Clarksville weekly chronicle. (Clarksville, Tenn.) 1873-1890, 1884-07-19
OUR WASHINGTON LETTER.

tErOm Our Regular CorFespondent.1
The halls of Congress are giver
up again TO dust and desOlati0n. A
few attendants are going the rounds
clearing the desks of members Of
their rubbish, and piles of bills
speeches, reports and crumpleC
manuscripts are scattered about the
floors, awaiting consignment to the
junk shops. The janitors are put.
ting double locks on the doors, and
nearly all the rooms are deserted
The Presidents room has been strip
ped of its rich draperies, which
have been packed away securely
from moths. The enrolling clerks,
journal clerks, and tho clerk of the
House appropriation committee,
with his assistants, have been the
hardest worked clerks of the session
and arc now arranging papers,
which will detain them several
weeks yet. -. a s, f., -..
The general public does not re-
grri the close of Il session of Congress
but the residents OF tho District OF
Columbia have never known too
long Il session. The departing
statesmen are always sure Of a cor
dial welcome on their return to the
Capital City. aia.
But little enthusiasm or excite
ment marked the closing hours OF
Congress, although the Senate and
House, in determined struggle,
locked horns for Il thirty six hours
session, before an agreement WAS
reached on the Naval bill. And
then Representatives. Cox, and Reed
ran against each other and had
some unkind words of parting, an
episode which the gentlemen from
New York, and Maine, at least
will remember the remainder of
their lives.
Congress has created quite a num-
Der of new officials. Besides the
commission 10 SECURE more intimate
relations between this country aud
Central aud South America, Il bu-
reau of animal industry, another of
labor statistics, II bureau Of naviga-
lion, and a commission TO inquire
into the signal service and coast sur
vcy, have been established. The
latter is the only EOdy to consist of
Congressman. The new legislative
bill provides for three additional
Watchmen in the State, War and
Navy Department building, and
seven hundred applications have
already been filed for the positions.
During the past session of Con-
gress the President approved three
hundred and seventy bills, and We
toed one, the Fitz John Porter bill
Five other measures, passed during
the last ten days of the session, fail
Ell to become laws by reason of tho
Withholding of Executive approval.
They were all private relief bills.
Those who have watched Con-
gress have noticed the Importance
into which conference committees
have grown. The fashion now is
for each House to disagree 10 all
amendments TO bill coming from
the other, and. refer the points in
dispute 10 a committee composed of
three members OF either house.
These six Congressman can change
the bill as they choose for the most
part, and their work is generelly
ratified without much objection.
The custom has grown popular be-
cause of the difficulty OF getting the
Houses in free and open debate TO
agree to anything. The device
greatly increases the responsibilities
Of the President OF the Senate and |
Speaker, rs they have to select all
the conference committees. !
The latest Governmental fraudthat !