The Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1877-1885, 1883-02-27
WASHINGTON LETTER.
fFrom our Regular Correspondent

1 JIM an OJSc lef% DS-zzAz tlON upon
the senate. It was felt thats no change in
the tariff Ewas likely5 to take splace at the
present session unless through the action
of that body. Two weeks since the senate
| took up the bill which it had been debat-
ing for months in the committee of the
whole, and it was announced that rapid
work would be made with it. The discus
| sion in committee had been very thorough,
and III many respects more liberal bill
had beet secured than was-feported by the
| finance committee. There was general
| impression that the senate, yielding to the
| pronounced and extensive public demand,
was willing to make at least a commence
| ment of substantial reform in the fiscal sys
| tenn which now weighs 90 heavily on the
industries and commerce of the country.
But when the bill came out of the commit
tee of the whole it was taken in hand by
| another committee. not known to the
constitution or the laws, not appointed
by the senate, not responsible to
the people, and yet more infiuen-
tial than the peoples representatives
more powerful for the time being, than
the people themselves The committee
consisted of the lobby of the favored man
| ufacfurers, and particularly of the iron and
steel interests. They were not satisfied
with the bill They gave orders that it
should not be changed unless it could be
changed TO suit them. Under their direc-
ton senators from various parts of the
union resisted the bill, and proposed Its
modification. and two weeks have been
consumed in satisfying the representatives
of private interests, while the great body
of the people have waited, impatient at the
DELAY which threatened the continuance of
theif burdens for another year. Finally
the bill has passed, what there is of it, and
we are still at sea concerning what the
house will do with it.
There is every likelihood that the new
senate Will have a session Immediately after
the adjournment of the present congress.
What beautiful array of Senators the far
West now produces. Bowen. for
example, and Tabor and Miller
and Senator elect Sabin and a few
others. 1t has been suggested for some
time that senatorial honors could not
alight so persstently on the heads of mil
lionaires without few taps from the bar
rel but Senator elect Sabin will take his
seat under the firm conviction in the minds
OF his seventy seven brother senators tn at
he got there by selling out to Mr. Mark H.
Dunnell Mr.. Dunnell is afflicted with
vaulting ambition that habitualIy o'erleaps
itself; he wanted to be speaker-an Office
for which re possesses but one single quail
ihcation. and that is voice like a fog
horn when he is excited. and a way of
Topping his arms against his sides like
chandelier preparing for long, loud and
voluminous crow. Now, Mr.. Dunnell
longcd with an intense longing for Mr.
WINDOWS shoes, and more than all he
didn't want to see Mr.. Window back in
the senate, 80 he looked around and saw
that he could probably strike a bargain
with Mr. Sabin. Before the election came
off Mr. WINDOWS friends in Washington
got panicky and wanted him to 60 to Min
nesota himself, but he counted on Mr. Sa-
bin. 1t is very well known that good deal
of money was used in the fight against Mr. |
Windem out here, and everybody knows |
that Mr.. Dunnell didn't have any money |
to use -nevertheless, the thing for Mr. |
Sabin was decided by ten or twelve of the |
strongest Donnell men going over in a |
body So people put two and two togeth- |
er and saw through the artless DHnnell |
and the Transparent Sabin. Now, is not |
that nice way to come before the United |
States senate? One thing is certain |
L
officers is at an end in Washington It |
has not been scatched, but killed outright |
and buried, and the gravestone marked |
with the names of Blaine Robinson and |
Window, with room for Don Cameron's to
to come. Senator Miller, the California
millionaire. lives in fine house which he
does not own and with such a Daenento
Ds0fi before him as Mr.. WINDOWS house |
disappointment as Mr. |
Blaine's house behind him, he will hardly I
be beguiled int o the facinating pastime of |
palace building
Another young man turned up with a
scheme for receiving and recording the vote
Of Congress by the aid of electricity. His |
name is EnOs and he comes from Pea |
body, Mass ] wonder how MANY inven-
ors have tried their hands at solving this
problemf This last invention
IS quite perfect in its theory, AMI if SEN
ltors and members were so anxious to dis
patch public business, as to wish to aban
ion the roll and vote instantaneously and
I'll together, MIR. Enos might get chance
o Introduce his mechanism Every roll
;ali now occupies about one hour and to
obtain frequent calls is one of the favorite |
Methods OF fillibustering If members re-
corded their votes simultaneously by cleo | {
richly the roll call would not occupy more
han half the members and a good many of {
he senators never would hear the sound of | {
heir own voices during the proceedings at 1
II if there were no roll calls A moiety of c
hem still have an almost irresistible t