Democratic Northwest. [volume] (Napoleon, Ohio) 1869-1894, 1882-03-02
WASHINGTON LETTER.
lkroH our Regular CorresPOEdeHf.l
WASHINGTON, ID. c., Feb. 2s. 1882.

| 49, NhaR thC dplOiNlohulGui Hutclio0
is disposed of, the two subjects exciting
most interest and discussion here. both
under the dome and in its shadow. are
the Utah contest and the Dakota division.
John Logan's Grant pension bill is dead
cock IN the pit. think, and the advent
OF Lent has knocked social questions
higher than cooked hat The advocates
OF the proposition to carve large-sized
and sparcely settled State out of one side
OF the Territory of Dakota are making
the most tremendous efforts, 1t is moth
ing more nor less than political scheme,
devised chiefly to give the Republican
party two more U. S. Senators and orig.
mated largly by selfish, aspiring poll.
ticians who hope TO gobble up the bene-
hts. Outside of this there is no demand
for action at this time and reliable ad.
vices from the Territory indicate that a
large majority of the people who repre-
sent its industry and material prosperity
do not desire State government. They
regard it an unnecessary burden andex-
pense. But the Republican party is CON-
mitted to this rotten borough system as a
means of perpetuating its power. Neva-
da with its little handful of mining pros
poets, and Colorado with less than one.
half so many inhabitants as are required
to elect of member of Congress in other
States were admitted in pursuance of
this policy and for these ends.
The apportioDment as finally made is
nearer to fairness than was reason at one
time to expect. The most Objectionable
feature of it is the large increase in the
number of Representatives. Adding
thirty-two members to a body already
unweildy is not wisdom, especially as it
will be almost impossible to properly ac-
commodate' them in the present Hall. If
this increase is to go on through every de-
cade, simply because of the selfish desire
OF members to increase their chances of
reelection. we shall have to build new
Capitol. One means of temporary relief
will be to adopt the plan of the English
House of Commons, remove all desks
from the Hall and seat members in rows
on plain benches. Some Senators who
have served in the lower house and real
ize the truth of the situation. would have
been in position to bring out the obiec.
tions to this measure but for the need of
passing it without delay. Senator Hoar
pointedly referred to some of the diff
culties of transacting business in the
House, and the manner in which its rules
destroy the freedom of debate and amend
ment, which he said had grown out of
the large membership, and gives the con-
troll of legislation into the hands of the
speaker and a few veteran members
There is no question as to the difficulty of
getting measures before the House.
Thousands of bills die in committee and
the calender every session, because the
authors and supporters are unable to get
them considered. Many of these meas
ures are meritorious, though perhaps
they affect very few persons. There is
one class of legislation that especially
suffers. Private claims against the gov.
ernment rarely ever receive attention,
and it has become a recognized fact that
it is almost worth the amount of claim
against the United States to collect it.
Notwithstanding these facts, there are
those who prat of Congress spending too
much time in session, and talk of the i'm
aginary benefits that would follow bien.
nial sessions. The truth is Congress does
not remain in session long enough to at
tend properly to public business. The
rapid growth of the country increases
the business before each recurring sission
and the sessions should be heightened.
Especially should Congress about some
means to relieve itself of class of bust
ness which belongs properly to the
courts.
The present Congress seems more in
clined than any of its predecessors to add
Secretary for Agricultural to the Cabi
net. The proposition in the House is to
make regular Department with several
bureaus. and to take away from the in
terror Department the land office busi-
ness and the geological survey and add
these to the other bureaus to be created
in the new Department of Agriculture.
The prospect of the creation of number
of new offices, and these of the higher
grades, already captivates the magma
tion of the army of hungry patriots, who
stand about, with their mouths open,
anxiously hoping that something may
fall into them and whenever, if ever it
becomes reasonably certain that the bill
can pass Congress, there will be numer-
Gus applications for bureau places, which
are among the most sought after in
Washington. Meanwhile the passage of
the bill would make DR.. Loring position
embarrassing. He is at present head of
the Agricultural Bureau. and is an active
| anu elnClSuG Cllltl VI IL. buU IL tuc Dul cdu
is turned into Department, with Cabi-
net Minister at its head, he would find
himself elineated. unless he chose to take
the position of chief of one of the new
bureaus. In the selection of 80 great an
officer as a Cabinet Minister political
considerations are always predominant,
and the Secretary for Agriculture, un-
doubtedly be selected from the great
agricultural West, and would have to be
person of pronounced political conse-
quence and influence. Massachusetts
would hardly lay claim to the place, and
it is said here by persons friendly to DR..
Loring that if his State should be Of
fered Cabinet place, it would select
some other and not the proposed De-
partment of Agriculture. Why the
Bureau of Agriculture should be made
, into adepartment, with Cabinet Min
lister at its head, is not quite clear, unless
it is thought advisable to increase the
number of office-holders. 1t gets on
very we'll now under DR.. Loring's charge
and does all that the Government is called
on to do for Agriculture just as well as
, it were called Department.
PHoNo.
The Toledo. Delphos G. Burlington sys.
tenn will. when completed, contain S1d
miles Of narrow gauge road, touching the
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