The state journal., 1883-12-29
Doings Of Men IN Washington.

| beHIallVeS IS COiDplete. Alter tn
holiday recess business on the insid,
as well as on the outside of the leg
islative chambers will begin in earnes
1t promises to be brisk. The South
ern Pacific lobby has probably re
ceived backset by the scandal the
publication of Huntington's letter:
in San Francisco has created. How
ever, the committee on Pacific rail
roads on the House side was con.
sidered a prize worth struggling for
Cassidy, of Nevada, carried it off
very much to the surprise of those
who are not behind the scenes. Cas-
sidy is third or fourth rate memb er
and this is his last term in Congress
Ills state suffers severely by the ex-
actions Of the tfeatral Pacific mo.
nopoly, and yet no one imagines
thst Cassidy desired the chairman
ship of the committee on Pacific
railroads for the purpose of securing
legislation to regulate the freight
tariffs of that concern.
| The holders of the old backbo
railroad land grant bonds and the few
stockholders of the American Rail
way Improvement Company of
course expect something favorable
this winter, but Mr.. Cobb, at the
head Of the Public Lands Committee
will have something to say on the
subject of turning over lapsed grant
to the New Orleans Pacific.
1t is true that the Interior Depart
ment has decided that the land grant
of the old backbone fraud has not
been forfeited and that the New Or
leans Pacific is the heir at Law of the
original grantees. Nevertheless, Mr..
Cobb will make inquiry and develop
a nice bit of scandal which compro
mise two very prominent Democratic
politicians.
The Southern Pacific will make
desperate effort to get the land grant
Of the Texas Pacific in New Mexico
and Arizona, but here again will |
come conflict between the Railroad |
and the one on Public |
Lands.
The composition of the Ways aud |
Means committee is satisfactory to
he revenue reformers, and especially
o the whisky lobby. 1t is not the
trongest the Speaker miah,t,,s,ht, F.. ....-'t
ion, but his judgment of men is
,ften at fault. He is weak as lead
,r on the fooI, and be has but two
Democrats on his committee who
will have any real force in debate
Mills. of Texas, is a mebber who |
splits the ears of the listeners in the |
galleries when he gets excited
10 debate, but be lacks breadth
and capacity as legislator.
Blount, of Georgia is con-
scientious plodding worker, but he
will never rank high as politicaI
economist. Blackburn is gifted with
smooth.Aowing speech, but it is
never freighted with other than com
monplace ideas. He abhors, details
and depises accurate investigation
He is superficial in everything Her
bert, of Alabama and Jones, OF Ar.
kansas are about fifth rate men
Hewitt, of New York and Burd, of
Ohio, are the only Democrats VINO
rank as first class men. II the CON-
mittee makes a respectable showing
on the boor of the House it will be
through them. The Republican rep
resentation is stronger in every way
than the Democratic membership
The whiskey manufacturers must
secure from this Congress favorable
| LEGISLATION or they will be bankrupted
They will make desperate struggle
to pass the bill championed by Mr.
Carlisle in the last Congress. The
WAYS and Means Committee wiIl,'0
course, report such measure, but
will meet determined opposition IL
the House. The tax on whiskey viii
not be repealed, because all tn
Republicans dare not go with Randall
for the repeal of all internal revenu
taxation. However, there are enoug
Republican and Democratic votes t
make the success of the whisky lobb
problematic.
The Committee on Post Offices an
Post Roads is not one that will Civ
the Western Union people any ser
! GUS concern. But the treatment
S,r;poar of Illinois. by the Sneak