The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1883-12-22
OUR WASHINGTON LETTER.
From our Regular Correspor dent.l


satisfied with the designation of that
enterprising town as the place for
holding the next National conven-
ton. In making the selection the
National committee had in view two
considerations at least, one of which
was the abundant facilities that Chi
cago has for accommodating the
thousands of visitors who will be
present at the convention, and the
other, that Chicago always names the
winning candidate. Much greater
significance than this is attached to
the action of the committee by many,
and there is some talk that the selec.
ton was the result of a combination
between the friends of Blaine and
Logan, However, 1 am pretty GER
tain there was no pre-arrangetl under
standing between these two. Iftheir
friends united as against the Admin
istration forces, it was the result of
natural causes-chief of which is that
both are strong in the West.
Although nothing of this kind was
said at the meeting of the committee,
1t was nevertheless understood that
Senator Logan is to go into the con.
vention this time and burn the bridges
behind him. Mr.. Frye's new rule
of representation in the convention.
which was defeated. would have
given General Logan an admirable
advantage oyer Mr.. Arthur or any
other candidate who is not distinc-
lively representative of the soldier
element--an element which is not
going to allow itself to be ignored in
conventions Perhaps since the or
ganization of the Republican party
there has never been a time so near
the meeting of its National conven-
ton when some one man of the party
could not be designated as available
enough to insure success at the polls.
But now, with the convention al
ready called, there is no more idea,
/ or foundation of ideas, between the
most sagacious Of the party leaders as
to its probable candidate, than there
is of forecasting the verdict of a petty
jury. The new Illinois Senator, ex-
Governor Cullom, scored brilliant
triumph by his successful argument
before the committee in favor of Chi
cago. as the defeated delegation from
Cincinnati can testify.
Out of the omnibus of bills present
ed in the II ouse last Monday relating
to railroad land grants, there is likely
to be some pretty lively tits between
the railroad and anti-railroad Mem
bers. The fun, however, commenced
in the Senate upon a resolution offer
ed by Senator Hill, of Colorado, who
desired to inquire by what authority
Secretary Teller directed the transfer
of lapsed land grant from one rail-
road company to another. This bomb
shell moved Mr.. ingalls,, of Kansas,
to remark that it was the skirmishing
advance guard of general war-first
upon the Interior Department gener.
ally, then upon the Pension Bureau,
with an enfilading attack upon the
Land Office and Indian Bureau; to
all of which Mr.. Teller invited attack
at any time and in any place. 1t is
known that there Is no special affec-
ton existing between Senator Hill
and Secretary Teller, and, as the Sem
ator has been occupying himself all
summer long in Accomplishing evil
dence to be used in these lapsed land
grant cases, it is reasonable to expect
that there will be lots of material this
winter for keeping the public mind
excited.
There will be no end to the reforms
inaugurated by the present Demo-
cratic Congress, as there was no end
to the reforms promised by the Dem
ocratic Congress six years ago. The
| trouble with the Democratic reforms
is that they are not of kind that ac-
complish anything. Some of them
propose to abolish outright the whole
internal revenue system, root and
branch, without FURNISHING anything
to supply its place while others pro-
pose to wipe out the entire National
banking system, and in the same
breath declare that the National debt,
to which alone the National banks
owe their existence, is a National
blessing. Nor do they propose any
substitute for the National banks.
They also propose reform of the
tariff, but whether such reform ex-
tends to a tariff for revenue only, a
tariff for the protection of home in
dustry, or tariff that simply pays
its own way, are questions upon
which the party may be said to be all
: torn up. How they can effect rec
onciliation among themselves upon
these differences on broad National