Orleans County monitor. [volume] (Barton, Vt.) 1872-1953, 1883-10-15
WASHINGTON LETTER.
ESPECIAL coRREsposDEScE OF rHEMoSIroR ]
Wdshinoton. October g.

who are interested in such matters
claim that never before at this time
of the year has there been such de-
mand for houses and rooms as there
is now. In fact small houses are not
to be had on any terms, and rents
have increased fully one-third during
the last month. There are several
ways of accounting for these facts.
The natural growth of the city is
very great, but unlike other cities the
population fluctuates between winter
and summer in a remarkable way. In
the summer it runs down to q COM
paratively small population made up,
principally, of government employees
and their families, and the class of
the community which carries on the
local trade. But in the winter it
goes to the other extreme, and is
oyercrowded. This proves one thing
very clearly, that the people who
come in the winter are mostly a
wealthy class who can afford to be
away during the warm months, but
who return to the capital city, for
various reasons, in the fall and win
ter. These reasons are. briefly, the
presence of congress, and all the in
terests which attach to it; the advan-
tages which society offers; the agree
able climate, and the presence of the
class of people whom it seems desir-
able to cultivate.
The return of the president, which
may be any day, will be the signal
for the opening of the season. and in
fact, the hotels are already showing
that the floating population is now
coming in fast.
The first excitement of the season
will be the preliminary struggle over
the speakership of the house of rep
resentatives in the new congress.
! This has in fact already begun. The
two most prominent candidates are
Mr.. Randall of Pennsylvania, and
Mr.. Carlisle of Kentucky. Mr.. Cox
| of New York is also in the field.
Randall and Cox have already locat-
ed their campaign headquarters at
two prominent hotels, and are can
vassing the new members as they ar
rive, with the design of securing
their pledges to their support. The
discussion as to the chances of the
different candidates is the most eX.
citing subject among politicians OF
that party. There are great many
offices within the gift of the speaker
and his aids, and the selection of the
different committees is supposed, a
least, to control legislation and t.
cover all sorts of political combina
tons. The chairman of each com
mittee is the controlling spirit of th,
committee, and in ordinary usage thu
recommendations of the committee
bring their respective matters befor
congress for action. There is littl
legislating done which is not first act
ed upon IN the committee room; th
chairman, or in his absence some 9th
er member of the committee is in
structed by the committee to repol
the results of their action to the gen
eral body. This report, being off
cial and authoritative, is generally az
cepted by congress as the basis c
action. The chairmen of the con
mittees are graded according to th
significance of the committees
which they belong. The committe
on appropriations is considered
stand highest on the list. The
comes finance, Judiciary. etc.
the contest for the speakership thes
! charmanships, which are in tt
;, speakers gift, become the best pri
es which the candidate has to offer
members as an inducement to SUI
port him. The second, third, ar
even fourth place on the princip
committees are considered by men
bers to be as valuable as the chal
manship of one of the minor commi
tees. Then there are the offices fro
Sergeant at arms down to watchme
all of which go by favor, and a
: prize cards in the political lotter
A candidate for any Office who ca
secure the votes of members is pre-
;, ty sure of place of more or less il
: portance, depending, of course, upt
the number of votes he can contrc
Then there hundred other conside
: ations and advantages in this curio'
= tumble of interests, which have the
effect for or against a candidate
chances. In the manipulation
these diverse matters the would-l
speaker comes into a field of lab
which requires all his tact and ski
and carries with it a prodigio
, amount of work. For over al
= above all these things he must S
e the outcome; this complicated boz
must be made to serve certain poll
: cal ends; all these committee coml
nations, these wheels within wheel
must result in machine which sh;
work not only in the interest of
- party, but in the furtherance of ce
tain ends which that party, or its re
70 resentative, the speaker, has in vii
81 from the beginning.
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