probably be found that the money
paid in rent Is double the amount that the
interest would be on the cost of construc-
ton of buildings to take the place Of the
leased property. Here in Washington,
the owners of private property are reap
ing great benefits from this unbusiness-
like policy,
The Senate will soon have an investiga-
ton going as we'll as the House. Senator
Voorhees, ycrsterday asked for commit.
tee to investigate charges that he had been
corruptly influenced to favor the House
bill to extend the bonded period for
whskcy, but the Senate though that his
personal denial was quite sufficient.
Senator Window, however, declared that
he had received information that large
sums of money had been corrnptly used
to lobby the bill through congress. Hc
will to-day move an investigation, which
the Senate, under tho circumstances, must
order.