Martinsburg independent. [volume] (Martinsburg, W. Va.) 1875-1900, 1883-01-20
WASHINGTON LETTER.
From our regular correspondent.

/
to legislate is pursued with COM
mendable diligence in both wings of
the Capitol, though the Senate still
| deserves the palm. Considerable
dissatisfaction was for time sx-
pressed with the bill lately passed by
that body relative to the line Of sue
cession to the duties of the Presi-
Dental office in case Of death, dis :
ability or removal. There existed a
prejudice in favor of the old law
which made the President of the
Senate and next the Speaker OF The
House follow after the Vice Presi-
dent, but on further consideration
the new plan making the Secretary
of State follow the Vice President,
and after him the other members of
the Cabinet, is with more favor. 1t
takes the matter more out of the
general scramble and uncertainty Of
of politics. Besides there is always
possibility OF. there being neither q
presiding officer of the State nor a
Speaker of the House, and the
chances are about even as to such
official being or not being in politi-
cal harmony with the party that
elected the President; whereas the
Secretary of State and the other
members of the Cabinet would be
most likely to be identified with and
inclined to carry out the policy of
the Administration which they thus
succeeded to. In one respect, how
ever, the new law is defective. 1t
fails to denote what shall constitute
'inability." 1t will be remembered
that this question painfully and for
chilly presented itself during the ill
ness of President Garfield, when a
large element in the Republican
party held that Vice-President Ar
thur should at once assume the reins
of government.
There is said to be set of men in
NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS. newspa-
per correspondents, women clerks in
the departments, and 50 on-who
make a regular business of supply
ing members of Congress with writ
ten speeches. If that be true they
certainly turn out some uncommon
ly poor work. Two-thirds of the set
speeches in Congress would be worth
about fifty cents column in type.
TIE short, sharp, snappy debates
are good enough, but when some of
these old long winded and hair split
ting individuals begin to argue the
difference between tweedledum and
tweedledee it is immensely trying.
They always become so interested In
their own oratory that they thunder
away as if they were trying to wake
the dead, SO that even the acting
Vice President can only get an oc-
casional cat-nap. 1t seems to be the
invariable rule in Congress that the
less man has to say the louder he
says it and the more he Frances
around and kicks up the dust gener-
ally. Uncle Rufus Hatch flies
back and forth between New York
and Washington with some occult
idea in his brain, and several other
gentlemen have likewise vibrated
like Mahomet's coffin between Man
haitian Island and the Potomac
marsh lands. There is much mys.
terious talk going on about the yell
lowstone Park, and that frightful
bogie known as Giant Monopoly is
said to be hovering-if giants can
hover-around Uncle Rufus and the
gentleman whom he buttonholes in
the dim corridors of the Capitol.
Congress has been as interesting
as usual during the past week, and
many persons have attended the ses-
sions of the Senate to watch Judge
Edmunds poking holes in the Presi-
dental Succession bill. For once,
too. the public felt almost sorry for
Mr.. Hoar when he made his unfor-
tunate allusion the other day to Sen
ator Edmund's prolonged absences
! from the Senate Chamber. Its gross
ness was acknowledged, but Senator
Edmund's emotion was partly due
to the implied accusation that he
neglected his duties. Senator Ed
munds does not associate very much
with his brother Senators from New