Daily Republican., 1882-02-11
wAsIiINGTOh LETTER.
Tedious Debate-POIygamy he fore
the judiciary GOmmitlee-W Or X
Before Cong esS - 1he Govern

I
mpnt Of the CITY Of Washington
From our regular correspondent
WASHINGTON, ID G., Feb. llth, 49,.
The debates in the House and Senate
are at present somewhat tedious and
unexciting. The raapportionme 1t o
Congress, made necessary by the new
census is not question hat draws pop
ular attention. Nor does the 500, 900,
600 prodigality, now discussed expoS1
factO, do more than kite a feeling OF
remorSe that we should have given
such an i'm Tense sum into the manage
,nent OF claim agents. Beyond the pas
sage of the funding bill, little business
of importance has been transacted in
the Senate during the week THIS bill
Is now in the hands Of the Ways and
Means Committee of the House, where
1t is meeting with much opposition.
1t IL evident that it will not be reported
back to the Senate until it has been
amended SO that Mr.. Sherman will not
know il.
In the House, Mr. Burrows intro,
duced a bill which was promptly pass
ed, providing that no person guilty OF
having more than one wife shall be eli
sible 10 the office of Delegate in the
House of Representatives. from Terri
tory. This bill was leveled at Mr.. 6.
q. Cannon, Il Mormon with considera
bly, more than one wife, WHO has long
been the Delegate from Utah III Con
greIs. During the week, Mr.. Cannon
was called before the judiciary Com
e II
questions relative to the so ial and
marital condition of his coreIigionists
in Utah Some Of his replies are not
suitable for publication, hut, among
other curious statements, he said that
spiritual marriage, in the belief otthe
Later Day Saints, meant that no wo.
man could attain heaven unless married
to Mormon dn earth. He expressed
his opinion thar the principles and also
the practices of the Mormon church
would finally spread over the whole
Of the church by the United States
could have no other effect than TO solid
ity the organization and increase the
zeal its communicates for doctrines
which they earnestly believed TO be
revelations from God With reference
to the bill before the Judiciary Com
mittee preventing poiygamisIs from Ell
Their holding office or voting, Mr.. Can
ron said II would Do more equitable if
amended 30 as to disfrauChise and
disguality all otieuders against the
laws Of chastity and single marriage.
The enormous number of four thous-
and ellis have been introduced in the
House and there is little prospect OF an
early Termination of this Congress.
Many Senators and members believe
that the session will last until the mid
die Of July, or until the heat and NAL
All shall driveCongress to more health
full localities.
The tariff, funding and appropriation
bills will be debated at considerable
length, but only few Of the thousands
Of bills introduced will be- heard from
again. A very determined effort will
BIZ made by the friends Of this forlorn
district to improve the Potomac mar
shes, with a view Of suppressing the
malaria which infects everything here,
no. excepting legislation. The District
of Columbia is an oligarchy, governed
by Congress and The President. Her
citizens have no votes,and no influence,
Congress is q ChaSmeeon that seldom re-
fleets the color of the Capital. The per-
soEal otCongress is continually chang
ing, and, like nonresident landlords,
they are more interested in improving
tho navigation Of the rivulets Of the ir
own homes, than the sanitary condi-
ton of this fountain of laws. This is a
short sighted view of very serious
ma ter, but it il the view of Congress.
G. A. d.