San Marcos free press. [volume] (San Marcos, Tex.) 1877-1892, 1883-01-25
Washington Letter.
From our Regular Correspondent
WASHINGTON, January Is, 1888.

WASHINGTON, january ID, 1000
Tho past week has been very bnsy one
in Washington. Congress has been busy
IN tho House and in the Senate the lobby
has been busy in and about Congress; and
society has been busy in hundreds OF draw
ing rooms. Congress has forty-one work
ing days yet remaining, and it has about
four months work on hand mostly In the
shane of business that should have been
closed out during the In ut session. pen
sion bill appropriating SS5, OOO, 600 for the
Army, and 81, 100000 for the Navy, has
been passed by the House; also a bill ap-
rropriating 1925, 900 for Notifications.
The WAYS and Means Committee OF the
Honse has completed its revision or the
thrift bill without making any important
changes. The bill will be presented to the
House at the earliest opportunity, and this
subject will come up in the Senate as IN
finished business to-day 1t is tho opinion,
however, of well informed prognosticators
that no tariff bill will DO passed this session
The House committee on education and
labor will ask to-day, on the call OF commit
tees, for consideration of its bill as reported
by Mr.. Sherman, granting national aid to
to fine common schools of the States and
Territories on the basis of illiteracy. This
bill has the unanimous support of each mem
Der of the committee, and proposes to aid
to the amount of $10,000,O00 per annum
for five years. 1t is patriotic, non-parti-
san measure of the most vital importance to
the whole country. No othor bill before
CONGRESS touches interests so broad, 30 Vi
tai, or Immediately needing attention as
this. -,
It is said that the Naval bill, which will
be reporled this week, contains some very
important clauses striking at the top-heavi-
II of the Naval per ON !. 1t is well known
that there is, in the United States Navy,
great disproportion of highly paid officers
TO poorly paid seamen, and that, while the
Naval Academy at Annapolis is turning out
myriai of ornate lieutenants to navigate
the ball rooms Of the world, common sea-
soaked sailors are obsolete or obsolescent.
Adnirals, Commodores. Captains Comman-
d,rs. Lieutenants, and Midshipmen we
have always with us in battallions, but where
oh where, is Jack Tar, once 80 dauntless
in love and in war He has been killed by
. even dollars Il month, and the tyranny of
tle aforesaid official battalions whose over
bearing cruelty is incomprehensble to any
one unused to the sea on United States
Government vessel At the last session, 1t
will be +. membered, there was contest over
the proposition to abolish the grade of COM
m,dore, and it was finally defeated. The
same clause is in the present bill, and it
will very likely go through. This mefhs
that most of the officers now holding the
rank of captain in the Navy will never get
above it. 1t is also proposed that no officer
in time of peace shall be promoted to the
Grade of lieutenant until after he has served
four years at sea; no lieutenant to leuten-
ant commander until after Six
wears sea service us lieutenant; no herhen-
ant commander to commander until after
four years sea service; no commander to
captain until after three years sea service.
Meritorious service and Led ability are
to be taken into account in regulating pro-
motions. These are very important propo-
sitions, and will, if adopted, alter the lives
and fortunes OF all bat the older officers
who have reached the grade Of rear admiral
or commodore. This year there is cutting
down OF the personnel III order to make it
e .sier to secure appropriationsfo rnew ships.
The to tai amount OF money proposed to be
appropriated in the bill is over S16, ZOO, 000.
There is an item OF $50, 600 for movable
torpedoes of the latest construction. An
appropriation of 81 COCOON is recommend
cd for the completion of the double turreted
monitors. The contracts for the compile
ton of the monitors must be approved by a
board consisting OF one line officer, one
naval constructor, and one engineer, who
shall consider only such contracts as may
be fair and reasonable from responsible bid
ders. The bill further provides for begin
ming the construction of five new vessels-of-
war. as follows: One steel cruiser of not
less than 1000 tons; three steel cruisers of
about 2. 800 tons, and one cruising torpedo
boat. and appropriates 81, 500, OOo
herefor.